Isaiah 15

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Reading Isaiah · Follow the poetry

Much of Isaiah is written in Hebrew poetry. Its lines often work together: one introduces a thought, and another echoes, contrasts with or develops it. Reading those relationships can make a difficult passage easier to follow.

Why Isaiah is displayed in lines

The Bible Directory sets poetic passages in lines to help you notice related phrases, repeated words and contrasting images. Narrative passages remain in paragraphs.

The biblical wording is unchanged. Line breaks and spacing are editorial reading aids; scholars and translators sometimes divide passages differently. A poetic thought may also continue across several numbered verses.

Read two lines together

Hear, O heavens,
and give ear, O earth:

Isaiah 1:2, KJV

“Give ear” echoes “hear,” while “heavens” and “earth” form a corresponding pair. Together, the lines broaden the address. Continue reading to see what these listeners are called to hear.

Patterns to notice

Synonymous parallelism · Echo and develop
Related words or images connect neighboring lines. Even when the lines sound similar, look for a difference in emphasis, detail or scope.

Antithetical parallelism · Set thoughts in contrast
Lines place contrasting actions, conditions or outcomes beside one another. Read both sides to understand how the contrast works.

Development or progression · Carry the thought further
A following line adds a detail, consequence, explanation or next step. Ask what becomes clearer as the thought unfolds.

Emblematic parallelism · Make a connection through imagery
An image or comparison develops a related thought. Notice how the image and the statement illuminate each other.

Climactic parallelism · Repeat and build
A word or phrase returns, then the next line adds something that advances or completes the expression.

These are descriptive tools, not fixed boxes. Scholars differ over some labels and how particular passages should be classified. A passage may combine several patterns.

Other structures worth noticing

Chiasmus · Return in reverse order
Words or ideas appear in a sequence, then return in reverse order—for example, A–B–B–A. Look for clear correspondences in the wording and structure before identifying a pattern.

Repetition · Follow a recurring phrase
Repeated words can connect several verses, emphasize a concern or mark a new movement within a poem.

Keep reading beyond the pair

Not every poetic passage consists of two matching lines. Follow the thought across the verse numbers, notice changes of speaker and watch how an image develops.

Start with one question: What does the next line add?

1 The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;

2 He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.

3 In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.

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.

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.

6 For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.

7 Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows.

8 For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beer-elim.

9 For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.

World Behind This Chapter

Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Isaiah 15.

QUESTIONS WORTH EXPLORING

What historical setting lies behind Isaiah 15?

The poem addresses Moab’s catastrophe without naming the invading army or a secure year.

How does Isaiah 15's lament over moab shape the chapter?

Place-name procession, weeping, refugees, and devastated agriculture create an oracle that sounds unusually sympathetic toward the judged nation.

Can the route through Moab in Isaiah 15 be mapped exactly?

WHAT REMAINS UNCERTAIN

Many places are identifiable or approximately located, but several ancient names remain uncertain. The poem is a lamenting itinerary, not a modern route description.

Research PathsCurated links for exploring this chapter 3
History & Daily Life1
  • Moab: Kingdom East of the Dead SeaBible Odyssey

    Scholarly introduction to Moab’s land, people, language, political history, and relationship with Israel and Judah. It provides essential background for Isaiah 15’s rapid sequence of destroyed towns, refugee movements, mourning rituals, and regional geography.

Maps & Timeline1
  • Medeba and the Moabite PlateauBible Odyssey

    Locates Medeba on the fertile plateau south of Heshbon and identifies it as one of the cities named in Isaiah’s oracle against Moab. It helps readers follow Isaiah’s geographical movement rather than treating the chapter’s place-names as an unintelligible list.

Language & Literature1

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