Глава 15

1–9. The plight of the Moabites. Isa.15:1. Prophecy about Moab. - So! Ar-Moab will be devastated and destroyed by night; So! Kir-Moab will be devastated and destroyed in the night! Isaiah sees in his prophetic contemplation the Moabites who thought so highly of themselves in the most pitiful situation. From the north, enemies attacked the Moabite land, devastating Moabite cities and rich Moabite pastures and spreading death everywhere. Loud plaintive cries of the Moabites are heard from one end of their land to the other. Even the Moabite warriors fell into despair and crowds of Moabites fled to the south, hoping to find refuge in the southern fortresses, while others directly crossed the border of their possessions, into the land of Edom. The prophet lists the cities of Moab in order of their importance. The Moabites were related to Israel (Gen. 19:30–38), but both internally and externally they were alien to it and even always hostile, which, of course, was caused by the contiguity of the Moabite possessions with the possessions of the tribes of Gad (to the north) and Reuben (to the south). For a long time after the settlement of Israel in Palestine, the Moabites retained their independence and even after the death of the judge of Israel Othniel, they oppressed Israel for 18 years (Judges 3:11–14), and only David made them his tributaries (2 Sam. 8:2). King Mesha of Moab, for 900 l. BC again won independence for his people (2 Kings 1:1; 2 Kings 3:4 et seq. cf. the inscription on the monument to King Mesha - Christ. Reading 1870, Art. Prof. Khvolson: the newly discovered monument to King Mesha) and even took possession of some areas of the tribe of Gad. In subsequent times, the Moabites expanded their region even more, as can be seen from the fact that Isaiah portrays them as the owners of the cities of Heshbon and Eleala, which did not yet belong to King Mesha. For some time, the king of Israel, Jeroboam II, restored Israel's power over Moab (2 Kings 14:25), but with the weakening of the kingdom of Israel that quickly followed the death of this king, the Moabites became stronger again. They were also benefited by the migrations that took place in relation to the subjects of the king of Israel under the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pilezer (734), when many Israelis were brought to Assyria from beyond the Jordanian region (2 Kings 15 and 1 Chronicles 5:6, 26) - and under Sargon (in 722). The Moabites then became proud, and Isaiah turned to them quite well in time with formidable warnings. “Prophecy” – see Isaiah 13:1. “So,” that is, this is absolutely true. "At night". An attack at night is much more terrible than a daytime attack, because people fall asleep into complete panic. Ar-Moab is the main city of the country, on the river. Arnone (ar in Moab means the same as ir in Hebrew means city). “Kir Moab” is the southern, strongest Moabite fortress, standing on a high steep mountain (now Kerak). In the inscription of King Mesha, this word is mentioned four times and everywhere it also means a city (Kir in Hebrew literally: wall). The idea of ​​verse 1 is this: both of the most important cities of the Moabite country will fall during a night attack by enemy hordes. Isa.15:2. He ascends to Bayit and Divon, ascends to the heights to weep; Moab weeps over Neva and Medeva; all of their heads are shorn, all of their beards are shaved. “He”, i.e. Moab. - Bait. In Hebrew habaith actually means: house and therefore can mean the house or church of the main god of Moab, Chemosh, who, of course, stood on a hill (cf. 1 Samuel 5:2). “Divon” is a city north of Arnon (Num. 21:30; Num. 32:3), where the signature of King Mesha, who was born in this city, was found. “High places” are the places where the Canaanites worshiped. Nebo is a city of the same name with the famous mountain where Moses died. There was a Moabite church there. "Medeva" - southeast of Nebo. “Cutting the hair on the head” and “shaving the beard” are a common sign of sadness in the East (cf. Jer. 16 and Jer. 48:37). Isa.15:3. In its streets they girdle themselves with sackcloth; on its roofs and squares everyone is crying, drowning in tears. "Sackcloth". See