Isaiah 16 · Verse 8

Isaiah 16:8

For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.

Isaiah 16:8, King James Version

Isaiah 16:8 in other translations

BSB	For the fields of Heshbon have withered, along with the grapevines of Sibmah. The rulers of the nations have trampled its choicest vines, which had reached as far as Jazer and spread toward the desert. Their shoots had spread out and passed over the sea.
WEB	For the fields of Heshbon languish with the vine of Sibmah. The lords of the nations have broken down its choice branches, which reached even to Jazer, which wandered into the wilderness. Its shoots were spread abroad. They passed over the sea.
ASV	For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have broken down the choice branches thereof, which reached even unto Jazer, which wandered into the wilderness; its shoots were spread abroad, they passed over the sea.
YLT	Because fields of Heshbon languish, The vine of Sibmah, Lords of nations did beat her choice vines, Unto Jazer they have come, They have wandered in a wilderness, Her plants have spread themselves, They have passed over a sea.
DARBY	For the fields of Heshbon languish, the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have broken down its choice plants: they reached unto Jaazer, they wandered through the wilderness; its shoots stretched out, they went beyond the sea.
BBE	For the fields of Heshbon are waste, the vine of Sibmah is dead; the lords of nations were overcome by the produce of her vines; her vine-plants went as far as Jazer, and came even to the waste land; her branches were stretched out to the sea.
Webster	For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down her principal plants, they have come even to Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are extended, they have gone over the sea.

What does Isaiah 16:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

8. fields--vine-fields (De 32:32). vine of Sibmah--near Heshbon: namely, languishes. lords of ... heathen--The heathen princes, the Assyrians, &c., who invaded Moab, destroyed his vines. So Jeremiah in the parallel place (Jr 48:32, 33). Maurer thinks the following words require rather the rendering, "Its (the vine of Sibmah) shoots (the wines got from them) overpowered (by its generous flavor and potency) the lords of the nations" (Ge 49:11, 12, 22). come ... Jazer--They (the vine shoots) reached even to Jazer, fifteen miles from Heshbon. wandered--They overran in wild luxuriance the wilderness of Arabia, encompassing Moab. the sea--the Dead Sea; or else some lake near Jazer now dry; in Jr 48:32 called "the sea of Jazer"; but see on Jr 48:32 (Psa 80:8-11).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 8 Languish "Are put to shame" - Here the text of Jeremiah leaves us much at a loss, in a place that seems to be greatly corrupted. The Septuagint join the two last words of this verse with the beginning of the following. Their rendering is: και ουκ εντραπησῃ, τα πεδια Εσεβων. For אך ach they must have read אל al; otherwise, how came they by the negative, which seems not to belong to this place? Neither is it easy to make sense of the rest without a small alteration, by reading, instead of εντραπησῃ τα, εντραπησεται. In a word, the Arabic version taken from the Septuagint, plainly authorizes this reading of the Septuagint, and without the negative; and it is fully confirmed by MSS. Pachom. and 1. D. II., which have both of them εντραπησεται πεδια Εσεβων, without the negative; which makes an excellent sense, and, I think, gives us the true reading of the Hebrew text; אך נכלמו שדמות חשבון ak nichlemu shadmoth cheshbon. They frequently render the verb נכלם nichlam by εντρεπομαι. And נכלמו nichlemu answers perfectly well to אמלל umlal, the parallel word in the next line. The MSS. vary in expressing the word נכאים nechaim, which gives no tolerable sense in this place; one reads נוכאים nochaim; two others בכאים bechaim; in another the כ caph is upon a rasure of two letters; and the Vulgate instead of it reads מכותם mecotham, plagas suas. - L. For the men of Kirhares ye shall make a moan. For the fields of Heshbon are put to shame. This is Bp. Lowth's sense of the passage. Her branches are stretched out "Her branches extended themselves" - For נטשו nitteshu, a MS. has נגשו niggeshu; which may perhaps be right. Compare Jer 48:32, which has in this part of the sentence the synonymous word נגעו nagau. The meaning of this verse is, that the wines of Sibmah and Heshbon were greatly celebrated, and in high repute with all the great men and princes of that and the neighboring countries; who indulged themselves even to intemperance in the use of them. So that their vines were so much in request as not only to be propagated all over the country of Moab to the sea of Sodom, but to have scions of them sent even beyond the sea into foreign countries. הלמו halemu, knocked down, demolished; that is overpowered, intoxicated. The drunkards of Ephraim are called by the prophet, Isa 28:1, הלומי יין halumey yayin, drinkers of wine. See Schultens on Pro 23:25. Gratius, speaking of the Mareotic wine, says of it, Pharios quae fregit noxia reges. Cyneg. 312.

