Isaiah 16 · Verse 14

Isaiah 16:14

But now the Lord hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.
Isaiah 16:14, King James Version

Isaiah 16:14 in other translations

BSBAnd now the LORD says, “In three years, as a hired worker counts the years, Moab’s splendor will become an object of contempt, with all her many people. And those who are left will be few and feeble.”
WEBBut now the LORD has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as a worker bound by contract would count them, the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude; and the remnant will be very small and feeble.”
ASVBut now Jehovah hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of a hireling, the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and of no account.
YLTAnd now hath Jehovah spoken, saying, ‘In three years, as years of an hireling, Lightly esteemed is the honour of Moab, With all the great multitude, And the remnant is little, small, not mighty!'
DARBYAnd now Jehovah speaketh saying, Within three years, as the years of a hired servant, and the glory of Moab shall be brought to nothing, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be small, few, of no account.
BBEBut now the Lord has said, In three years, the years of a servant working for payment, the glory of Moab, all that great people, will be turned to shame, and the rest of Moab will be very small and without honour.
WebsterBut now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of a hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.

What does Isaiah 16:14 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
14. three years ... hireling--Just as a hireling has his fixed term of engagement, which neither he nor his master will allow to be added to or to be taken from, so the limit within which Moab is to fall is unalterably fixed (Is 21:16). Fulfilled about the time when the Assyrians led Israel into captivity. The ruins of Elealeh, Heshbon, Medeba, Dibon, &c., still exist to confirm the inspiration of Scripture. The accurate particularity of specification of the places three thousand years ago, confirmed by modern research, is a strong testimony to the truth of prophecy.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 14 Within three years - בשלש beshalish כשלש keshalish, according, or in or about three years, is the reading of nine of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., and two ancient editions. But the present reading may well stand: "Now, the Lord hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of a hireling." It seems as if this prophecy had been delivered before, without any time specified for its fulfillment; but now the time is determined" in three years, as the years of a hireling" - for, as a hireling counts even to a single day, and will not abide with his employer an hour beyond the time agreed on; so, in three years, even to a day, from the delivery of this prophecy, shall destruction come upon Moab. This is the import of the present text; but if we take כשלש keshalish, AS in three years, or in about three years' time, the prophecy is not so definite. These three years, says Calmet, are mentioned from the death of Ahaz, see Isa 14:28, and end the third year of Hezekiah, three years before the taking of Samaria by Shalmaneser. This conqueror did not ruin Moab so completely as not to leave a man in the land; the final desolation of Moab was reserved for Nebuchadnezzar, five years after the taking of Jerusalem. Feeble "And without strength" - An ancient MS., with the Septuagint, reads ולא velo, "and not."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 16:6-14

Those who will not be counselled, cannot be helped. More souls are ruined by pride than by any other sin whatever. Also, the very proud are commonly very passionate. With lies many seek to gain the gratification of pride and passion, but they shall not compass proud and angry projects. Moab was famous for fields and vineyards; but they shall be laid waste by the invading army. God can soon turn laughter into…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 16:6-14 →

Isaiah 16:14 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.

וְעַתָּ֗הve.'a.Tahand nowH6258
דִּבֶּ֣רdi.Berhe saysH1696
יְהוָה֮Yah.wehYahwehH3068
לֵאמֹר֒le.Mor<to> sayingH559
בְּשָׁלֹ֤שׁbe.sha.Loshin threeH7969
שָׁנִים֙sha.NimyearsH8141
כִּשְׁנֵ֣יkish.Neilike [the] years ofH8141
שָׂכִ֔ירsa.Khira hired laborerH7916
וְנִקְלָה֙ve.nik.Lahand it will be lightly esteemedH7034
כְּב֣וֹדke.Vod[the] honor ofH3519
מוֹאָ֔בmo.'AvMoabH4124
בְּכֹ֖לbe.Kholfor allH3605
הֶהָמ֣וֹןhe.ha.Monthe multitudeH1995
הָרָ֑בha.Rav<the> greatH7227
וּשְׁאָ֥רu.she.'Arand a remnantH7605
מְעַ֛טme.'AtlittleH4592
מִזְעָ֖רmiz.'ArsmallnessH4213
ל֥וֹאLo'notH3808
כַבִּֽיר\׃\ \סkha.Bir[will be] mightyH3524

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

Cross references for Isaiah 16:14

  • Jeremiah 48:42

    And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the Lord.

  • Isaiah 21:16

    For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:

  • Isaiah 23:9

    The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

  • Jeremiah 48:46-47

    Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives. Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the Lord. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

  • Isaiah 7:16

    For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

  • Isaiah 17:4

    And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.

  • Genesis 31:1

    And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.

  • Jeremiah 9:23

    Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

  • Deuteronomy 15:8

    But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.

  • Isaiah 25:10

    For in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.

  • Esther 5:11

    And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.

  • 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.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
three.
7:16; 15:5; 21:16; De 15:8
the glory.
17:4; 23:9; Ge 31:1; Es 5:11; Jer 9:23; Na 2:9,10
and the remnant.
Jer 48:46,47
feeble. or, not many.

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

Context

  • Isaiah 16:13

    This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning Moab since that time.

  • Isaiah 16:14

    But now the Lord hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.

Read all of Isaiah 16

Isaiah 16:14 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Empero ahora Jehová ha hablado, diciendo: Dentro de tres años, como años de mozo de soldada, será abatida la gloria de Moab, con toda su grande multitud: y los residuos serán pocos, pequeños, y no fuertes.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et maintenant l’ Éternel a parlé, disant: Dans trois ans, comme les années d’un mercenaire, la gloire de Moab sera réduite à rien avec toute sa grande multitude; et le reste sera petit, amoindri, peu de chose.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Jetzt aber redet Jehova und spricht: In drei Jahren, wie die Jahre eines Tagelöhners, da wird die Herrlichkeit Moabs verächtlich gemacht werden samt all der großen Menge; und der Überrest wird sehr gering, nicht groß sein.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et nunc locutus est Dominus, dicens: In tribus annis, quasi anni mercenarii, auferetur gloria Moab super omni populo multo, et relinquetur parvus et modicus, nequaquam multus.