Isaiah 3:23. "On the rooftops". In Palestine, rooftops served as resting places in the evenings; the roofs were flat. Some houses in Bethlehem, for example, are still connected to one another by such flat roofs, which thus form a continuous air connection (Geiki. Holy Land vol. 1, p. 431). Therefore, Samuel could talk with Saul on the housetop (1 Samuel 9:25, 26). Sometimes special stairs lead to the roof directly from the courtyard of the house. Isa.15:4. And Heshbon and Eleala cried; their voice is heard as far as Jaatza; behind them the soldiers of Moab weep; his soul is indignant within him. “Heshbon” is a city located north of Medebah (Num. 21:25). “Eleala” - 1/2 hour northeast of Heshbon. “Jaatza” is probably the most extreme point of the Moabite country on its eastern border (Deut. 2:32). Isa.15:5. My heart weeps for Moab; they flee from it to Zoar, to the third Egla; they ascend Luhit weeping; along the Khoronaim road they raise a terrible cry; Isa.15:6. because the waters of Nimrim dried up, the meadows dried up, the grass burned out, and there was no greenery. From the north, the prophet's gaze turns to the south of the Moabite country. The Prophet cannot look indifferently at the disasters of Moab and with his plaintive groan warns the southern Moabite cities of the disasters approaching them. The prophet already sees how the Moabites are fleeing to Zoar (in Hebrew: Zoar). This city was located on the southeastern shore of the Dead Sea. Here it is called the third Egla, or, more precisely, a three-year-old heifer (Eglat - heifer) as the fortification is very strong, never yet taken by enemies, just as a heifer did not walk under a yoke until she was three years old and, therefore, had an untold reserve of strength (Plin. VIII, 4.5). “They ascend to Luchit” from Hebrew. It would be more correct to translate: “at the Lukhitsky sunrise.” This is the road along which the Moabite fugitives walk weeping. “On the Road of Horonaim” - on the way to the Dead Sea. "Waters of Nimrim". With this expression, the prophet designates the city of Beth-Nimra, which lies to the north in the tribe of Gad (Joshua 13:27). Near this city there were beautiful pastures, the devastation of which the prophet speaks here. The waters of the Nimrim springs have already disappeared, and therefore the Moabite fugitives are rushing south. Isa.15:7. Therefore, they carry the remnants of their acquisitions beyond the Arabian River. Isa.15:8. For there is a cry throughout all the borders of Moab, to Eglaim his lamentation and to Beer Elim his lamentation; Isa.15:9. because the waters of Dimon are filled with blood, and I will bring something new on Dimon—lions on those who fled from Moab and on those who remained in the country. “For the Arabian River” - from Hebrew. more precisely: “on the other side of the steppe stream.” This is the last, southeastern tributary of the Dead Sea, into which it flows through Gores Safieh Eglaim - probably on the southern shore of the Dead Sea. "Be'er Elim" - from Hebrew. “source of terevinth” or “source of heroes” (the word el can mean both “terevinth” and “strong, hero”). This source must be looked for northeast of Moab, in the desert (Num. 21 et seq.). "Waters of Dimon". Here, instead of the well-known name Divon, the prophet composed a new one - Dimon in order to give a hint about the fate awaiting this area. Dimon, in its root, is similar to the word dam - blood, and since Divon - this, in fact, a very important city of Moab - will undergo terrible devastation from its enemies, the prophet calls it Dimon, that is, the city where blood is shed. Its “waters” are precisely the Arnon River, into which, according to the prophet, the blood of the Moabites killed by their enemies flows in abundance. “And I will bring” - from Hebrew. because I... Consequently, the Moabites who escaped the attack of the enemies will be attacked by lions and other wild beasts. However, some interpreters understand lions to be the same enemies of Moab. Note. On the authenticity of Chapter 15. and its division into stanzas will be explained after the explanation of the 16th chapter, with which the 15th represents one coherent whole. You might be interested in: