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 burden of Moab. For in the night that Ar is devastated, Moab is ruined; for in the night that Kir is devastated, Moab is ruined. 2He has gone up to the shrine, to Dibon, to the high places to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba. Every head is bald, every beard shaven. In their streets they wear sackcloth. On their housetops and in their plazas, everyone wails, weeping profusely. 4Heshbon and Elealeh cry out. Their voice is heard as far as Jahaz. Therefore the soldiers of Moab cry aloud, his soul faints within him. 5My heart cries out for Moab. Her fugitives are as far as Zoar as a three year old heifer, for by the ascent of Luhith they go up with weeping, for on the way of Horonaim they raise a cry of distress.

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 to all the people who were with him, “Rend your clothes, gird with sackcloth, and lament before Abner.” King David walked behind the platform.
• 2 Kings 6:30Now it came to pass when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes—as he was passing by on the wall, the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth underneath upon his flesh.
• Jonah 3:6When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his robe, covered himself in sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
• Matthew 11:21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have turned long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
• Isaiah 15:2He has gone up to the shrine, to Dibon, to the high places to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba. Every head is bald, every beard shaven.
• Isaiah 22:1The burden of the Valley of Vision: What is the matter with you now? For you have gone up to the rooftops.
• Deuteronomy 22:8“When you build a new house, you are to make a guardrail for your roof, so that you do not bring the guilt of blood on your house if anyone falls from it.
• Jeremiah 19:13The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be as defiled as the place Topheth—all the houses on whose roofs they burned incense to the whole heavenly host and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”
• Jeremiah 48:38On all the housetops of Moab and in its squares— lamentation everywhere! For I have broken Moab like a jar In which no one delights” —it is a declaration of Adonai—
• Isaiah 15:5My heart cries out for Moab. Her fugitives are as far as Zoar as a three year old heifer, for by the ascent of Luhith they go up with weeping, for on the way of Horonaim they raise a cry of distress.

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