Isaiah Chapter 15 – The Burden of Moab
Isaiah Chapter 15 introduces the “Burden of Moab,” a declaration of judgment against the ancient nation of Moab. The prophecy is filled with vivid imagery of weeping, desolation, and mourning as the cities of Moab fall under divine judgment. This judgment serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of pride and rebellion against God’s law. While historically fulfilled, its themes of sorrow and judgment echo the fate of all nations that resist God’s sovereignty.
The Lamentation of Moab
✔ Moab’s cities are laid waste, symbolizing the end of its pride.
✔ Judgment brings national mourning and widespread lamentation.
✔ Moab’s reliance on idols and false gods offers no protection.
✔ The destruction is swift, leaving cities barren and desolate.
✔ Moab’s weeping symbolizes the fate of those who trust in human strength.
📖 Isaiah 15:1 – “The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence…”
🔎 Moab’s fall is sudden, taking place in the darkness of night—symbolic of unexpected judgment.
Isaiah Chapter 15 - Overview
Isaiah 15:1–4 – The Cities Mourn
📖 Isaiah 15:1 – “The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence…”
🔎 The judgment on Moab comes suddenly, in the dead of night, symbolizing both surprise and helplessness. The phrase “brought to silence” indicates complete devastation—no voice of resistance remains. Moab, which once thrived in its pride and false security, is now silenced by the hand of God.
📖 Isaiah 15:2 – “He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep…”
🔎 The people of Moab rush to their high places—sites of idol worship—to plead for mercy, but their idols are powerless to save. Bajith and Dibon were known centers of idol worship, where sacrifices and offerings were made. Yet in their time of crisis, the false gods are silent, revealing the futility of trusting in the works of men.
📖 Isaiah 15:3 – “In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth… and the armed soldiers shall cry out bitterly.”
🔎 Sackcloth symbolizes mourning and repentance, yet here it is only the outward expression of sorrow, not true repentance. The “armed soldiers”—symbols of strength and protection—now weep openly. Moab’s military might is rendered powerless before the judgment of the Almighty. What was once seen as unshakeable strength is now exposed as weakness.
📖 Isaiah 15:4 – “And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz…”
🔎 The cry of despair spreads from city to city, echoing throughout the land. Heshbon and Elealeh were major strongholds in Moab, yet even these fortified places could not withstand the judgment. Their cries reach Jahaz, symbolizing the completeness of Moab’s downfall. The whole region is engulfed in lamentation—its defenses shattered, its idols silent, and its people in despair.
➡️ No fortress, idol, or army can withstand the judgment of God. What is built on pride will fall, and what is secured by idols will be exposed as powerless. The wailing of Moab is a glimpse into the futility of human strength apart from the protection of the Most High.
Isaiah 15:5–9 – The Weeping of Moab
📖 Isaiah 15:5 – “My heart shall cry out for Moab…”
🔎 Isaiah’s compassion for Moab reveals the heart of God—judgment is not without sorrow. God takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked. Isaiah’s lament shows that divine judgment, though necessary, is not without grief. It is a sobering reminder that even the rebellious are objects of God’s sorrow when they refuse to repent.
📖 Isaiah 15:6 – “For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate…”
🔎 Water, often a symbol of life and prosperity, is dried up. Nimrim was known for its fertile waters, sustaining the people of Moab. The drying up of these waters symbolizes the stripping away of life and hope. When judgment comes, even the essentials are removed. What once brought life now brings desolation, a testament to the finality of God’s decree.
📖 Isaiah 15:7–8 – “Therefore the abundance they have gotten… shall they carry away to the brook of the willows.”
🔎 Moab’s wealth and treasures are carried away in desperation. The “brook of the willows” represents a place of sorrow and exile. What they had hoarded for safety now becomes a burden to carry away in mourning. Earthly possessions cannot deliver from divine judgment. Riches that were once a source of pride are now a reminder of loss.
