Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 15:5
My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives [shall flee] unto Zoar, a 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.
5. (Jer 48:34; Jer 48:5; Jer 48:3) The new theme is introduced by an expression of the writer’s sympathy with the homeless fugitives: My heart crieth out for Moab (cf. Isa 16:9; Isa 16:11).
his fugitives ] R.V. renders less suitably “her nobles.” The word as pointed means “bolts,” which is here taken as a symbol for princes. But it is better, with the Targum and nearly all modern commentators, to change the vowel, and translate “fugitives” as in Isa 43:14, where, curiously enough, the A.V. gives the same rendering as the R.V. here. The R.V. however is right in using the fem. “her”; Moab is here regarded not as a people but as a land.
Zoar (Gen 19:22) lies near the S.E. corner of the Dead Sea; the flight therefore is southward, towards Edom.
a heifer of three years old ] R.V. is better: to Eglath-shelishiyah; i.e. probably, “the third Eglath.” The locality is not known.
the mounting up ( the ascent, R.V.) of Luhith is located by Eusebius’ Onomasticon between Rabba and Zoar.
the way of Horonaim ] Jeremiah (Jer 48:5) speaks of “the slope of H.,” which lay apparently ( Jer 48:34) between Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
5 9. The flight of the Moabites.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
My heart shall cry out for Moab – This is expressive of deep compassion; and is proof that, in the view of the prophet, the calamities which were coming upon it were exceedingly heavy. The same sentiment is expressed more fully in Isa 16:11; see also Jer 48:36 : My heart shall sound for Moab like pipes. The phrase denotes great inward pain and anguish in view of the calamities of others; and is an expression of the fact that we feel ourselves oppressed and borne down by sympathy on account of their sufferings (see the note at Isa 21:3). It is worthy of remark, that the Septuagint reads this as if it were his heart – referring to the Moabites, the heart of Moab shall cry out. So the Chaldee; and so Lowth, Michaelis, and others read it. But there is no authority for this change in the Hebrew text; nor is it needful. In the parallel place in Jer 48:36, there is no doubt that the heart of the prophet is intended; and here, the phrase is designed to denote the deep compassion which a holy man of God would have, even when predicting the ills that should come upon others. How much compassion, how much deep and tender feeling should ministers of the gospel have when they are describing the final ruin – the unutterable woes of impenitent sinners under the awful wrath of God in the world of woe!
His fugitives – Margin, Or to the borders thereof, even as an heifer ( berycheha). Jerome and the Vulgate render this her bars, and it has been explained as meaning that the voice of the prophet, lamenting the calamity of Moab, could be heard as far as the bars, or gates, of Zoar; or that the word bars means princes, that is, protectors, a figure similar to shields of the land Ps. 47:10; Hos 4:18. The Septuagint renders it, en aute – The voice of Moab in her is heard to Zoar. But the more correct rendering is, undoubtedly, that of our translation, referring to the fugitives who should attempt to make their escape from Moab when the calamities should come upon her.
Unto Zoar – Zoar was a small town in the southern extremity of the Dead Sea, to which Lot fled when Sodom was overthrown Gen 19:23. Abulfeda writes the name Zoghar, and speaks of it as existing in his day. The city of Zoar was near to Sodom, so as to be exposed to the danger of being overthrown in the same manner that Sodom was, Zoar being exempted from destruction by the angel at the solicitation of Lot Gen 19:21. That the town lay on the east side of the Dead Sea, is apparent from several considerations. Lot ascended from it to the mountain where his daughters bore each of them a son, who became the ancestors of the Moabites and the Ammonites. But these nations both dwelt on the east side of the Dead Sea. Further, Josephus, speaking of this place, calls it Zoaron tes Arabias – Zoar of Arabia (Bell. Jud. iv. 8, 4). But the Arabia of Josephus was on the east of the Dead Sea. So the crusaders, in the expedition of King Baldwin, 1100 a.d., after marching from Hebron, proceeded around the lake, and came, at length, to a place called Segor, doubtless the Zoghar of Abulfeda. The probability, therefore, is, that it was near the southern end of the sea, but on the eastern side. The exact place is now unknown. In the time of Eusebius and Jerome, it is described as having many inhabitants, and a Roman garrison. In the time of the crusaders, it is mentioned as a place pleasantly situated, with many palm trees. But the palm trees have disappeared, and the site of the city can be only a matter of conjecture (see Robinsons Bib. Researches, vol. ii. pp. 648-651).
