Commentary - Isaiah 15:1-9

Bird's-eye view

Isaiah 15 is a pronouncement of judgment, an oracle, against the nation of Moab. These oracles against the nations are a standard feature in the prophetic books, and they serve a critical function. They demonstrate that the God of Israel is not some petty tribal deity, but is rather the sovereign Lord over all the earth, judging all nations according to His perfect standard. Moab, a perennial thorn in Israel's side and a nation descended from an incestuous union (Gen. 19:37), is here brought to utter ruin. The prophecy is stark, sudden, and severe. The overwhelming theme is one of catastrophic collapse and widespread lamentation. This is not a distant, sterile judgment; Isaiah paints a picture of visceral grief and terror, forcing us to confront the terrible reality of God's wrath against sin.

The chapter unfolds as a series of snapshots of this devastation. We see key cities obliterated overnight, the populace fleeing to their pagan high places in a futile attempt to appease their false gods, and public displays of extreme mourning becoming the norm. The judgment is comprehensive, affecting everyone from the armed soldier to the common citizen, and the very land itself seems to wither under God's curse. Even the prophet, speaking for God, expresses a heart that cries out for Moab. This is crucial. God's judgments are not capricious acts of a cosmic tyrant; they are the necessary, just, and often sorrowful outworking of His holiness in a fallen world. This oracle reminds us that national pride, idolatry, and rebellion against the living God have a sure and certain end.

Outline

Context In Isaiah

This oracle against Moab is part of a larger collection of judgments against the nations that spans from chapter 13 to chapter 23. This section is strategically placed within Isaiah's prophecy. It follows pronouncements concerning Israel and Judah, thereby establishing that God's judgment begins with His own household but does not end there. His reign is universal. The nations mentioned, including Babylon, Philistia, Damascus, and here Moab, were all significant players in the geopolitical landscape of ancient Israel. Their fates were not random occurrences but were directly orchestrated by the hand of God.

Moab had a long and troubled history with Israel. They were related peoples, both descending from Terah, but their relationship was characterized by conflict, suspicion, and Moabite seduction of Israel into idolatry (Numbers 25). This historical enmity provides the backdrop for the severity of the judgment. This is not just about a foreign policy dispute; it is about a long-standing rebellion against the covenant God, a rebellion that has now reached its terminal point. The oracle serves as a stark warning to Judah not to trust in alliances with such nations, but to trust in the Lord alone.

Key Issues

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 1 The oracle concerning Moab. Surely in a night Ar of Moab is destroyed and ruined; Surely in a night Kir of Moab is destroyed and ruined.

The opening is abrupt, like the judgment itself. An "oracle" or "burden" is a weighty pronouncement from God. This is not Isaiah's political analysis; this is a divine declaration. The destruction of Moab's key cities, Ar and Kir, is characterized by its suddenness. "In a night." This speaks of a swift, unforeseen catastrophe. Nations and empires that seem permanent and unshakeable can be brought to nothing in a moment when God determines it. We should not be fooled by the apparent stability of the world's powers. Their foundations are sand. The repetition of "Surely in a night" and "destroyed and ruined" emphasizes the certainty and totality of the collapse. There is no ambiguity here. God's word of judgment is as effective as His word of creation.

v. 2 They have gone up to the temple and to Dibon, even to the high places to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba; Everyone’s head is bald and every beard is cut off.

Where do people run when disaster strikes? They run to their gods. The Moabites flee to their "temple" (or "the house," referring to a pagan temple) and their "high places." These were the centers of their idolatrous worship, the places where they practiced their detestable rites. But their gods are silent. Their worship now is not of praise but of weeping. Dibon, Nebo, and Medeba were significant Moabite towns. The wailing is national. The response is not repentance toward the true God, but a desperate, useless appeal to the idols who could not save them. The external signs of grief are extreme: bald heads and cut-off beards. This was a common ancient practice to express profound sorrow and humiliation. It is a picture of a nation stripped of its dignity, its pride shaved off along with its hair.

v. 3 In their streets they have girded themselves with sackcloth; On their rooftops and in their squares Everyone is wailing, dissolved in weeping.

The grief is not private; it is a public spectacle. Sackcloth, a coarse and uncomfortable fabric, was the uniform of mourning. From the public squares to the private rooftops, the entire society is engulfed in sorrow. The phrase "dissolved in weeping" is potent. It's not just crying; it's a complete emotional breakdown, a melting away of all composure. This is what the Bible calls the terror of the Lord. When God's judgment falls, it undoes a people completely. All the normal routines of life cease, replaced by a singular, all-consuming grief. This is the fruit of rebellion against the living God.

v. 4 Heshbon and Elealeh also cry out, Their voice is heard all the way to Jahaz; Therefore the armed men of Moab make a loud shout; His soul trembles within him.

