Jesaja 15:2

Svenska Bibel

Habbait och Dibon stiga upp på offerhöjderna för att gråta; uppe i Nebo och Medeba jämrar sig Moab; alla huvuden där äro skalliga, alla skägg avskurna.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

is gone: Isaiah 16:12, Joshua 13:17, Jeremiah 48:18, Jeremiah 48:22, Jeremiah 48:23

Moab: Isaiah 15:3, Isaiah 14:31, Isaiah 16:7, Jeremiah 48:31, Jeremiah 48:39

Nebo: Numbers 32:3, Numbers 32:38, Deuteronomy 34:1, Jeremiah 48:1

Medeba: Numbers 21:30, Joshua 13:16

all: Isaiah 3:24, Isaiah 22:12, Leviticus 19:27, Leviticus 19:28, Leviticus 21:5, Deuteronomy 14:1, Job 1:20, Jeremiah 7:29, Jeremiah 47:5, Jeremiah 48:1, Jeremiah 48:37, Jeremiah 48:38, Ezekiel 7:18

Reciprocal: Numbers 21:28 - Ar of Moab Numbers 33:46 - Dibongad Joshua 13:9 - all the plain 2 Samuel 10:4 - and shaved 2 Samuel 19:24 - dressed his feet 1 Chronicles 5:8 - Nebo 1 Chronicles 19:4 - shaved them 1 Chronicles 19:7 - Medeba Ezra 2:29 - Nebo Ezra 9:3 - off Isaiah 15:8 - the cry Isaiah 19:3 - and they Isaiah 23:1 - Howl Jeremiah 3:21 - A voice Jeremiah 4:8 - howl Jeremiah 41:5 - their beards Jeremiah 47:2 - then the Jeremiah 48:35 - him that offereth Jeremiah 49:3 - Howl Ezekiel 27:31 - they shall make Ezekiel 30:2 - Howl Amos 5:16 - Wailing Amos 8:10 - sackcloth Micah 1:16 - bald

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He is gone up to Bajith,.... That is, Moab; the king or people of Moab, particularly the inhabitants of the above cities. Bajith signifies house; and here a house of idolatry, as Kimchi interprets it; it was an idol's temple, very likely the temple of their god Chemosh, the same which is called Bethbaalmeon, Joshua 13:17 "the house of Baal's habitation", and is mentioned with Dibon and Bamoth, as here; hither the Moabites went in their distress, to lament their case, ask advice, make supplication, and offer sacrifice:

and to Dibon, the high places, to weep; Dibon was another city of Moab, Numbers 21:30 where probably were high places for idolatrous worship, and from whence it might have the name of Dibonhabbamoth, as it may be here called; or since there was such a place in Moab as Bamoth, here rendered "high places", it may be taken for a proper name of a place, Numbers 21:20 and the rather, since mention is made of Bamothbaal along with Dibon, and as distinct from it, Joshua 13:17 and Jarchi interprets the words thus,

"and the men of Dibon went up to Bamoth to weep.''

Kimchi takes all three to be places of idolatrous worship, and which is not unlikely.

Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba; two cities in the land of Moab, now taken, plundered, and destroyed; the former of these, Nebo, had its name either from the Hebrew word נבא, "naba", to prophesy, because of the prophecies or oracles which is thought were delivered here from the Heathen priests, as from their deities; and among the Chaldeans there was a god of this name, Isaiah 46:1 or from the Arabic word "naba" o, to be eminent, and so had its name from its height; near to it was a mountain of the same name, where Moses had a view of the land of Canaan, and died, Deuteronomy 32:49 of this city see Numbers 32:3. Jerom says p, that in his time a desert place called Naba was showed, eight miles distant from the city Esbus (Heshbon, Isaiah 15:4) to the south. The latter of these, Medeba, is mentioned in Numbers 21:30 this city is by Ptolemy q called Medava. Josephus r speaks of it as a city of Moab, in the times of Alexander and Hyrcanus; so that if it was now destroyed, it was built again: and Jerom s says of it, that in his days it was a city of Arabia, retaining its ancient name, near Esebon, or Heshbon.

