Isaiah 16 9

Isaiah 16:9 kjv

Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.

Isaiah 16:9 nkjv

Therefore I will bewail the vine of Sibmah, With the weeping of Jazer; I will drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; For battle cries have fallen Over your summer fruits and your harvest.

Isaiah 16:9 niv

So I weep, as Jazer weeps, for the vines of Sibmah. Heshbon and Elealeh, I drench you with tears! The shouts of joy over your ripened fruit and over your harvests have been stilled.

Isaiah 16:9 esv

Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased.

Isaiah 16:9 nlt

So now I weep for Jazer and the vineyards of Sibmah;
my tears will flow for Heshbon and Elealeh.
There are no more shouts of joy
over your summer fruits and harvest.

Isaiah 16 verses

Isaiah 16 9 meaning

Isaiah 16:9 portrays a powerful scene of divine lament, where the prophet expresses profound sorrow, symbolizing God's own grief, over the impending desolation of Moab. Specifically, the cities of Jazer, Sibmah, Heshbon, and Elealeh, known for their fertile lands and vineyards, are highlighted. The central cause for this deep weeping and watering the land with tears is the utter cessation of the joyous shouts of harvest and summer fruit gathering. This signifies not only the physical destruction of their agricultural prosperity but also the end of their communal celebration and national joy, a direct consequence of divine judgment against Moab's pride.

Isaiah 16 9 Context

Isaiah chapter 16 forms part of the "burden of Moab," a series of prophecies primarily concerned with God's judgment against surrounding nations. The preceding chapter (Isaiah 15) graphically depicts the immediate and widespread desolation that would come upon Moab, forcing its inhabitants to flee and lament. Chapter 16 continues this lament but introduces a plea for Moab to show mercy to Judah's fugitives and acknowledge the Lord, followed by a deeper exposition of Moab's ultimate fall. Verse 9 is situated amidst this prophetic outpouring of sorrow, highlighting the extent of the disaster not just through the general wailing of its people (Is 15) but through the specific loss of its most iconic produce and its associated national joy. Historically, Moab, located east of the Dead Sea, was an agrarian society known for its rich pastures and, especially, its prized vineyards, making the destruction of its "summer fruits and harvest" a devastating blow to its very identity and economy. This judgment is understood as a consequence of Moab's long-standing pride and hostility towards Israel (Is 16:6; Jer 48:26; Zep 2:8).

Isaiah 16 9 Word analysis

• Therefore (כֵּן - ken): Connects this deep lament to the preceding description of Moab's imminent downfall, implying that this weeping is a consequence of the judgment declared.

• I will weep bitterly (אֶבְכֶּה בִּבְכִי - evke babki): A powerful Hebrew idiom, literally "I will weep with weeping." It expresses an intensified, profound, and often inconsolable grief. This voice could be the prophet's personal agony, an empathic embodiment of Judah's sorrow, or most profoundly, God Himself grieving over the consequences of sin and judgment on His creation.

• for Jazer (יַעְזֵר - Yaʿzer): A prominent Moabite city, often mentioned for its lush grazing lands. Its ruin symbolizes the widespread agricultural and pastoral devastation across Moab.

• even the vine of Sibmah (גֶּפֶן שִׂבְמָה - gefen Sivmah): Sibmah was famed throughout the ancient Near East for its superior grapevines, signifying the epitome of Moabite prosperity and luxury. The lament directly targeting its renowned vine emphasizes the obliteration of Moab's prime asset and a key source of national pride and economic stability.

• I will water thee with my tears (אַשְׁקֵךְ דִּמְעָתִי - ashqek dimʿati): A vivid, poetic, and sorrowful personification. The sheer volume of tears is depicted as metaphorically saturating the land, emphasizing overwhelming grief and the scale of the catastrophe that befalls the land itself, as if mirroring its suffering.

• O Heshbon, and Elealeh (חֶשְׁבּוֹן אֶלְעָלֵה - Ḥeshbon, Elʿaleh): Two strategically significant and historically prominent Moabite cities, often mentioned together, indicating that the devastation is comprehensive and impacts the heartland of Moab.

• for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen (כִּי עַל קֵיצֵךְ וְעַל קָצִירֵךְ הֵידָד נָפָל - ki al qeytsēkh v’al qatsirēkh heydad nafal):

  • shouting (הֵידָד - heydad): This term refers specifically to a joyous cry of celebration, a harvest shout, or a shout of triumph. It is the sound of success, communal feasting, and national wellbeing. Its absence is a direct measure of their suffering.
  • summer fruits (קַיִץ - qayits): Refers to ripe produce like figs, dates, or the first and best of the grape harvest, symbolizing the pinnacle of the agricultural year and its associated blessings.
  • harvest (קָצִיר - qatsir): The general gathering of crops. Together with "summer fruits," it encapsulates the entire cycle of agricultural abundance.
  • is fallen (נָפָל - nafal): Indicates cessation, collapse, or ending. The joyous sound has vanished; it has ceased to exist, bringing a deafening silence where celebration once thrived. This is the direct, tragic consequence of the judgment.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "Therefore I will weep bitterly for Jazer... vine of Sibmah": This opening establishes the lamenter's intense personal sorrow, extending beyond mere observation to a deep, empathic suffering for specific places renowned for their agricultural bounty, indicating the loss of specific and valuable assets.
  • "I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh": This vivid poetic imagery escalates the sorrow from weeping for to actively watering with tears. It signifies an overwhelming, sorrowful outpouring directed at central and widespread regions of Moab, portraying a complete saturation in grief.
  • "for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen": This final clause reveals the precise cause and devastating impact of the lament. It identifies the cessation of the joyous harvest celebration – the very emblem of prosperity, productivity, and communal joy – as the definitive end-state, transforming former sounds of delight into a desolate silence.

Isaiah 16 9 Bonus section

The concept of a prophet embodying the emotional suffering of God or God's people is a recurring motif in prophetic literature, most notably seen in Jeremiah (Jer 9:1, 13:17), who likewise weeps over the destruction of his own people and the devastation of Moab (Jer 48:32). This illustrates a deep theological truth: God is not a dispassionate observer of human suffering, even when that suffering is the result of divine judgment. His justice is entwined with a profound compassion for His creation, demonstrating that sin and its consequences deeply grieve the Creator. The sorrow expressed here elevates the prophecy beyond a simple declaration of doom to a divine lament over lost joy and wasted potential caused by defiance. The renown of Sibmah's vine and the rich harvests speak to God's initial blessing upon the land, making its desolation due to human sin all the more tragic in His eyes.

Isaiah 16 9 Commentary

Isaiah 16:9 powerfully communicates God's profound grief, often channeled through His prophet, over the devastating consequences of sin. While judgment is certain due to Moab's pride and insolence against God and His people, there is a deep sorrow at the resulting destruction. The targeting of specific, agriculturally rich cities like Jazer, Sibmah, Heshbon, and Elealeh emphasizes the totality of the coming desolation, stripping Moab of its identity as a fertile land of plenty. The central tragedy lies in the "fallen shouting" – the obliteration of joyous harvest celebrations, symbolizing not just economic ruin but the death of national happiness and well-being. This verse reminds us that divine justice, while righteous, is not devoid of pathos, and that God Himself can grieve over the choices that lead to ruin. It's a stark reminder that pride precipitates a fall that grieves even the judge.