Isaiah 15:4
in Isaiah 15Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voices are heard as far as Jahaz. Therefore the soldiers of Moab cry out; their souls tremble within.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Heshbon crieth out, and Elealeh; their voice is heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembleth within him.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Isaiah 15
Commentary
10 notes on this verseAnd Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh,.... Two other cities in the land of Moab. The first of these was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who took it from the Moabites, Num 21:25 it came into the hands of the Reubenites, Num 32:3 and afterwards was again possessed by the Moabites, Jer 48:
This site's exposition
Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh
on Isaiah 15:4-6
Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh traces the wailing across a real map, cities named in sequence as the sound of Moab's ruin travels from town to town until it reaches Jahaz. Verse 5 turns the voice of the oracle itself: my heart shall cry out for Moab, the prophet or the Lord grieving the very judgment being pronounced, fugitives fleeing south to Zoar along the ascent of Luhith with weeping. The bench draws the same strange compassion forward to Jeremiah 48, which borrows this chapter's language nearly word for word and adds mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, a rare case in the prophets of judgment and grief spoken in the same breath.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
(Verse 4.) Esbon and Eleale will cry out. These are the names of cities in the province of Moab, of which Esbon was once the city of the Amorite king. Concerning this city, Jeremiah also said, 'Fire has come out of Esbon, and a flame from the midst of Seon.' The name Esbon means 'thought' and therefore, Jeremiah, alluding to the name, says against Esbon, 'they have devised evil.' (Jeremiah XLV.) The voice of them was heard even to Jaza. The city of Jaza (also known as Jasa) lies close to the Dead Sea, where the border of the Moabite province is. This indicates that the wailing of the province will resound to the very ends of the land. Hence, Jeremiah also says: From the outcry of Heshbon, even to Eleale and Jaza, they have raised their voice (Jeremiah 48:34). Therefore the Moabites will wail, every one will wail for himself; for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth you shall mourn, utterly stricken. But if, as Aquila wanted, they are understood to be exerting their shoulders, that suggests to us the feeling that everyone has bared their chests to mourn.
(Verse 4) Then they shall understand all their vain thoughts, which are interpreted as Esbon, and the futile ascent of pride, which sounds like Eleale, so that the voice of their deeds may be heard, and the commandment they thought was from God, condemning themselves by their own confession. Therefore, the bars, that is, those who were strong in Moab and understood their error, shall howl, and they who had hopes will begin to have regrets when their soul howls to itself.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Hesebon shall cry, weeping, and Eleale, which were cities that were, indeed, in the land of the kingdom of Moab; their voice is heard even to Jasa, which is another city of Moab. And as to the diversity of those who weep: for this, evil, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), and it is but a poor relief to have so many fellow-sufferers, fellow-mourners; to a public spirit it is rather an aggravation socios habuisse doloris--to have associates in woe.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Moabites shall generally be so overwhelmed with grief that life itself shall be a burden to them. God can easily make weary of life those that are fondest of it.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The armed soldiers “The very loins” - So the Septuagint, ἡ οσφυς, and the Syriac. They cry out violently, with their utmost force.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Jahaz--east of Jordan, in Reuben. Near it Moses defeated Sihon. therefore--because of the sudden overthrow of their cities. Even the armed men, instead of fighting in defense of their land, shall join in the general cry. life, &c.--rather, "his soul is grieved" (1Sa 1:8) [MAURER].
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And Heshbon shall cry - This was a celebrated city of the Amorites, twenty miles east of the Jordan Jos 13:17. It was formerly conquered from the Moabiltes by Sihon, and became his capital, and was taken by the Israelites a little before the death of Moses Num 21:25. After the carrying away of the ten tribes it was recovered by the Moabites. Jeremiah Jer 48:2 calls it ‘the pride of Moab.’ The town still subsists under the same name, and is described by Burckhardt. He says, it is situated on a hill, southwest from El Aal (Elealeh). ‘Here are the ruins of an ancient town, together with the remains of some edifices built with small stones; a few broken shafts of columns are still standing, a number of deep wells cut in the rock, and a large reservoir of water for the summer supply the inhabitants.’ (“Travels in Syria,” p. 365.) And Elealeh - This was a town of Reuben about a mile from Heshbon Num 32:37. Burckhardt visited this place. Its present name is El Aal. ‘It stands on the summit of a hill, and takes its name from its situation - Aal, meaning “the high.” It commands the whole plain, and the view from the top of the hill is very extensive, comprehending the whole of the southern Belka. El Aal was surrounded by a well built wall, of which some parts yet remain. Among the ruins are a number of large cisterns, fragments of walls, and the foundations of houses, but nothing worthy of notice. The plain around it is alternately chalk and flint.’ (“Travels in Syria,” p. 365.) Even unto Jahaz - This was a city east of Jordan, near to which Moses defeated Sihon. It was given to Reuben Deu 2:32, and was situated a short distance north of Ar, the capital of Moab. The armed soldiers of Moab - The consternation shall reach the very army. […]
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
because the armed men of Moab shall cry in alarm Since the armed men of Moab shall cry out towards the battle, and the soul of Moab shall cry out for itself, like one mourning for himself.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
My heart shall cry out for Moab The Jewish prophets are not like the gentile prophets. Balaam sought to uproot Israel for no reason, whereas the prophets of Israel bewail the calamity that befalls the nations.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתִּזְעַ֤ק | vatizak | and it has cried out | H2199 → | 73 times |
| חֶשְׁבּוֹן֙ | cheshbon | Heshbon | H2809 → | 38 times |
| וְאֶלְעָלֵ֔ה | veelaleh | and Elealeh | H500 → | |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| יַ֖הַץ | yahatz | Jahaz | H3096 → | |
| נִשְׁמַ֣ע | nishma' | it has been heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| קוֹלָ֑ם | kolam | voice their | H6963 → | 506 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | there- | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כֵּ֗ן | ken | -fore | H3651 → | 771 times |
| חֲלֻצֵ֤י | chalutzei | [the] armed [men] of | H2502 → | 44 times |
| מוֹאָב֙ | moav | Moab | H4124 → | 181 times |
| יָרִ֔יעוּ | yariu | they are shouting | H7321 → | 44 times |
| נַפְשׁ֖וֹ | nafsho | being its | H5315 → | 754 times |
| יָ֥רְעָה | yareah | it is trembling | H3415 → | |
| לּֽוֹ׃ | lo | to it |
וַתִּזְעַ֤קand it has cried out
vatizakH2199 →73 times
חֶשְׁבּוֹן֙Heshbon
cheshbonH2809 →38 times
וְאֶלְעָלֵ֔הand Elealeh
veelalehH500 →
עַד־to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
יַ֖הַץJahaz
yahatzH3096 →
נִשְׁמַ֣עit has been heard
nishma'H8085 →1159 times
קוֹלָ֑םvoice their
kolamH6963 →506 times
עַל־there-
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
כֵּ֗ן-fore
kenH3651 →771 times
חֲלֻצֵ֤י[the] armed [men] of
chalutzeiH2502 →44 times
מוֹאָב֙Moab
moavH4124 →181 times
יָרִ֔יעוּthey are shouting
yariuH7321 →44 times
נַפְשׁ֖וֹbeing its
nafshoH5315 →754 times
יָ֥רְעָהit is trembling
yareahH3415 →
לּֽוֹ׃to it
lo
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jonah 4:3And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
it leads to
- Numbers 11:15
If this is how You are going to treat me, please kill me right now—if I have found favor in Your eyes—and let me not see my own wretchedness.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Kings 19:4
while he himself traveled on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life,…
- Ecclesiastes 7:1
A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
- Jeremiah 20:14–18
Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me never be blessed.
- Jonah 4:8
As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint and wished to die, saying, “It is better for me…
- Numbers 11:15
Through
Jeremiah 8:3And wherever I have banished them, the remnant of this evil family will choose death over life,” declares the LORD of Hosts.
it leads to
- Revelation 9:6
In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.
- Jeremiah 29:14
I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have banished you, declares the LORD.…
- Jeremiah 23:3
Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and…
- Revelation 9:6
About Isaiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.