On all their heads [shall be] baldness; that is, on the heads of the Moabites, especially the inhabitants of these cities that survived the destruction, who through sorrow and distress, and as a token of mourning, tore off the hair of their heads, which caused baldness, or else shaved it:

[and] every beard cut off; with a razor, which makes it probable that the hair of the head was tore off; both these used to be done as signs of mourning and lamentation, even shaving of the head and beard, Job 1:20.

o "editus, elatus fuit", Golius, col. 2287. Castel. col. 2182. p De locis Hebraicis, fol. 93. H. q Geograph. l. 5. c. 17. P. 137. r Antiqu. l. 13. c. 15. sect. 4. & l. 14. c. 1. sect. 4. s De locis Hebraicis, fol. 93. D.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He is gone up - That is, the inhabitants of Moab in consternation have fled from their ruined cities, and have gone up to other places to weep.

To Bajith, and to Dibon - Lowth supposes that these two words should be joined together, and that one place is denoted. The Chaldee renders it, ‘Ascend into the houses of Dibon.’ Kimchi supposes that the word (בית bayith) denotes a temple. It usually means “house,” and hence, may mean a temple of the gods; that is, the principal “house” in the land. This interpretation is adopted by Gesenius and Noyes. Vitringa supposes it to mean Beth-Meon Jeremiah 48:24, or Beth-Baal-Meon Joshua 13:17, north of the Arnon, now “Macin.” I have adopted the translation proposed by Kimchi as better expressing the sense in my view than that which makes it a proper name. Dibon, perhaps the same place as Dimon in Isaiah 15:9, was a city given by Moses to Gad, and afterward yielded to Reuben Numbers 32:3, Numbers 32:33-34; Joshua 13:9. It was again occupied by the Moabites Jeremiah 48:18, Jeremiah 48:2. Eusebius says it was a large town on the north of the river Arnon. Seetsen found there ruins under the name of Diban in a magnificent plain. Hence, “Dibon” is here appropriately described as “going up” from a plain to weep; and the passage may be rendered, ‘Dibon is weeping upon the high places.’

To weep - Over the sudden desolation which has come upon the principal cities.

Moab shall howl over Nebo - Nebo was one of the mountains on the east of the Jordan. It was so high that from it an extended view could be taken of the land of Canaan opposite. It was distinguished as being the place where Moses died Deuteronomy 32:49; Deuteronomy 34:1. The meaning of this is, that on mount Nebo, Moab should lift up the voice of wailing. Jerome says that the idol Chamos, the principal idol of Moab, was on mount Nebo, and that this was the place of its worship. This mountain was near the northern extremity of the Dead Sea. Mount Nebo was completely barren when Burckhardt passed over it, and the site of the ancient city had not been ascertained (“Travels in Syria,” p. 370.) On its summit, says Burckhardt, was a heap of stones overshadowed by a very large wild pistacia tree. At a short distance below, to the southwest, is the ruined place called Kereyat.

And over Medeba - This was a city east of the Jordan in the southern part of the territory allotted to Reuben. It was taken from the Reubenites by the Moabites. Burckhardt describes the ruins of this town, which still bears the same name. He says of it, it is ‘built upon a round hill; but there is no river near it. It is at least half an hour in circumference. I observed many remains of private houses, constructed with blocks of silex; but not a single edifice is standing. There is a large birket, tank, or cistern, which, as there is no spring at Medeba, might be still of use to the Bedouins, were the surrounding ground cleared of the rubbish to allow the water to flow into it; but such an undertaking is far beyond the views of the wandering Arabic On the west side of the town are the foundations of a temple built with large stones, and apparently of great antiquity. A part of its eastern wall remains, constructed in the same style as the castle wall at Ammon. At the entrance to one of the courts stand two columns of the Doric order. In the center of one of the courts is a large well.’ (“Travels in Syria,” pp. 366, 367.)

On all their heads shall be baldness ... - To cut off the hair of the head and the beard was expressive of great grief. It is well known that the Orientals regard the beard with great sacredness and veneration, and that they usually dress it with great care, Great grief was usually expressed by striking external acts. Hence, they lifted up the voice in wailing; they hired persons to howl over the dead; they rent their garments; and for the same reason, in times of great calamity or grief, they cut off the hair, and even the beard. Herodotus (ii. 36) speaks of it as a custom among all nations, except the Egyptians, to cut off the hair as a token of mourning. So also Homer says, that on the death of Patroclus they cut off the hair as expressive of grief (Iliad, xxiii. 46, 47):

Next these a melancholy band appear,

Amidst lay dead Patroclus on a bier;

O’er all the course their scattered locks they threw.

