Isaiah 16
1 Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.
2 For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.
3 Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.
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.
6 We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.
7 Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken.
8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.
9 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.
10 And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.
11 Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kir-haresh.
12 And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.
13 This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning Moab since that time.
14 But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.
World Behind This Chapter
Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Isaiah 16.
What historical setting lies behind Isaiah 16?
The chapter continues the same crisis and adds a time notice of “within three years” without enough external data to secure the event.
How does Isaiah 16's political appeal + lament shape the chapter?
Tribute, asylum language, Davidic throne imagery, and harvest lament combine diplomacy with poetry.
What is the “three years, as the years of a hireling” notice?
It gives the oracle an unusual countdown, but without a named monarch or synchronism scholars cannot identify the starting point with certainty.
Sources to ExploreCurated research paths for this chapter 3
Language & Literature2
- A Throne Established in Loyal LoveTranslation Insights and Perspectives
Examines Isaiah 16:5 and its tightly arranged royal language of throne, loyalty, faithfulness, judgment, justice, and righteousness. It helps readers see how parallel terms accumulate to present an ideal ruler in contrast with Moab’s pride and political instability.
- Tears That Drench a Vineyard: Metaphor and ExaggerationTranslation Insights and Perspectives
Examines Isaiah’s statement that his tears drench Heshbon and Elealeh. The impossible physical action is deliberate poetic exaggeration, communicating overwhelming grief while linking human tears with the lost water, fruit, and harvest of Moab’s devastated vineyards.
Artifacts & Manuscripts1
- The Mesha Stele and the Kingdom of MoabLouvre Museum
Official museum record for the ninth-century BCE Moabite inscription commissioned by King Mesha. Although earlier than Isaiah 16, it provides direct evidence for Moabite kingship, language, warfare, cities, religion, and political identity in the region described by Isaiah.

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