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 16:8 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.

כִּ֣יkiforH3588

שַׁדְמוֹת֩shad.mOt[the] fields ofH7709

חֶשְׁבּ֨וֹןchesh.BonHeshbonH2809

אֻמְלָ֜ל'um.Lalit has witheredH535

גֶּ֣פֶןGe.fen[the] vine[s] ofH1612

שִׂבְמָ֗הsiv.MahSibmahH7643

בַּעֲלֵ֤יba.'a.Leirulers ofH1167

גוֹיִם֙go.YimnationsH1471

הָלְמ֣וּhal.Muthey have struck downH1986

שְׂרוּקֶּ֔יהָse.ru.Kei.hachoice grapes itsH8291

עַד\־'ad-toH5704

יַעְזֵ֥רya'.ZerJazerH3270

נָגָ֖עוּna.Ga.'uthey reachedH5060

תָּ֣עוּTa.'uthey wanderedH8582

מִדְבָּ֑רmid.Bar[the] wildernessH4057

שְׁלֻ֣חוֹתֶ֔יהָshe.Lu.cho.Tei.hashoots itsH7976

נִטְּשׁ֖וּni.te.Shuthey were spread outH5203

עָ֥בְרוּ'A.ve.ruthey passed overH5674

יָֽם\׃Yam[the] seaH3220

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

Cross references for Isaiah 16:8

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.
Numbers 32:38
And Nebo, and Baal–meon, (their names being changed,) and Shibmah: and gave other names unto the cities which they builded.
Isaiah 10:7
Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.
2 Samuel 1:21
Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
Isaiah 24:7
The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.
Jeremiah 27:6-7
And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.
Joshua 13:25
And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah;
Joshua 13:19
And Kirjathaim, and Sibmah, and Zareth–shahar in the mount of the valley,
Isaiah 16:9
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.
Jeremiah 48:32
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.
Numbers 32:3
Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon,

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

the fields.
15:4; 24:7; 2Sa 1:21
the vine.
9; Nu 32:38
Shibmah.
Jos 13:19
the lords.
10:7; Jer 27:6,7
Jazer.
Nu 32:3; Jos 13:25
stretched out. or, plucked up.

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

Context

Isaiah 16:7
Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kir–hareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken.
Isaiah 16:8
For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.
Isaiah 16:9
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.

Read all of Isaiah 16

Isaiah 16:8 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Porque los campos de Hesbón fueron talados, y las vides de Sibma; señores de gentes hollaron sus generosos sarmientos; habían llegado hasta Jazer, y extendídose por el desierto; extendiéronse sus plantas, pasaron la mar.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Car les campagnes de Hesbon languiront, – la vigne de Sibma. Les maîtres des nations ont abîmé ses ceps exquis: ils s’étendaient jusqu’à Jahzer, ils erraient dans le désert; ses provins s’étendaient et dépassaient la mer.
German Elberfelder 1871	denn Hesbons Fluren sind verwelkt, der Weinstock von Sibma. Die Herren der Nationen schlugen seine Edelreben nieder; sie reichten bis Jaser, irrten durch die Wüste; seine Ranken breiteten sich aus, gingen über das Meer.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Quoniam suburbana Hesebon deserta sunt, et vineam Sabama domini gentium exciderunt: flagella ejus usque ad Jazer pervenerunt, erraverunt in deserto; propagines ejus relictæ sunt, transierunt mare.