An heifer of three years old – That is, their fugitives flying unto Zoar shall lift up the voice like an heifer, for so Jeremiah in the parallel place explains it Jer 48:34. Many interpreters have referred this, however, to Zoar as an appellation of that city, denoting its flourishing condition. Bochart refers it to Isaiah, and supposes that he designed to say that he lifted his voice as an heifer. But the more obvious interpretation is that given above, and is that which occurs in Jeremiah. The expression, however, is a very obscure one. See the various senses which it may bear, examined in Rosenmuller and Gesenius in loc. Gesenius renders it, To Eglath the third; and supposes, in accordance with many interpreters, that it denotes a place called Eglath, called the third in distinction from two other places of the same name; though he suggests that the common explanation, that it refers to a heifer of the age of three years, may be defended. In the third year, says he, the heifer was most vigorous, and hence, was used for an offering Gen 15:9. Until that age she was accustomed to go unbroken, and bore no yoke (Pliny, 8, 4, 5). If this refers to Moab, therefore, it may mean that hitherto it was vigorous, unsubdued, and active; but that now, like the heifer, it was to be broken and brought under the yoke by chastisement. The expression is a very difficult one, and it is impossible, perhaps, to determine what is the true sense.
By the mounting up of Luhith – The ascent of Luhith. It is evident, from Jer 48:5, that it was a mountain, but where, is not clearly ascertained. Eusebius supposes it was a place between Areopolis and Zoar (see Relands Palestine, pp. 577-579). The whole region there is mountainous.
In the way of Horonaim – This was, doubtless, a town of Moab, but where it was situated is uncertain. The word means two holes. The region abounds to this day with caves, which are used for dwellings (Seetzen). The place lay, probably, on a declivity from which one descended from Luhith.
A cry of destruction – Hebrew, Breaking. A cry appropriate to the great calamity that should come upon Moab.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 15:5
My heart shall cry out for Moab
The burden of souls
Too often have Gods servants spoken with dry eyes and hard voices of the doom of the ungodly; and have only made them more obdurate and determined.
We never need so much brokenness of spirit as when we utter Gods judgments against sin. In his autobiography, Finney says, Here I must introduce the name of a man whom I shall have occasion to mention frequently, Mr. Abel Clary, He was the son of a very excellent man, and an elder of the Church where I was converted. He had been licensed to preach; but his spirit of prayer was such, he was so burdened with the souls of men, that he was not able to preach much, his whole time and strength being given to prayer. The burden of his soul would frequently be so great that he was unable to stand, and he would writhe and groan in agony. I was well acquainted with him, and knew something of the wonderful spirit of prayer that was upon him The pastor told me afterwards that he found that in the six weeks I was in that church five hundred souls had been converted. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
The prophets distress concerning Moab
(see also Isa 16:9):–These are the men who prevail with men. In the early part of the sixteenth century there was a great religious awakening in Ulster, which began under a minister named Glendinning. He was of very meagre natural gifts, but would spend many days and nights alone with God, and seems to have been greatly burdened with the souls of men and their state before God. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that, under his pleading, multitudes of hearers were brought into great anxiety and terror of conscience. They looked on themselves as altogether lost. They were stricken into a swoon by the vower of Gods Word. A dozen in one day were carried out of doors as dead. These were not women, but some of the boldest spirits of the neighbourhood some who had formerly not feared with their swords to put the whole market town into a fray. This revival changed the whole character of northern Ireland. Would that God might lay on our hearts a similar burden for our Churches and our land! (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 5. My heart shall cry out for Moab – “The heart of Moab crieth within her”] For libbi, my heart, the Septuagint reads libbo, his heart, or leb; the Chaldee, libbo. For bericheyha, the Syriac reads berocheh; and so likewise the Septuagint, rendering it , Edit. Vat: or , 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. iv. 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 yaaleh, the Septuagint and a MS. read in the plural, yaalu. And from this passage the parallel place in Jer 48:5 must be corrected; where, for yaaleh bechi, which gives no good sense, read yaaleh bo.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
My heart shall cry out for Moab; their destruction approaching is so dreadful, that although they are a most vile nation, and by their implacable enmity against God and his people do abundantly deserve it, yet the respect which I have to human nature fills me with horror at the very thoughts of it. Compare Isa 16:11.
His fugitives; or, his bars, as others render it, and as this word is frequently taken, as Exo 26:26,27; Psa 107:16, &c.; whereby we may understand their valiant men, or their princes and rulers, who as they are called the shields of the earth, Psa 47:9, because, like shields, they do or should defend their people; so for the same reason they may be called bars, because bars are the strength of the gates of cities or castles, and therefore are mentioned as such, Psa 147:13; Pro 18:19; Jer 51:30.
Shall flee unto Zoar; or, shall cry unto Zoar; either shall cry as they go along the way, even till they come to Zoar; or shall cry so as they may be heard to Zoar; which may easily be understood out of the foregoing verse. Zoar was a town bordering upon Moab; of which see Gen 19:20-22; Deu 34:3.
An heifer of three years old; which some understand of the city of Zoar, so called for her strength and wantonness. But such a description of Zoar seems very improper and impertinent in this place. The words therefore are to be translated here, as they are by our translators, Jer 48:34 as
an heifer of three years old; and so they belong to their cry, and signify that it is strong and loud, like that of such an heifer.
In the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry; he signifies that the cry should be universal, in all places where they come, and reaching from one side of the country to another. Of Luhith, see Jer 48:4,5.
Of destruction; such a cry as men send forth when they are just falling into the pit of destruction.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. MyThe prophet himself ismoved with pity for Moab. Ministers, in denouncing the wrath of Godagainst sinners, should do it with tender sorrow, not withexultation.
fugitivesfleeing fromMoab, wander as far as to Zoar, on the extreme boundary south of theDead Sea. HORSLEYtranslates, “her nobility,” or “rulers” (Ho4:18).
heifer, c.that is,raising their voices “like a heifer” (compare Jer 48:34Jer 48:36). The expression “threeyears old,” implies one at its full vigor (Ge15:9), as yet not brought under the yoke; as Moab heretoforeunsubdued, but now about to be broken. So Jer 31:18;Hos 4:13. MAURERtranslates, “Eglath” (in English Version, “aheifer”) Shelishijah (that is, the third, todistinguish it from two others of the same name).
by the mounting upupthe ascent.
Luhitha mountain inMoab.
Horonaima town of Moabnot far from Zoar (Jer 48:5).It means “the two poles,” being near caves.
cry of destructionacry appropriate to the destruction which visits their country.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
My heart shall cry out for Moab,…. These seem to be the words of the prophet, pitying them as they were fellow creatures, though enemies; which shows humanity in him, and signifies that their calamities were very great, that a stranger should be concerned for them, and such to whom they had been troublesome; so Jarchi understands it, who observes the difference between the true and false prophet, particularly between Isaiah and Balaam; but others, as Kimchi, interpret it of the Moabites themselves, everyone expressing their concern for the desolation of their country; and so the Targum,
“the Moabites shall say in their hearts:”
his fugitives [shall flee] unto Zoar; a city where Lot fled to, when he came out of Sodom, to which it is thought the allusion is, see
Ge 19:20 the meaning seems to be, that those that escaped out of the above cities, when taken and destroyed, should flee hither for safety: the words may be supplied thus, “his fugitives” shall cry out “unto Zoar”; that is, those that flee from other places shall cry so loud as they go along, that their cry shall be heard unto Zoar,
Jer 48:34:
an heifer of three years old; which is not to be understood of Zoar in particular, or of the country of Moab in general, comparable to such an heifer for fatness, strength, beauty, and lasciviousness; but of the cry of the fugitives, that should be very loud and clamorous, like the lowing of an ox, or an heifer in its full strength, which is heard a great way; see 1Sa 6:9. Dr. Lightfoot c conjectures that “Eglath Shelishiah”, translated an heifer of three years old, is the proper name of a place; and observes, that there was another place in this country called Eneglaim, Eze 47:10 which being of the dual number, shows that there were two Egels, in reference to which this may be called the “third” Eglath; and so the words may be rendered, “his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, unto the third Eglath”; and he further conjectures, that this may be the Necla of Ptolemy d, mentioned by him in Arabia Petraea, along with Zoara; and also to be the Agella of Josephus e, reckoned with Zoara and Oronai, and other cities of Moab:
for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; which seems to have been a very high place, and the ascent to it very great; and as the Moabites went up it, whither they might go for safety, they should weep greatly, thinking of their houses and riches they had left to the plunder of the enemy, and the danger of their lives they were still in. This place is thought by some to be the same with the Lysa of Ptolemy f; Josephus g calls it Lyssa; Jerom h says in his time it was a village between Areopolis and Zoara, and went by the name of Luitha; it is mentioned in Jer 48:5:
for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction; of Moab, and the several cities of it; or “of breaking”, of breaking down of walls and of houses. The Targum is,
“the cry of the broken (or conquered) in battle;”
whose bones are broken, or however their strength, so that they are obliged to surrender; or a “broken cry”, such as is made when there is a multitude of people together, and in great distress. The word Horonaim is of the dual number, and signifies two Horons, the upper and the lower, as say Kimchi and Ben Melech; which is true of Bethhoron, if that was the same place with this, Jos 16:3. By Josephus i it is called Oronas and Oronae; it is taken by some to be the Avara of Ptolemy k; it seems, by the Targum, that as Luhith was a very high place, this lay low, since it renders it,
“in the descent of Horonaim;”
to which its name agrees, which signifies caverns; and mention is made of Bethhoron in the valley, along with Bethnimrah l.
c See his Works, vol. 2. p. 502. d Geograph. l. 5. c. 17. e Antiqu. l. 1. c. 1. sect. 4. f Geograph. l. 5. c. 17. p. 137. g Antiqu. l. 14. c. 1. sect. 4. h De locis Hebraicis, fol. 93. A. i Antiqu. l. 13. c. 15. sect. 4. & l. 14. c. 1. sect. 4. k Geograph. l. 5. c. 17. p. 137. l T. Hieros. Sheviith, fol. 38. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The difficult words in which the prophet expresses this sympathy we render as follows: “My heart, towards Moab it crieth out; its bolts reached to Zoar, the three-year-old heifer.” The Lamed in l’Moab is the same both here and in Isa 16:11 as in Isa 14:8-9, viz., “turned toward Moab.” Moab, which was masculine in Isa 15:4, is feminine here. We may infer from this that is a statement which concerns Moab as a land. Now, b e richim signifies the bolts in every other passage in which it occurs; and it is possible to speak of the bolts of a land with just as much propriety as in Lam 2:9 and Jer 51:30 (cf., Jon 2:7) of the bolts of a city. And the statement that the bolts of this land went to Zoar is also a very appropriate one, for Kir Moab and Zoar formed the southern fortified girdle of the land; and Zoar, on the south-western tongue of land which runs into the Dead Sea, was the uttermost fortress of Moab, looking over towards Judah; and in its depressed situation below the level of the sea it formed, as it were, the opposite pole of Kir Moab, the highest point in the high land itself. Hence we agree with Jerome, who adopts the rendering vectes ejus usque ad Segor , whereas all the modern translators have taken the word in the sense of fugitives. Eglath sh e ilshiyyah , which Rosenmller, Knobel, Drechsler, Meier, and others have taken quite unnecessarily as a proper name, is either in apposition to Zoar or to Moab. In the former case it is a distinguishing epithet. An ox of the three years, or more literally of the third year (cf., m e shullesheth , Gen 15:9), i.e., a three-year-old ox, is one that is still in all the freshness and fulness of its strength, and that has not yet been exhausted by the length of time that it has worn the yoke. The application of the term to the Moabitish nation is favoured by Jer 46:20, where Egypt is called “a very fair heifer” ( eglah yepheh – phiyyah ), whilst Babylon is called the same in Jer 50:11 (cf., Hos 4:16; Hos 10:11). And in the same way, according to the lxx, Vulg., Targum, and Gesenius, Moab is called juvenca tertii anni, h. e. indomita jugoque non assueta , as a nation that was still in the vigour of youth, and if it had hitherto borne the yoke, had always shaken it off again. But the application of it to Zoar is favoured (1.) by Jer 48:34, where this epithet is applied to another Moabitish city; (2.) by the accentuation; and (3.) by the fact that in the other case we should expect b e rchah (the three-year-old heifer, i.e., Moab, is a fugitive to Zoar: vid., Luzzatto). Thus Zoar, the fine, strong, and hitherto unconquered city, is now the destination of the wildest flight before the foe that is coming from the north. A blow has fallen upon Joab, that is more terrible than any that has preceded it.
In a few co-ordinate clauses the prophet now sets before us the several scenes of mourning and desolation. “for the mountain slope of Luhith they ascend with weeping; for on the road to Horonayim they lift up a cry of despair. For the waters of Nimrim are waste places from this time forth: for the grass is dried up, the vegetation wasteth away, the green is gone.” The road to Luhith (according to the Onom. between Ar-Moab and Zoar, and therefore in the centre of Moabitis proper) led up a height, and the road to Horonayim (according to Jer 48:5) down a slope. Weeping, they ran up to the mountain city to hide themselves there ( bo , as in Psa 24:3; in Jer 48:5 it is written incorrectly ). Raising loud cries of despair, they stand in front of Horonayim, which lay below, and was more exposed to the enemy. is softened from (possibly to increase the resemblance to an echo), like from . The Septuagint renders it very well, – an unaccustomed expression of intense and ever renewed cries at the threatening danger of utter destruction, and with the hope of procuring relief and assistance ( sheber , as in Isa 1:28; Isa 30:26). From the farthest south the scene would suddenly be transferred to the extreme north of the territory of Moab, if Nimrim were the Nimra ( Beth-Nimra, Talm. nimrin ) which was situated near to the Jordan in Gilead, and therefore farther north than any of the places previously mentioned, and the ruins of which lie a little to the south of Salt, and are still called Nimrin. But the name itself, which is derived from the vicinity of fresh water (Arab. nemir , nemr , clear, pure, sound), is one of frequent occurrence; and even to the south of Moabitis proper there is a Wadi Numere, and a brook called Moyet Numere (two diminutives: “dear little stream of Nimra”), which flows through stony tracks, and which formerly watered the country (Burckhardt, Seetzen, and De Saulcy). In all probability the ruins of Numere by the side of this wady are the Nimrim referred to here, and the waters of the brook the “waters of Nimrim” ( me Nimrim ). The waters that flowed fresh from the spring had been filled up with rubbish by the enemy, and would now probably lie waste for ever (a similar expression to that in Isa 17:2). He had gone through the land scorching and burning, so that all the vegetation had vanished. On the miniature-like short sentences, see Isa 29:20; Isa 33:8-9; Isa 32:10; and on (“it is not in existence,” or “it has become not,” i.e., annihilated), vid., Eze 21:32.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
5. My heart shall cry out for Moab. At length he assumes the character of a mourner. But it may be thought to be strange and inconsistent in him to bewail the calamity of the Moabites; for he ought rather to have lamented the destruction of the Church, and to have rejoiced at the ruin of her enemies. It is customary with the prophets, however, to assume in this manner the character of those whose calamities they foretell, and thus to exhibit their condition, as it were, on a stage; by which means they produce a stronger impression than if they delivered their instruction in a direct form. Yet there can be no doubt that the prophets shuddered at the judgments of God, even against the wicked; though the meaning which I have stated is simpler and more appropriate, and may easily be inferred from frequent usage.
His fugitives to Zoar, (242) a heifer of three years old. He calls them fugitives who shall escape from it; for he means that those who shall escape from Moab will come even to Zoar (243) Now, he compares Zoar to a heifer of three years old, which is in full vigor, and has not felt the pangs of birth, or toil, or the yoke, but revels in the buoyancy of mirth and wantonness. When men are hard pressed by an invading army, they flee to cities which have not been attacked, and which appear to be the farthest removed from danger. Such was Zoar, for it had never been attacked by enemies. Yet, if it be thought better to view it as applying to the whole country, I have no objection; for Jeremiah appears to speak in general terms, though he borrows many statements from Isaiah. (Jer 48:34.) But perhaps in that passage also he names both Zoar and Horonaim, or rather the whole of the country between them.
If you extend it to the whole nation, the meaning will be, “The Moabites have enjoyed the highest luxury, and every kind of abundance, and hitherto have suffered no distress. Hence has arisen their stubbornness, and, in order to subdue them, they must be banished and driven even to Zoar. ” Now Zoar was a town very far removed from the Moabites; and, therefore, he means that they cannot provide for their safety but by fleeing to a distance. Here all with whom the Lord deals tenderly are taught not to exalt themselves, or to provoke God by their wantonness, but to be modest even amidst the highest prosperity, and likewise to be prepared for every change, when the Lord shall be pleased to throw them down from their prosperity.
By the going up of Luhith. He describes other parts of the country of Moab, and delineates the flight and mourning of that nature which should spread throughout the whole land.