📖 Isaiah 15:9 – “For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood…”
🔎 The prophecy concludes with a vivid image of bloodshed, symbolizing total devastation. Dimon, known for its streams, becomes a place of crimson judgment. The bloodshed signifies that rebellion against God always carries a cost. Moab’s reliance on false gods and worldly strength ends in ruin and suffering.
➡️ Sorrow without repentance is despair. Moab weeps, but it does not turn back to God. Judgment comes not merely as retribution, but as a final call to repentance—a call Moab tragically ignores. The empty tears of Moab are a reminder that true security is only found in repentance and returning to the Most High.
Isaiah Chapter 15 - Deeper Study
Overview: The Collapse of a Nation
🔹 Timeframe: Prophecy given before Moab’s destruction, fulfilled historically.
🔹 Setting: Moab’s major cities—Ar, Kir, Dibon—are laid waste.
🔹 Theme: Judgment against idolatry and false security.
🔹 Connection to Christ: Moab’s fall prefigures the end of all human rebellion against God.
The Lament of the Fallen
The prophecy against Moab serves as a solemn reminder that reliance on idols, armies, or human strength is futile. When judgment comes, only those who trust in God will endure.
🔹 Idolatry always leads to devastation.
🔹 Wealth and military power cannot shield against divine judgment.
🔹 Compassion for the fallen reflects God’s heart.
🔹 Judgment is swift and irreversible for those who resist God.
🔹 True refuge is found only in the Most High.
➡️ When destruction comes, only what is built on God’s truth will remain.
Key Takeaways
🔑 Idolatry leads to inevitable destruction.
🔑 False security collapses under divine judgment.
🔑 Mourning without repentance is empty sorrow.
🔑 God’s heart grieves even in judgment.
🔑 Only those who turn to the Lord find true refuge.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 Moab’s destruction was fulfilled historically, aligning with God’s pronouncement.
🔮 The imagery of desolation echoes future prophecies against rebellious nations.
🔮 Moab’s mourning prefigures the global mourning of Babylon’s fall in Revelation 18.
🔮 The drying up of waters symbolizes spiritual desolation (Revelation 16:12).
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Moab was historically a proud and idolatrous nation east of Israel.
📜 Its cities were fortified, but fell swiftly to invading forces.
📜 Moabites were descendants of Lot (Genesis 19:37), often at odds with Israel.
📜 Idol worship and pagan rituals marked its culture, leading to its eventual fall.
Present-Day Reflection: The End of False Security
Moab trusted in its idols, its cities, and its soldiers—but all were brought low in a single night. Today, many trust in wealth, political power, or human strength. But just like Moab, these false securities will crumble when judgment arrives.
🔹 Political power is fleeting—only God’s Kingdom is unshakable.
🔹 Wealth is temporary—true riches are eternal.
🔹 Idolatry still exists today—not with statues, but with materialism and self-reliance.
🔹 When the time of judgment comes, only faith in Christ will stand.
🔹 Mourning without repentance is mere despair—it must lead to turning back to God.
➡️ Do not wait for calamity to seek refuge in God. Let your trust be in the Eternal, not the temporary.
💡 Final Reflection: The Weeping of the Proud
Moab’s weeping symbolizes the sorrow of all who trust in human strength. Their idols could not save them. Their armies could not protect them. Only those who seek refuge in the Most High will endure.
📌 Are you building your security on what cannot save?
📌 When calamity comes, will your foundation stand?
📌 Is your confidence in God—or in idols of human strength?
📖 Isaiah 15:1 – “Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence.”
🔥 Do not wait for the night to fall—seek the refuge of the Most High now.
An Oracle Concerning Moab
Isa 15:1 The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;
Isa 15:2 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 heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.
Isa 15:3 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.
Isa 15:4 And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him.
Isa 15:5 My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.
Isa 15:6 For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.
Isa 15:7 Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows.
Isa 15:8 For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beerelim.
Isa 15:9 For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.
Date Written
740–700 BC
Written By
The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz
Language
Hebrew
Verses
9