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

1This message came to me concerning Moab: In one night the town of Ar will be leveled, and the city of Kir will be destroyed. 2Your people will go to their temple in Dibon to mourn. They will go to their sacred shrines to weep. They will wail for the fate of Nebo and Medeba, shaving their heads in sorrow and cutting off their beards. They will wear burlap as they wander the streets. From every home and public square will come the sound of wailing. 4The people of Heshbon and Elealeh will cry out; their voices will be heard as far away as Jahaz! The bravest warriors of Moab will cry out in utter terror. They will be helpless with fear. 5My heart weeps for Moab. Its people flee to Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah. Weeping, they climb the road to Luhith. Their cries of distress can be heard all along 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 3:31Then David said to Joab and all those who were with him, “Tear your clothes and put on burlap. Mourn for Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the procession to the grave.
• 2 Kings 6:30When the king heard this, he tore his clothes in despair. And as the king walked along the wall, the people could see that he was wearing burlap under his robe next to his skin.
• Jonah 3:6When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes.
• Matthew 11:21“What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse.
• Isaiah 15:2Your people will go to their temple in Dibon to mourn. They will go to their sacred shrines to weep. They will wail for the fate of Nebo and Medeba, shaving their heads in sorrow and cutting off their beards.
• Isaiah 22:1This message came to me concerning Jerusalem—the Valley of Vision: What is happening? Why is everyone running to the rooftops?
• Deuteronomy 22:8“When you build a new house, you must build a railing around the edge of its flat roof. That way you will not be considered guilty of murder if someone falls from the roof.
• Jeremiah 19:13Yes, all the houses in Jerusalem, including the palace of Judah’s kings, will become like Topheth—all the houses where you burned incense on the rooftops to your star gods, and where liquid offerings were poured out to your idols.’”
• Jeremiah 48:38There is crying and sorrow in every Moabite home and on every street. For I have smashed Moab like an old, unwanted jar.
• Isaiah 15:5My heart weeps for Moab. Its people flee to Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah. Weeping, they climb the road to Luhith. Their cries of distress can be heard all along 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