By the way of Horonaim they shall raise the cry of sorrow. The words which we have translated, they shall raise up a cry, some render, they shall bruise or break themselves by crying, and think there is a transposition of the letters, and that ע ( ain) is doubled; and thus the root of the verb would be רעה, ( ragnah.) But as it made little difference in the meaning of the passage, I have adhered to the commonly received opinion, that יעערו ( yegnogneru) is derived from the verb עור, ( gnur.) If it be thought better to make the verb signify break, the meaning will be, “There shall be a shaking, and, as it were, a breaking of the members of the body, when arm is dashed against arm.”
(242) Bogus footnote
(243) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) My heart shall cry out for Moab . . .The prophet, though a stranger to Moab, and belonging to a hostile people, is touched with pity at the sightthe fugitives fleeing before the army coming from the north to Zoar, at the extreme south of the Dead Sea (see Note on Gen. 19:22), in the wild scare as of a frightened heifer as yet untamed by the yoke (Jer. 31:18; Jer. 48:34; Jer. 1:11). The English fugitives answers to the marginal reading of the Hebrew, the text of which (followed by the Vulg.) gives, his bars reach unto Zoar; but it is not easy to connect this with the context.
By the mounting up of Luhith . . .No city has been identified as bearing this name. Probably the ascent of Luhith (the name may indicate a staircase of boards) was the well-known approach (Jer. 48:5) to a Moabite sanctuary. Eusebius (Onomast.) speaks of it as between Zoar and Areopolis (Rabbath Moab). Horonaim (here and in Jer. 48:3; Jer. 48:5; Jer. 48:34) is as little known as its companion. The name, which in Hebrew means two caverns, is, perhaps, descriptive of the nature of the sanctuary. The point of the description is that the fugitives when they reach Horonaim, are met with the cry of destruction, All is over.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. My heart shall cry out The prophet himself enters into sympathy with the affrighted people, whose stampede is even to Zoar, with a terror like that of the bellowing heifer. Zoar was for long held to be at the south of Moab, or at the foot of the Dead Sea. So Josephus, Jerome, and Dr. Robinson. But more recently its location is thought to be identical with Zi’ara, near Mt. Nebo. But see TRISTRAM, Land of Moab; also, SMITH’S Bible Dictionary, pro and con.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘My heart cries out for Moab, her nobles flee to Zoar,
To Eglath-Shelishiyah,
For by the ascent of Luhith they go up with weeping,
For in the way of Horonaim they raise up a cry of destruction.’
Panic has seized the whole of Moab. The nobles flee to the Dead Sea area, to Zoar, and to Eglath-Shelishiyah. The people stream to the ascent of Luhith, weeping as they climb. They take the highway of Horonaim in their desperation to get away, crying out concerning the destruction of Moab. The whole of Moab are refugees.
‘My heart cries out for Moab.’ This may be Isaiah, or it may be God speaking (compare Isa 15:9). He does not find judgment easy to bear.
Some read ‘Eglath Shelishiyah’ as referring to ‘a heifer of the third year’, and see it as indicating that Moab is like an untamed heifer now being subjected to the yoke.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 15:5-7. My heart shall cry out for Moab Hitherto the prophet had set forth the lamentation of the Moabites; but seeing these future evils as it were present to his own mind, he compassionates their griefs, and declares his own participation of their sorrows: the meaning of the next clause is, “His fugitives wander even unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old;” that is to say, sending forth their cries by weeping and lamenting, like a heifer, &c.” Three years old is mentioned only to denote a full-grown heifer; the lowing of which, naturalists have remarked, is deeper and more affecting than that of the male: but Jeremiah, in the 34th verse of his 48th chapter, has given us the true exposition. It is not certain what place Luhith was; but we may hence collect, clearly enough, that it was some elevated tract or ascent in the extremity of Moab. Bishop Lowth reads it, yea, to the ascent of Luith with weeping shall they ascend: and instead of my heart shall cry out, &c. in the first clause, The heart of Moab crieth within her. Horonaim was also a city of Moab, situated probably in the descent from Luhith. The prophet in the next verses sets forth the causes of lamentation among the inhabitants of this southern part of Moab. The first is the desolation of their fruitful fields, Isa 15:6. (See Num 32:3-36.) Nimrim seems to have been celebrated for its fine fountains and waters. The other cause of grief is set forth in the 7th verse; which should be rendered, Because the remnant which they had made and laid up, shall they [the Assyrians] carry away to, or beyond, the valley of willows, or the Arabians. Vitringa thinks that the just rendering is, The valley of the willows, and that Babylon is hereby denoted, the banks of the Euphrates abounding with willows. See Psa 137:2 and Bochart Hieroz. p. 1. lib. viii. c. 7.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
I pause over this verse to remark, and admire, the tender mercies of the Prophet. Though an enemy, yet the Prophet weeps over Moab. Alas! who that is born of a woman, but must feel for the miseries induced by sin in our common nature? Methinks here is a loud appeal to the ministers of Jesus, to have very feeling hearts over the miseries coming upon sinners: How did the bowels of Jesus yearn over the approaching desolations of Jerusalem? Luk 13:34-35 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
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.