The lament spreads like a virus from city to city. The cry is so loud it carries for miles. But notice who is shouting now: "the armed men of Moab." The soldiers, the very men who embodied the nation's strength and security, are now screaming in terror. Their weapons are useless. Their training is for nothing. The judgment is so overwhelming that it shatters the courage of the mightiest warriors. The final clause, "His soul trembles within him," refers to the individual Moabite. The corporate judgment has a deeply personal effect. National collapse is not an abstract event; it is the terrifying experience of every single person within that nation. The soul itself is shaken to its core.

v. 5 My heart cries out for Moab; Those who flee from her are as far as Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah, For they go up the ascent of Luhith weeping; Surely on the road to Horonaim they keep awake with crying in distress over their destruction.

Here the prophet's voice breaks in. "My heart cries out for Moab." This is a staggering statement. Isaiah, the prophet of God declaring judgment, feels the pain of that judgment. This reflects the heart of God Himself, who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 33:11). God's justice is not detached or clinical; it is filled with holy sorrow. The people are now refugees, fleeing for their lives. Zoar was the town Lot fled to from Sodom, an ironic historical echo. The "ascent of Luhith" and the "road to Horonaim" are scenes of pathetic flight, with the refugees weeping every step of the way. Their distress is so great they cannot even sleep; their cries continue through the night. This is a people utterly broken and displaced.

v. 6 For the waters of Nimrim are desolate. Surely the grass is dried up, the tender grass has completely ceased, There is no green thing.

The judgment extends beyond the people to the land itself. The curse that began in Eden is recapitulated here. When man rebels, the creation groans. The "waters of Nimrim," likely a fertile area, become desolate. The ecosystem collapses. The verbs are emphatic: dried up, ceased, no green thing. This is total environmental devastation. It reminds us that our well-being is tied to our relationship with God. When we are in rebellion, the very ground beneath our feet can turn against us. Prosperity is a gift from God, and it can be withdrawn in an instant.

v. 7 Therefore the abundance they have made and stored up They carry off over the brook of Arabim.

What little they can salvage, their "abundance," they now try to carry away into exile. The wealth they accumulated, the security they built for themselves, is now a pathetic bundle on their backs as they flee. The "brook of Arabim" or "brook of the willows" likely marks a border they are crossing, leaving their homeland behind. All their labor comes to nothing. This is the ultimate futility of a life lived apart from God. You can store up treasure, but you cannot protect it from the judgment of God.

v. 8 For the cry has gone around the territory of Moab, Its wailing goes as far as Eglaim and its wailing even to Beer-elim.

The prophet summarizes the situation. The cry of grief has now encompassed the entire nation, from one border to the other. Eglaim and Beer-elim mark the extremities of the land. No corner of Moab is untouched. This is a complete and thorough judgment. There is no escape. The repetition of "cry" and "wailing" drives the point home. The defining characteristic of Moab in this hour is sorrow upon sorrow.

v. 9 For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; Surely I will put added woes upon Dimon, A lion upon those of Moab who have escaped and upon the remnant of the land.

The chapter ends on a note of escalating horror. The waters are not just desolate (v. 6), they are now "full of blood." This speaks of immense slaughter. But God is not finished. He says, "I will put added woes upon Dimon." Just when it seems it cannot get any worse, it does. For those who manage to escape the initial destruction, a new terror awaits: "a lion." Whether this is a literal lion or a metaphor for a fierce new enemy (like the Assyrians), the point is the same. There is no ultimate escape from the judgment of God. He will pursue the rebellious remnant until His justice is satisfied. This is a terrifying prospect, and it ought to drive us to the only place of refuge there is.

Application

So what do we do with a chapter like this? First, we must see the absolute sovereignty of God. The nations are but a drop in the bucket to Him (Isa. 40:15). The pride of man, the military might of nations, the stability of economies, it is all a vapor. Our only security is in Him. We must not put our trust in princes, or in national identities, or in our 401ks. All of it can be gone "in a night."

Second, we see the utter foolishness of idolatry. When Moab's world fell apart, they ran to their high places and wept. Their gods were useless. We must ask ourselves what our high places are. Where do we run for comfort, security, or meaning when trouble comes? Is it to entertainment? To political saviors? To our own self-righteousness? All these are dumb idols that cannot save. We must tear them down and flee to the living God.

Finally, this chapter of unrelenting judgment should make us profoundly grateful for the gospel. The wrath described here is the wrath that every sinner deserves. The lion that pursues the remnant of Moab is a picture of the holy justice that pursues every one of us. But the good news is that another Lion, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, has stood in our place. On the cross, Jesus Christ absorbed the full measure of God's wrath against our sin. He drank the cup of judgment down to the dregs so that we would not have to. The terror, the weeping, the desolation, He took it all upon Himself. Therefore, for those who are in Christ, there is a true and lasting refuge. The judgment has already fallen upon our substitute. Our response should be to cling to Him, to worship Him, and to warn a rebellious world that the only escape from the coming wrath is to be found in the grace of God offered freely in His Son.