Isaiah 15 · Verse 5

Isaiah 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.
Isaiah 15:5, King James Version

Isaiah 15:5 in other translations

BSBMy heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath-shelishiyah. With weeping they ascend the slope of Luhith; they lament their destruction on the road to Horonaim.
WEBMy heart cries out for Moab! Her nobles flee to Zoar, to Eglath Shelishiyah; for they go up by the ascent of Luhith with weeping; for on the way to Horonaim, they raise up a cry of destruction.
ASVMy heart crieth out for Moab; her nobles flee unto Zoar, to Eglath-shelishi-yah: for by the ascent of Luhith with weeping they go up; for in the way of Horonaim they raise up a cry of destruction.
YLTMy heart is toward Moab, Cry do her fugitives unto Zoar, a heifer of the third year, For--the ascent of Luhith--With weeping he goeth up in it, For, in the way of Horonaim, A cry of destruction they wake up.
DARBYMy heart crieth out for Moab; their fugitives have fled unto Zoar, unto Eglath-Sheli-shijah: for by the ascent of Luhith, with weeping they go up by it; for in the way of Horonaim they raise up a cry of destruction.
BBEMy heart is crying out for Moab; her people go in flight to Zoar, and to Eglath-shelishiyah: for they go up with weeping by the slope of Luhith; on the way to Horonaim they send up a cry of destruction.
WebsterMy heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee to Zoar, a heifer of three years old: for they shall go up the ascent of Luhith with weeping; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise a cry of destruction.

What does Isaiah 15:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. My--The prophet himself is moved with pity for Moab. Ministers, in denouncing the wrath of God against sinners, should do it with tender sorrow, not with exultation. fugitives--fleeing from Moab, wander as far as to Zoar, on the extreme boundary south of the Dead Sea. Horsley translates, "her nobility," or "rulers" (Ho 4:18). heifer, &c.--that is, raising their voices "like a heifer" (compare Jr 48:34, 36). The expression "three years old," implies one at its full vigor (Ge 15:9), as yet not brought under the yoke; as Moab heretofore unsubdued, but now about to be broken. So Jr 31:18; Ho 4:13. Maurer translates, "Eglath" (in English Version, "a heifer") Shelishijah (that is, the third, to distinguish it from two others of the same name). by the mounting up--up the ascent. Luhith--a mountain in Moab. Horonaim--a town of Moab not far from Zoar (Jr 48:5). It means "the two poles," being near caves. cry of destruction--a cry appropriate to the destruction which visits their country.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 My heart shall cry out for Moab "The heart of Moab crieth within her" - For לבי libbi, my heart, the Septuagint reads לבו libbo, his heart, or לב leb; the Chaldee, לבו libbo. For בריחיה bericheyha, the Syriac reads ברוחה berocheh; and so likewise the Septuagint, rendering it εν αυτῃ, Edit. Vat: or εν ἑαυτῃ, Edit. Alex. and MSS. I., D. II. A heifer of three years old "A young heifer" - Hebrew, a heifer three years old, in full strength; as Horace uses equa trima, for a young mare just coming to her prime. Bochart observes, from Aristotle, Hist. Animal. lib. 4 that in this kind of animals alone the voice of the female is deeper than that of the male; therefore the lowing of the heifer, rather than of the bullock, is chosen by the prophet, as the more proper image to express the mourning of Moab. But I must add that the expression here is very short and obscure; and the opinions of interpreters are various in regard to the meaning. Compare Jer 48:34. Shall they go it up "They shall ascend" - For יעלה yaaleh, the Septuagint and a MS. read in the plural, יעלו yaalu. And from this passage the parallel place in Jer 48:5 must be corrected; where, for יעלה בכי yaaleh bechi, which gives no good sense, read יעלה בו yaaleh bo.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Isaiah 15:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

לִבִּי֙li.Biheart myH3820
לְמוֹאָ֣בle.mo.'Avfor MoabH4124
יִזְעָ֔קyiz.'Akit cries outH2199
בְּרִיחֶ֕הָbe.ri.Che.hafugitives itsH1281
עַד\־'ad-[are] toH5704
צֹ֖עַרTzo.'arZoarH6820
עֶגְלַ֣ת'eg.LatEglathH5697
שְׁלִשִׁיָּ֑הshe.li.shi.YahShelishiyahH7992
כִּ֣י\׀kiforH3588
מַעֲלֵ֣הma.'a.Leh[the] ascent ofH4608
הַלּוּחִ֗יתha.lu.Chit<the> LuhithH3872
בִּבְכִי֙biv.Khiwith weepingH1065
יַֽעֲלֶה\־ya.'a.leh-it is going upH5927
בּ֔וֹboon it
כִּ֚יkithatH3588
דֶּ֣רֶךְDe.rekh[the] road ofH1870
חוֹרֹנַ֔יִםcho.ro.Na.yimHoronaimH2773
זַעֲקַת\־za.'a.kat-a cry ofH2201
שֶׁ֖בֶרShe.vershatteringH7667
יְעֹעֵֽרוּ\׃ye.'o.'E.ruthey rouseH5782

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 15:5

  • Jeremiah 48:5

    For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.

  • Jeremiah 4:20

    Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.

  • Luke 19:41-44

    And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

  • Jeremiah 48:31-36

    Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kir–heres. O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage. And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting. From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate. …

  • Genesis 14:2

    That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.

  • Genesis 19:22

    Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

  • Jeremiah 17:16

    As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.

  • Isaiah 16:9-11

    Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen. And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease. Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kir–haresh.

  • Jeremiah 9:18-19

    And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters. For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.

  • Jeremiah 9:10

    For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.

  • Jeremiah 8:18-19

    When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me. Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?

  • Genesis 13:10

    And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
My heart.
16:9-11; Jer 8:18,19; 9:10,18,19; 13:17; 17:16; 48:31-36
Lu 19:41-44; Ro 9:1-3
his fugitives, etc. or, to the borders thereof, even as anheifer. Zoar.
Ge 13:10; 14:2; 19:22
three.
16:14; Jer 48:34
the mounting.
Jer 48:5,34
with.
2Sa 15:23,30
destruction. Heb. breaking.
22:5; Jer 4:20

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 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.

  • Isaiah 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.

  • Isaiah 15:6

    For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.

Read all of Isaiah 15

Isaiah 15:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Mi corazón dará gritos por Moab; sus fugitivos huirán hasta Zoar, como novilla de tres años. Por la cuesta de Luhith subirán llorando, y levantarán grito de quebrantamiento por el camino de Horonaim.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Mon cœur pousse des cris au sujet de Moab; ses fugitifs vont jusqu’à Tsoar, jusqu’à Églath-Shelishija; car ils montent la montée de Lukhith en pleurant, et sur le chemin de Horonaïm ils élèvent un cri de ruine.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Mein Herz schreit über Moab-seine Flüchtlinge fliehen bis Zoar, bis Eglath-Schelischija. Denn die Anhöhe von Luchith steigt man mit Weinen hinauf; denn auf dem Wege nach Horonaim erhebt man Jammergeschrei.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Cor meum ad Moab clamabit; vectes ejus usque ad Segor, vitulam conternantem; per ascensum enim Luith flens ascendet, et in via Oronaim clamorem contritionis levabunt.