Pope

See also “Odyss.” iv. 197. This was also the custom with the Romans (Ovid. “Amor.” 3, 5, 12); the Egyptians (Diod. i. 84); the Scythians (Herod. iv. 71); and the modern Cretans. The principle on which this is done is, that thereby they are deprived of what is esteemed the most beautiful ornament of the body; an idea which lies at the foundation of mourning in all countries and ages. The loss of the beard, also, was the highest calamity, and would be expressive of the deepest grief. ‘It is,’ says D’Arvieux, who has devoted a chapter to the exposition of the sentiments of the Arabs in regard to the beard, ‘a greater mark of infamy in Arabia to cut a man’s beard off, than it is with us to whip a fellow at the cart’s tail, or to burn him in the hand. Many people in that country would far rather die than incur that punishment. I saw an Arab who had received a musket shot in the jaw, and who was determined rather to perish than to allow the surgeon to cut his beard off to dress his wound. His resolution was at length overcome; but not until the wound was beginning to gangrene. he never allowed himself to be seen while his beard was off; and when at last he got abroad, he went always with his face covered with a black veil, that he might not be seen without a beard; and this he did until his beard had grown again to a considerable length.’ (“Pic. Bib.,” vol. ii. p. 100.) Burckhardt also remarks, that the Arabs who have, from any cause, had the misfortune to lose their beards invariably conceal themselves from view until their beards are grown again (compare Isaiah 3:24; Isaiah 22:12; Jeremiah 41:5; Micah 1:16). The idea is, that the Moabites would be greatly afflicted. Jeremiah has stated the same thing of Moab Jeremiah 48:37 :

For every head shall be bald, and every beard be clipt;

And upon all hands shall be cuttings,

And upon the loins sackcloth.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 15:2. He is gone to Bajith, and to Dibon — עלה הבית alah habbayith, should be rendered, he is gone to the HOUSE, i.e., to their chief temple, where they practiced idolatry. Dibon was the name of a tower where also was an idolatrous temple; thither they went to weep and pray before their idols, that they might interpose and save them from their calamities. So R. D. Kimchi. He is gone to Bajith and to Dibon: but Bishop Lowth reads Beth Dibon; this is the name of one place; and the two words are to be joined together, without the ו vau intervening. So the Chaldee and Syriac. This reading is not supported by any MS. or Version: but some MSS., instead of ער ar, have עיר ir, a city, others have עד ad, unto, and some editions have על al, upon. But all these help little, though they show that the place puzzled both the scribes and the editors.

On all their heads shall be baldness, c. - "On every head there is baldness," &c.] Herodotus, ii. 36, speaks of it as a general practice among all men, except the Egyptians, to cut off their hair as a token of mourning. "Cut off thy hair, and cast it away," says Jeremiah, Jeremiah 7:29, "and take up a lamentation."

Τουτο νυ και γερας οιον οἱζυροισι βροτοισι

Κειρασθαι τε κομην, βαλεειν τ' απο δακρυ παρειων.

HOM. Odyss. iv. 197.

"The rites of wo

Are all, alas! the living can bestow

O'er the congenial dust enjoined to shear

The graceful curl, and drop the tender tear."

POPE.

On every head. - For ראשיו roshaiv, read ראש rosh. So the parallel place, Jeremiah 48:37, and so three MSS., one ancient. An ancient MS. reads על כל ראש al col rosh. Five read בכל ראש bechol rosh, on every head, with the Septuagint and Arabic. AND every head. The ו vau, and, is found in thirty MSS., in three editions, and in the Syriac, Vulgate, and Chaldee.

Cut off - "Shorn."] The printed editions, as well as the MSS., are divided on the reading of this word. Some have גדועה geduah, shorn, others גרעה geruah, diminished. The similitude of the letters ד daleth and ר resh has likewise occasioned many mistakes. In the present case, the sense is pretty much the same with either reading. The text of Jeremiah 48:37 has the latter, diminished. The former reading is found in twelve of Dr. Kennicott's MSS., forty of De Rossi's, and two of my own. A great number of editions have the same reading.