Isaiah 15:3

Isaiah 15:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.
• New International Version (NIV)In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping.
• English Standard Version (ESV)in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.
• New King James Version (NKJV)In their streets they will clothe themselves with sackcloth; On the tops of their houses And in their streets Everyone will wail, weeping bitterly.

Context of Isaiah 15:3

1The pronouncement concerning Moab: Certainly in a night Ar of Moab is devastated and ruined; Certainly in a night Kir of Moab is devastated and ruined. 2The people have gone up to the temple and to Dibon, to the high places to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba; Everyone’s head is bald and every beard is cut off. In their streets they have put on sackcloth; On their housetops and in their public squares Everyone is wailing, overcome with weeping. 4Heshbon and Elealeh also cry out, Their voice is heard all the way to Jahaz; Therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; His soul trembles within him. 5My heart cries out for Moab; His fugitives are as far as Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah, For they go up the ascent of Luhith weeping; Indeed, on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of distress over their collapse.

Isaiah 15:3 word by word

בְּחוּצֹתָ֖יו חָ֣גְרוּ שָׂ֑ק עַ֣ל גַּגּוֹתֶ֧יהָ וּבִרְחֹבֹתֶ֛יהָ כֻּלֹּ֥ה יְיֵלִ֖יל יֹרֵ֥ד בַּבֶּֽכִי׃Read the interlinear

• In their streetsחוּץchûts chûts · outsideH2351
• they have putחָגַרchâgar · to girdH2296
• sackclothשַׂקώaq · sackclothH8242
• On their housetopsגָּגgâg · roofH1406
• and in their publicרְחוֹבrechôb rechôb · street/plazaH7339
• Everyoneכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• isיָלַלyâlal · to wailH3213
• overcomeיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• with weepingבְּכִיbekîy · weepingH1065

Cross-references for Isaiah 15:3

• 2 Samuel 3:31Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David walked behind the bier.
• 2 Kings 6:30When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes--and he was passing by on the wall--and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth underneath on his body.
• Jonah 3:6When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, removed his robe from himself, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the dust.
• Matthew 11:21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
• Isaiah 15:2The people have gone up to the temple and to Dibon, to the high places to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba; Everyone’s head is bald and every beard is cut off.
• Isaiah 22:1The pronouncement concerning the valley of vision: What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops?
• Deuteronomy 22:8“When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you will not bring guilt for bloodshed on your house if anyone falls from it.
• Jeremiah 19:13The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the houses on whose rooftops they burned sacrifices to all the heavenly lights and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”
• Jeremiah 48:38On all the housetops of Moab and in its public squares there is mourning everywhere; for I have broken Moab like an undesirable vessel,” declares the Lord.
• Isaiah 15:5My heart cries out for Moab; His fugitives are as far as Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah, For they go up the ascent of Luhith weeping; Indeed, on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of distress over their collapse.

Commentaries on Isaiah 15:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3With sackcloth - שק sak . The word is in the plural שקים sakkim, sacks, in one of De Rossi's MSS.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3In their streets - Publicly. Everywhere there shall be lamentation and grief. Some shall go into the streets, and some on the tops of the houses. They shall gird themselves with sackcloth - The common token of mourning; and also worn usually in times of humiliation and fasting. It was one of the outward acts by which they expressed deep sorrow (Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 3:31; 1 Kings 21:27; 2 Kings 19:1; Job 16:15; the note at Isaiah 3:24). On the tops of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-9This message of judgment and sorrow was about Moab's fall. The many references to Moabite places show that Isaiah knew Moab well.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. tops of ... houses--flat; places of resort for prayer, &c., in the East (Ac 10:9). weeping abundantly--"melting away in tears." Horsley prefers "descending to weep." Thus there is a "parallelism by alternate construction" [Lowth], or chiasmus; "howl" refers to "tops of houses." "Descending to weep" to "streets" or squares, whither they descend from the housetops.Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 15:3

• House
• Sackcloth

In the dictionaries

• Camel
• Cry
• Arnon
• Baal (1)
• Canon of the Old Testament
• Evil
• Ezekiel
• Isaiah
• Moab; Moabites
• Palestine

Commentaries on Isaiah 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings