Isaiah 16:9
in Isaiah 16So I weep with Jazer for the vines of Sibmah; I drench Heshbon and Elealeh with my tears. Triumphant shouts have fallen silent over your summer fruit and your harvest.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Therefore I will weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for upon thy summer fruits and upon thy harvest the battle shout is fallen.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Isaiah 16
Commentary
10 notes on this verseTherefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah,.... That is, bewail the one, as he had done the other, both places with the fruits about them being destroyed by the enemy; or "therefore with weeping I will bewail" (most vehemently lament, an usual Hebraism) "Jazer", and "the vine of Sibmah": the prophet here represents the Moabites weeping for their vines more especially, they being a people addicted to drunkenness, in which their father was begotten; hence Bacchus is said to be the founder of many of their cities, see Jer 48:
This site's exposition
We have heard of the pride of Moab
on Isaiah 16:6-9
The oracle turns from appeal to a report already circulating: we have heard of the pride of Moab, his haughtiness and his lies, and that pride is exactly what draws the mourning that follows. Kir-hareseth's foundations are struck and every voice in Moab howls, and the vine of Sibmah, famous enough that foreign lords broke its branches for their own vineyards, becomes the prophet's own image of grief, wept over as far as Jazer with tears mingled into Heshbon's summer harvest that never comes. John Gill and Albert Barnes both note the turn from Moab's boast to Moab's weeping as the oracle's whole argument compressed into four verses.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
(Verse 9) Over this I will weep, in lamentation for Jazer, the vineyard of Sabama: my tears will make you drunk, O Esebon and Eleale. The voice of the weeping Prophet, and the greatness of the desolation, testifying with the greatness of tears, weeping for the vineyard of Jazer, and Sabama, and Esebon, and Eleale, once powerful cities, which the Assyrian believed to be cut down. Since the voice of those treading on your vintage and your harvest has come rushing upon you.
(Verses 9, 10.) The scourges of the Lord have fallen upon the nations: they have reached even to Jazer. They have wandered in the desert: their branches have been left behind: they have crossed the sea. Therefore, I will weep over the vineyard of Sabama with weeping: I will drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Eleale: for on your harvest and on your crop the voice of the treaders has fallen. Joy and gladness will be taken away from Carmel: there will be no rejoicing or jubilation in the vineyards: the one who used to tread the wine in the winepress will not tread it anymore: I have taken away the sound of the treaders. The suburban areas of Esebon, which we mentioned earlier, are deserted, and the vineyard of Sabama, which can be interpreted not only as a lofty elevation but also as some kind of conversion, because it seems that in the region of Moab, it wants to be partially converted to the service of the Lord. Therefore, the Apostles and apostolic men, servants of the Lord of nations, completely cut off the scourges and offshoots of this vine of Sabama, so that no other heresies would arise from other heresies, and a boundless multitude of the erring would not be made. And not only did the branches of Sabama fall, but they reached as far as Jazer, which is interpreted as their strength: that is, to the most powerful teachings of the heretics, and constructed with dialectic art, in which the strength of their error seemed to reside; and to such an extent was their sword brandished, that in the end they wandered in the wilderness and had no one to kill. And although those lashes were cut off, nevertheless, due to the fault of the rotten root, some branches remained. […]
The Medieval Church1 voice
Third, the compassion of the prophet is set out. And first, his compassion is set out: over this, namely the misfortune of Moab, I will lament with the weeping of Jazer, that is, weeping over that city of Moab, and similarly also the vineyard of …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
4 Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. 5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
Many a time they had shouted for their summer fruits, and for their harvest, as the country people sometimes do with us when they have cut down all their corn. They had had joy and gladness in their fields and vineyards, singing and shouting at the treading of their grapes. Nothing is said of their praising God for their abundance, and giving him the glory of it.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Therefore, I will bewail - So great is the desolation that I, the prophet, will lament it, though it belongs to another nation than mine own. The expression indicates that the calamity will be great (see the note at Isa 15:5). With the weeping of Jazer - That is, I will pour out the same lamentation for the vine of Sibmah which I do for Jazer; implying that it would be deep and bitter sorrow (see Jer 48:32).
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
I--will bewail for its desolation, though I belong to another nation (see on Isa 15:5). with . . . weeping of Jazer--as Jazer weeps. shouting for . . . fallen--rather, "Upon thy summer fruits and upon thy luxuriant vines the shouting (the battle shout, instead of the joyous shout of the grape-gatherers, usual at the vintage) is fallen" (Isa 16:10;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
With the weeping “As with the weeping” - For בבכי bibechi, a MS. reads בכי bechi. In Jer 48:32, it is מבכי mibbechi. The Septuagint read כבכי kibeki, as with weeping, which I follow. For thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen “And upon thy vintage the destroyer hath fallen” - ועל קצירך הידד נפל veal ketsirech heidad naphal. In these few words there are two great mistakes, which the text of Jer 48:32 rectifies. For קצירך ketsirech, it has בצירך betsirech; and for הידד heidad, שדד shoded; both which corrections the Chaldee in this place confirms. As to the first, “Hesebon and Eleale, and The flowery dale of Sibmah, clad with vines,” were never celebrated for their harvests; it was the vintage that suffered by the irruption of the enemy; and so read the Septuagint and Syriac. הידד heidad is the noisy acclamation of the treaders of the grapes. And see what sense this makes in the literal rendering of the Vulgate: super messem tuam vox calcantium irruit, “upon thy harvest the voice of the treaders rushes.” The reading in Jer 48:32 is certainly right, שדד נפל shoded naphal, “the destroyer hath fallen.” The shout of the treaders does not come in till the next verse; in which the text of Isaiah in its turn mends that of Jer 48:33, where instead of the first הידד heidad, “the shout,” we ought undoubtedly to read, as here, הדרך haddorech, “the treader.”
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
from the fruitful field Heb. כַּרְמֶל. That is a place of a forest and grain fields.
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. 2 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
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| עַל־ | ʾal- | there- | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כֵּ֡ן | ken | -fore | H3651 → | 771 times |
| אֶבְכֶּ֞ה | ʾevkeh | I weep | H1058 → | 114 times |
| בִּבְכִ֤י | bivkhi | with [the] weeping of | H1065 → | 30 times |
| יַעְזֵר֙ | ya'zer | Jazer | H3270 → | |
| גֶּ֣פֶן | gefen | [the] vine[s] of | H1612 → | 55 times |
| שִׂבְמָ֔ה | sivmah | Sibmah | H7643 → | |
| אֲרַיָּ֙וֶךְ֙ | ʾaraiyavekh | I water abundantly you | H7301 → | 14 times |
| דִּמְעָתִ֔י | dimati | tear[s] my | H1832 → | 23 times |
| חֶשְׁבּ֖וֹן | cheshbon | O Heshbon | H2809 → | 38 times |
| וְאֶלְעָלֵ֑ה | veelaleh | and Elealeh | H500 → | |
| כִּ֧י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| קֵיצֵ֛ךְ | keitzekh | summer fruit your | H7019 → | |
| וְעַל־ | veal- | and on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| קְצִירֵ֖ךְ | ketzirekh | harvest your | H7105 → | 54 times |
| הֵידָ֥ד | heidad | shouting | H1959 → | |
| נָפָֽל׃ | nafal | it has fallen | H5307 → | 435 times |
עַל־there-
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
כֵּ֡ן-fore
kenH3651 →771 times
אֶבְכֶּ֞הI weep
ʾevkehH1058 →114 times
בִּבְכִ֤יwith [the] weeping of
bivkhiH1065 →30 times
יַעְזֵר֙Jazer
ya'zerH3270 →
גֶּ֣פֶן[the] vine[s] of
gefenH1612 →55 times
שִׂבְמָ֔הSibmah
sivmahH7643 →
אֲרַיָּ֙וֶךְ֙I water abundantly you
ʾaraiyavekhH7301 →14 times
דִּמְעָתִ֔יtear[s] my
dimatiH1832 →23 times
חֶשְׁבּ֖וֹןO Heshbon
cheshbonH2809 →38 times
וְאֶלְעָלֵ֑הand Elealeh
veelalehH500 →
כִּ֧יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
קֵיצֵ֛ךְsummer fruit your
keitzekhH7019 →
וְעַל־and on
veal-H5921 →5755 times
קְצִירֵ֖ךְharvest your
ketzirekhH7105 →54 times
הֵידָ֥דshouting
heidadH1959 →
נָפָֽל׃it has fallen
nafalH5307 →435 times
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
Isaiah 9:3You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people rejoice before You as they rejoice at harvest time, as men rejoice in dividing the plunder.
it leads to
- Psalms 119:162
I rejoice in Your promise like one who finds great spoil.
- Isaiah 66:10
Be glad for Jerusalem and rejoice over her, all who love her. Rejoice greatly with her, all who mourn over her,
- Isaiah 35:10
So the redeemed of the LORD will return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.
- Isaiah 26:15
You have enlarged the nation, O LORD; You have enlarged the nation. You have gained glory for Yourself; You have extended all the borders of the land.
- Isaiah 65:18
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight.
- Psalms 119:162
Through
Jeremiah 40:10As for me, I will stay in Mizpah to represent you before the Chaldeans who come to us. As for you, gather wine grapes, summer fruit, and oil, place them in your storage jars,…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 40:12
they all returned from all the places to which they had been banished and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they gathered an abundance of wine grapes and summer…
- Jeremiah 39:10
But Nebuzaradan left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people who had no property, and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.
- Jeremiah 40:12
Through
Jeremiah 40:12they all returned from all the places to which they had been banished and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they gathered an abundance of wine grapes and summer…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 43:5
Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the whole remnant of Judah, those who had returned to the land of Judah from all the nations to which they…
- Jeremiah 43:5
About Isaiah
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.