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

1Here is a message about Moab: Indeed, in a night it is devastated, Ar of Moab is destroyed! Indeed, in a night it is devastated, Kir of Moab is destroyed! 2They went up to the temple, the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, Moab wails. Every head is shaved bare, every beard is trimmed off. In their streets they wear sackcloth; on their roofs and in their town squares all of them wail, they fall down weeping. 4The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard as far away as Jahaz. For this reason Moab’s soldiers shout in distress; their courage wavers. 5My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, and for the fugitives stretched out as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah. For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith; they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim.

Isaiah 15:3 word by word

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• In their streetsחוּץchûts chûts · outsideH2351
• they shall girdחָגַרchâgar · to girdH2296
• themselves with sackclothשַׂקώaq · sackclothH8242
• on the topsגָּגgâg · roofH1406
• of their houses, and in their streetsרְחוֹבrechôb rechôb · street/plazaH7339
• every one shall howlיָלַלyâlal · to wailH3213
• weepingבְּכִיbekîy · weepingH1065
• abundantlyיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381

Cross-references for Isaiah 15:3

• 2 Samuel 3:31David instructed Joab and all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes! Put on sackcloth! Lament before Abner!” Now King David followed behind the funeral bier.
• 2 Kings 6:30When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes. As he was passing by on the wall, the people could see he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes.
• Jonah 3:6When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes.
• Matthew 11:21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
• Isaiah 15:2They went up to the temple, the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, Moab wails. Every head is shaved bare, every beard is trimmed off.
• Isaiah 22:1Here is a message about the Valley of Vision: What is the reason that all of you go up to the rooftops?
• Deuteronomy 22:8If you build a new house, you must construct a guard rail around your roof to avoid being culpable in the event someone should fall from it.
• Jeremiah 19:13The houses in Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled by dead bodies just like this place, Topheth. For they offered sacrifice to the stars and poured out drink offerings to other gods on the roofs of those houses.’”
• Jeremiah 48:38On all the housetops in Moab and in all its public squares there will be nothing but mourning. For I will break Moab like an unwanted jar. I, the Lord, affirm it!
• Isaiah 15:5My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, and for the fugitives stretched out as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah. For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith; they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim.

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