Movatterモバイル変換

Isaiah 15:2-5
He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their headsshall be baldness,and every beard cut off…

Jeremiah 48:20-24,31-34
Moab is confounded; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled, …

Eglaim

Ezekiel 47:10
And it shall come to pass,that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be aplace to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.

Their wailing reaches Eglaim;
Eglaim is a location within Moab, though its exact site is uncertain today. The mention of Eglaim emphasizes the depth of the sorrow, as the wailing is not confined to one area but spreads throughout the land. This reflects the comprehensive nature of divine judgment. The wailing signifies a deep mourning, possibly for the loss of life, land, and security. In biblical terms, wailing is often associated with repentance or acknowledgment of sin, though in this context, it may simply reflect despair.

it is heard in Beer-elim.
Beer-elim, meaning "well of the mighty ones," is another location in Moab. The sound reaching Beer-elim suggests that the lamentation is so intense that it travels great distances. This could symbolize the far-reaching consequences of sin and rebellion against God. The mention of Beer-elim may also serve as a reminder of God's past provisions and the people's failure to remain faithful. The geographical spread of the wailing underscores the totality of the judgment and the inescapable nature of divine retribution.

Isaiah 15 begins a two-chapter oracle announcing God’s judgment on Moab, Israel’s southeastern neighbor (Isaiah 15:1–16:14). Earlier history shows Moab alternating between hostility and uneasy alliance with Israel (Numbers 22–25;2 Kings 3). Now the prophet describes ruin so thorough that, in his words, “Ar in Moab is devastated, destroyed in a night” (Isaiah 15:1). Verse 8 sits in the middle of that lament, spotlighting how far and wide the grief spreads—an echo of the totality of the judgment God promised inDeuteronomy 32:35 and later echoed inJeremiah 48.

“For their outcry echoes to the border of Moab.”

• The “outcry” is the collective scream of an entire nation suddenly stripped of security.

• Earlier verses mention weeping in Dibon and wailing in Nebo (Isaiah 15:2–3); verse 5 describes Moab’s heart “crying out” as fugitives flee. Now Isaiah pictures that sound rolling like thunder all the way to Moab’s edges, leaving no pocket untouched (similar imagery appears inIsaiah 24:11 andAmos 5:16).

• Such language fulfills God’s warnings that idolatry and pride bring national collapse (Isaiah 16:6;Proverbs 16:18).

“Their wailing reaches Eglaim; it is heard in Beer-elim.”

• Eglaim likely sat in Moab’s northeast, while Beer-elim (“well of Elim”) lay on the southern frontier near the wilderness route recalled inNumbers 21:16–18. Listing both towns—one toward the north, one toward the south—creates a literary bracket. The wail covers the map, the wayJeremiah 48:34 later says, “From Zoar to Horonaim they raise their cry.”

• Isaiah’s pairing mirrors his earlier prophecy against Philistia where “wailing” travels from one gate to another (Isaiah 14:31). God’s message: when He judges, distance offers no refuge (Psalm 139:7–8 shows the positive side of that same truth).

By tying the verse’s three phrases together—outcry… wailing… heard—Isaiah piles intensity upon intensity.

• Every voice contributes; every ear hears (Isaiah 5:30).

• The cacophony reveals the emptiness of Moab’s gods Chemosh and Baal-meon (Numbers 21:29). No false refuge can hush divine judgment (Psalm 115:4–8).

• God’s justice is never random; it targets persistent rebellion, yet it is also accompanied by divine grief (Isaiah 15:5 shows even the LORD’s own heart moved).

• National pride apart from the LORD leads to collapse (Jeremiah 9:23–24;Romans 1:18–25).

• Sin shatters more than private lives; it devastates communities until the “outcry” becomes unavoidable (Genesis 4:10;Romans 6:23).

• Judgment passages heighten the beauty of salvation: in Christ, God bore the ultimate wail so repentant people might receive comfort instead of calamity (Isaiah 53:3–5;John 3:16).

Isaiah 15:8 paints a soundscape of Moab’s downfall: grief rolling from border to border, from Eglaim to Beer-elim, proving no corner escapes God’s verdict. The verse underscores total judgment, exposes the futility of false security, and calls every generation to seek refuge in the LORD, the only One able to turn wailing into songs of joy (Psalm 30:11).

(8)The waters of Dimon.--Probably the same as Dibon, the name being slightly altered (mandb,as labial letters, are closely connected in all languages) so as to resemble the Hebrew word for "blood" (dam),ordum("silent"). Men should call the stream no more by the name of Dimon, but by that ofthe blood,orthe silent river.(See Note onIsaiah 21:11.)

I will bring more . . .--i.e.,sorrow upon sorrow. The "lions" are either literally such, as in2Kings 17:25, prowling through the streets of the deserted city (see Notes onIsaiah 13:21), or symbols of Assyrian or other invaders (Jeremiah 4:7;Jeremiah 5:6). . . .