Isaiah 15:8 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Isaiah 15:8 kjv
For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beerelim.
Isaiah 15:8 nkjv
For the cry has gone all around the borders of Moab, Its wailing to Eglaim And its wailing to Beer Elim.
Isaiah 15:8 niv
Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab; their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim, their lamentation as far as Beer Elim.
Isaiah 15:8 esv
For a cry has gone around the land of Moab; her wailing reaches to Eglaim; her wailing reaches to Beer-elim.
Isaiah 15:8 nlt
A cry of distress echoes through the land of Moab
from one end to the other ?
from Eglaim to Beer-elim.
Isaiah 15 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 48:3 | "A voice of a cry is from Horonaim, ‘Desolation and great destruction!’" | Prophesying similar lamentation in Moab. |
| Jer 48:5 | "For by the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping, and on the road to Horonaim they hear the cry of destruction." | Echoes the sounds of wailing throughout Moab. |
| Jer 48:31 | "Therefore I wail for Moab... my heart laments for the men of Kir-heres." | Jeremiah's shared sorrow and Moab's wailing. |
| Jer 48:34 | "From Heshbon even to Elealeh and to Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah; for the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate." | Further widespread geographical lament in Moab, similar to Isa 15:8. |
| Isa 16:7 | "Therefore Moab shall wail for Moab; everyone shall wail. You shall mourn for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth, utterly stricken." | Confirms widespread lament specific to Moab. |
| Isa 16:9 | "Therefore I will weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I will water you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh..." | Isaiah's own lament echoing the future sorrow. |
| Eze 25:9-10 | "...I will lay open the flank of Moab... I will give it along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession..." | Divine judgment leading to Moab's destruction. |
| Amos 2:2 | "...I will send fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth..." | Judgment and destruction of Moab. |
| Zep 2:8-9 | "I have heard the taunts of Moab... they have magnified themselves against the people of the Lᴏʀᴅ of hosts." | Reason for Moab's judgment: pride against God's people. |
| Num 21:29 | "Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh!" | Early prophetic woe to Moab related to their god Chemosh. |
| Num 24:17 | "...A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab..." | Balaam's prophecy of Israel's dominion over Moab. |
| 1 Kgs 11:7 | "Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab..." | Identification of Chemosh as Moab's idolatrous god. |
| Pss 60:8 | "Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph." | God's assertion of sovereignty over Moab. |
| Pss 33:10 | "The Lᴏʀᴅ brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples." | God's ultimate control over national destinies. |
| Isa 14:26-27 | "This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth... For the Lᴏʀᴅ of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it?" | Divine sovereignty orchestrating national judgments. |
| Joel 1:5-6 | "Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and wail, all you drinkers of wine... for a nation has come up against my land..." | A call to widespread wailing in response to disaster, a similar scope. |
| Amos 5:16-17 | "Therefore in all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’..." | Broad geographical lament in the context of judgment. |
| Est 4:3 | "...in every province, wherever the king's command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews..." | Widespread lament across a region due to decree. |
| Rev 18:11,15,19 | "And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their cargo anymore... weeping and mourning..." | End-times prophecy of global wailing over the destruction of "Babylon." |
| Jer 7:29 | "Cut off your hair and cast it away; raise a lamentation on the bare heights, for the Lᴏʀᴅ has rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath." | Call to extreme lamentation for judgment. |
| Hos 7:14 | "They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds; they gash themselves for grain and wine; they rebel against me." | Wailing as a superficial act, contrasting with true repentance. |
| Deut 29:16-18 | "...lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart..." | Warnings against idolatry, relevant to Moab's practices. |
| Gen 19:37 | "The older daughter bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day." | Origin of Moab, highlighting their kinship with Israel yet often antagonistic relationship. |
Isaiah 15 verses
Isaiah 15 8 meaning
Isaiah 15:8 portrays a vivid scene of profound, widespread lamentation and distress throughout the land of Moab. It signifies that the national calamity—likely an invasion and desolation—is so complete that the cries of anguish and deep mourning are not confined to one area but have permeated and encircled the entire territory, reaching every corner from one significant landmark to another. This widespread sorrow underscores the total nature of the impending judgment.
Isaiah 15 8 Context
Isaiah chapter 15, along with chapter 16, forms an "oracle concerning Moab," part of a larger section in Isaiah (chapters 13-23) that pronounces divine judgment on various foreign nations. Isaiah ministered during the 8th century BCE, a period of significant geopolitical upheaval dominated by the rising power of the Assyrian Empire. Moab, located east of the Dead Sea, was an ancient kingdom often in conflict with or subjugated by Israel/Judah, though also related through Lot. They were notorious for their idolatry, especially the worship of the god Chemosh. This oracle anticipates a swift and devastating calamity for Moab, likely an invasion by Assyrian forces (or possibly Babylonian forces later), which would lead to the destruction of their cities, their economic ruin, and profound national mourning. The oracle serves not only as a prophecy against Moab but also as a demonstration of Yahweh's sovereignty over all nations, even those distant and hostile to Judah, thereby offering a theological perspective on world events to God's people.
Isaiah 15 8 Word analysis
For the cry (כִּי־בָּאָה צְעָקָה, ki-va'ah tse'aqah):
- ki-va'ah: "for has come." Indicates the certainty and imminence or current reality of the event.
- tse'aqah: Hebrew for a strong, urgent cry, typically one of distress, anguish, or an appeal for help. It is not a cry of joy, but a primal scream of intense suffering. It describes an immediate, vocal outburst of pain.
has gone around (הִקִּפָה, hikkifah): From the Hebrew root naqaf (נָקַף), meaning "to encircle," "to surround," or "to go about." It powerfully conveys that the distress is not confined but has spread to encompass and permeate the entire geographical area, leaving no part untouched.
the border of Moab (גְּבוּל־מוֹאָב, gevul-mo'av): Refers to the geographical boundary, the entire territory, and the population within those limits. This specifies the extent of the calamity as nation-wide.
its wailing (יִלְלָה, yelalah): Hebrew for a prolonged, mournful cry, often a deep guttural lamentation over death or extreme calamity. It is a more intense and sustained expression of grief than tse'aqah, signaling profound sorrow and ruin, a deep national tragedy rather than just a shout of distress.
reaches as far as (עַד, 'ad): "Until" or "up to." A preposition indicating the extreme limit or extent.
Eglaim (אֶגְלַיִם, Eglaim): An important Moabite city. The name might mean "two ponds" or "two calves." Its mention anchors the lament geographically, indicating it reached specific and likely significant centers within Moab.
Beer-elim (בְּאֵר אֵלִים, Be'er Elim): This Hebrew name means "Well of the Gods" or "Well of the Mighty Ones." It denotes a significant landmark, possibly a sacred or strategic site in Moab, perhaps further south of Eglaim. Its specific mention extends the geographical scope, implying that the wailing covers the full expanse of the land.
"the cry has gone around the border of Moab": This phrase highlights the pervasive and inescapable nature of the coming disaster. The initial "cry of distress" is not an isolated incident but has encircled the entire nation, emphasizing the comprehensive reach of the suffering within Moab's boundaries.
"its wailing reaches as far as Eglaim; its wailing reaches as far as Beer-elim": This is a powerful poetic device (often seen as a form of merism, using two extremes to denote the whole) to underscore the vastness of the lament. By naming two specific, possibly geographically distant points, the prophet paints a picture of complete devastation and widespread grief that spans the entirety of Moabite territory, affecting all its inhabitants from major cities to possibly sacred or rural locales. The repetition of "its wailing reaches as far as" further amplifies the sense of widespread anguish and makes the sound of suffering almost palpable.
Isaiah 15 8 Bonus section
- The prophetic imagery of sound (tse'aqah and yelalah) is chosen for its visceral impact, ensuring that the original audience could "hear" the severity of the impending doom. It creates an almost inescapable, sensory experience of judgment.
- The naming of two distinct geographical points, Eglaim and Beer-elim, serves as a rhetorical device called merism, signifying that the lament spreads from one end of Moab to the other, covering the entire country without exception.
- Some interpretations of Beer-elim ("Well of the Mighty Ones") suggest the lament reaching the powerful or heroic figures of Moab, implying that even the strongest and most resilient are overcome by this calamity and forced to mourn. This reinforces the comprehensive nature of the judgment affecting all levels of society.
Isaiah 15 8 Commentary
Isaiah 15:8 provides an auditory landscape of Moab's desolation, painting a vivid picture not of physical destruction directly, but of its immediate aftermath: the all-encompassing sound of lament. The transition from tse'aqah (a desperate cry) to yelalah (a deep wailing) indicates a progression from initial alarm to profound, settled grief over irreparable loss. The mention of "the border of Moab" combined with the specific cities of Eglaim and Beer-elim demonstrates the utter completeness of the judgment; no part of the land, from its established urban centers to potentially its sacred wells or strategic outposts, remains untouched by sorrow. The irony in "Beer-elim" ("Well of the Gods") is palpable; if the people are wailing even at the place associated with their deities, it signifies the abject failure of their gods (like Chemosh) to deliver them. The prophet, under divine inspiration, thus not only foretells a coming judgment but also, through sonic imagery, lets the reader "hear" the consequences of defiance against the God of Israel, confirming His ultimate sovereignty over all nations.