Isaiah16
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1Send ye the lambs for the ruler of the land from Selah to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.
2For it shall be that, as wandering birds, as a scattered nest, so shall the daughters of Moab be at the fords of the Arnon.
3Give counsel, execute justice; make thy shade as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; betray not the fugitive.
4Let mine outcasts dwell with thee; as for Moab, be thou a covert to him from the face of the destroyer. For the extortioner is brought to nought, destruction ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.
5And a throne shall be established in lovingkindness; and one shall sit thereon in truth, in the tent of David, judging, and seeking justice, and swift to do righteousness.
6We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud; even of his arrogancy, and his pride, and his wrath; his boastings are nought.
7Therefore shall Moab wail for Moab, every one shall wail: for the raisin-cakes of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn, utterly stricken.
8For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have broken down the choice branches thereof, which reached even unto Jazer, which wandered into the wilderness; its shoots were spread abroad, they passed over the sea.
9Therefore I will weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for upon thy summer fruits and upon thy harvest the battle shout is fallen.
10And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the fruitful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither joyful noise: no treader shall tread out wine in the presses; I have made the vintage shout to cease.
11Wherefore my heart soundeth like a harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kir-heres.
12And it shall come to pass, when Moab presenteth himself, when he wearieth himself upon the high place, and shall come to his sanctuary to pray, that he shall not prevail.
13This is the word that Jehovah spake concerning Moab in time past.
14But now Jehovah hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of a hireling, the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and of no account.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Isaiah 16.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Moab is exhorted to yield obedience. (1-5). The pride and the judgments of Moab. (6-14).
vv1-5
God tells sinners what they may do to prevent ruin; so he does to Moab. Let them send the tribute they formerly engaged to pay to Judah. Take it as good advice. Break off thy sins by righteousness, it may lengthen thy quiet. And this may be applied to the great gospel duty of submission to Christ. Send him the lamb, the best you have, yourselves a living sacrifice. When you come to God, the great Ruler, come in the name of the Lamb, the Lamb of God. Those who will not submit to Christ, shall be as a bird that wanders from her nest, which shall be snatched up by the next bird of prey. Those who will not yield to the fear of God, shall be made to yield to the fear of every thing else. He advises them to be kind to the seed of Israel. Those that expect to find favour when in trouble themselves, must show favour to those in trouble. What is here said concerning the throne of Hezekiah, also belongs, in a much higher sense, to the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Though by subjection to Him we may not enjoy worldly riches or honours, but may be exposed to poverty and contempt, we shall have peace of conscience and eternal life.
vv6-14
Those who will not be counselled, cannot be helped. More souls are ruined by pride than by any other sin whatever. Also, the very proud are commonly very passionate. With lies many seek to gain the gratification of pride and passion, but they shall not compass proud and angry projects. Moab was famous for fields and vineyards; but they shall be laid waste by the invading army. God can soon turn laughter into mourning, and joy into heaviness. In God let us always rejoice with holy triumph; in earthly things let us always rejoice with holy trembling. The prophet looks with concern on the desolations of such a pleasant country; it causes inward grief. The false gods of Moab are unable to help; and the God of Israel, the only true God, can and will make good what he has spoken. Let Moab know her ruin is very near, and prepare. The most awful declarations of Divine wrath, discover the way of escape to those who take warning. There is no escape, but by submission to the Son of David, and devoting ourselves to him. And, at length, when the appointed time comes, all the glory, prosperity, and multitude of the wicked shall perish.
Key Words
שָׁלַח: to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)
כַּר: a ram (as full-grown and fat), including a battering-ram (as butting); hence, a meadow (as for sheep); also a pad or camel's saddle (as puffed out)
מָשַׁל: to rule
אֶרֶץ: the earth (at large, or partitively a land)
מִן: properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
סֶלַע: Sela, the rock-city of Idumaea
מִדְבָּר: a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; also speech (including its organs)
הַר: a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively)
בַּת: a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)
צִיּוֹן: Tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of Jerusalem
Cross References
Isaiah 16Moab previously paid a heavy tribute of lambs, which they are now exhorted to restore.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Jeremiah's parallel oracle matching Isaiah's description of the pride and haughtiness of Moab.
Supported by JFB
Parallel lament over the vine of Sibmah whose branches reached the sea.
Supported by JFB
Sela (Petra) was captured by Amaziah, bringing it under Judah's dominion.
Supported by JFB
David originally subdued the Moabites and brought them under tribute.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallel text where the prophet laments for the men of Kir-hareseth.
Supported by JFB
Parallel imagery of the heart sounding like pipes or a harp for Moab.
The established throne in David's tabernacle points typologically to King Messiah.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Parallel description of joy taken away from the plentiful field and quiet presses.
Supported by JFB
Identical phrase 'years of an hireling' used to specify a precise three-year judgment.
The metaphor of a shadow/refuge from the heat and storm matches the advice to Moab.
Supported by JFB
God will tread down Moab's pride like straw is trodden down in dunghills.
Supported by JFB
Torah law forbidding the betrayal of escaped servants, paralleling the call to shelter outcasts.
The ideal King who judges in righteousness and delivers the needy from oppressors.
Supported by JFB
Wages and terms of a hireling representing a strict, legally measured period.