Ver. 5. My heart shall cry out for Moab. ] Let others do as they will, saith the prophet here, I can do no less than bewail the woeful condition of Moab, bad though they be. a
“ Tu quibus ista legis incertum est, Lector, ocellls:
Ipse quidem siccis scribere non potui ”
His fugitives shall flee unto Zoar.
An heifer of three years old.
a Heu quam doleo corde toto. – Oecol.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Zoar. Now (probably) Tell esh Shaghur. not him that wandereth. Deu 34:3. Jer 48:34.
an heifer = [flee] like an heifer, &c. Compare Jer 48:34.
mounting up = ascent.
Luhith. Now Tel’at el Heith; one mile west of Mount Nebo. Compare Jer 48:5
Horonaim. Not identified; probably Wady Ghueir.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
My heart: Isa 16:9-11, Jer 8:18, Jer 8:19, Jer 9:10, Jer 9:18, Jer 9:19, Jer 13:17, Jer 17:16, Jer 48:31-36, Luk 19:41-44, Rom 9:1-3
his fugitives: etc. or, to the borders thereof, even as an heifer
Zoar: Gen 13:10, Gen 14:2, Gen 19:22
three: Isa 16:14, Jer 48:34
the mounting: Jer 48:5, Jer 48:34
with: 2Sa 15:23, 2Sa 15:30
destruction: Heb. breaking, Isa 22:5, Jer 4:20
Reciprocal: Gen 15:9 – General Gen 19:30 – Zoar Exo 11:6 – General Neh 2:10 – Horonite Isa 15:3 – weeping abundantly Isa 16:11 – my Isa 21:3 – are Jer 4:19 – My bowels Jer 14:2 – the cry Jer 46:12 – thy cry Jer 48:2 – Heshbon Jer 48:36 – mine heart Jer 51:54 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 15:5. My heart shall cry out for Moab Hitherto the prophet had set forth the lamentations of the Moabites, but, seeing these future evils, as it were, present to his own mind, he compassionates their griefs, and declares his own participation of their sorrows. His fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, &c. The meaning of this clause is thought to be, His fugitives shall cry, so as they may be heard unto Zoar; or, shall wander and cry as they go along the way, even till they come to Zoar. A heifer Or, as a heifer; as the words are translated Jer 48:34; that is, they shall send forth their cries, by weeping and lamenting, like a heifer. Three years old, is mentioned only to denote a full-grown heifer, the lowing of which, naturalists have remarked, is deeper and more affecting than that of the male. Zoar was a town bordering upon Moab. By the mounting up of Luhith It is not certain what place this was, but it is evident enough that it was some elevated tract, or ascent, in the extremity of Moab. Horonaim was also a city of Moab, situated probably in the descent from Luhith. They shall raise up a cry of destruction Such a cry as men send forth when they are just falling into the pit of destruction. He signifies that the cry should be universal in all places where they should come, and reaching from one side of the country to the other.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
15:5 My {f} heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives [shall flee] to Zoar, {g} an heifer of three years old: for they shall go up the ascent of Luhith with weeping for in the way of Horonaim they {h} shall raise a cry of destruction.
(f) The prophet speaks this in the person of the Moabites: or as one who felt the great judgment of God that God would come on them.
(g) Meaning that it was a city that always lived in pleasure and never felt sorrow.
(h) He describes the miserable dissipation and flight of the Moabites.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Lord also expressed His grief over Moab’s coming judgment through the prophet (cf. Isa 21:3-4; Isa 22:4; Jer 9:1). Isaiah took up God’s words in his own mouth and represented God’s thoughts and words by using the first person singular (cf. Isa 16:9). The Moabite refugees would move from place to place trying to find security. Their movement would be generally south, so the enemy may have descended from the north. The whole country would suffer devastation. Even though people would flee, they would not escape destruction. A lion is frequently an image of a fierce, implacable attacker in biblical poetry (Isa 15:9; cf. Amo 3:12).