What is the meaning of Isaiah 15:5? My heart cries out over Moab • Isaiah speaks in the first person (Isaiah 15:5), but his words echo the Lord’s own compassion. Though Moab is under judgment (Isaiah 15–16), God’s heart is not cold; He grieves over sin’s ruin (Ezekiel 33:11; Hosea 11:8). • This shows that divine justice and divine mercy coexist. God’s sorrow over Moab parallels Jesus weeping over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), underscoring that He “does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men” (Lamentations 3:33). • For believers, the verse calls us to mirror God’s compassion, even toward those who oppose us (Matthew 5:44–45; Romans 9:1–3). Her fugitives flee as far as Zoar • Judgment scatters the Moabites southward toward Zoar, a town near the Dead Sea that once sheltered Lot (Genesis 19:22). • The flight highlights the desperation produced by God-ordained discipline—there is no lasting refuge apart from Him (Psalm 46:1). • Compare Israel’s earlier exodus out of Egypt (Exodus 12:37) and Judah’s later flight from Babylonian invasion (Jeremiah 52:7). God’s people, too, have known what it is to run, yet the Lord remained their only sure sanctuary (Psalm 91:1–2). As far as Eglath-shelishiyah • The name means “third-calf,” probably marking a small, remote settlement. The fugitives keep pushing farther, picturing how human solutions multiply without providing peace (Isaiah 30:15–16). • Reaching such an obscure place illustrates that sin’s consequences drive people beyond familiar borders (Jonah 1:3). • The distance underscores that there is no hiding from divine judgment (Psalm 139:7–12) yet also no place beyond divine reach (Amos 9:2–4). With weeping they ascend the slope of Luhith • The steep ascent of Luhith turns the flight into an agonizing climb. Tears mingle with exertion, matching the imagery of Psalm 84:6 where pilgrims pass through the Valley of Baca (“weeping”). • Sorrow here is not godly repentance but painful regret—paralleled in Esau’s tearful loss (Hebrews 12:17). Judgment apart from repentance brings only grief (2 Corinthians 7:10). • For the church, Luhith warns that the path chosen apart from God becomes progressively harder (Proverbs 13:15). They lament their destruction on the road to Horonaim • Horonaim, another Moabite city (Jeremiah 48:3, 5), hears cries of ruin before the refugees even arrive, showing how terror runs ahead of them. • The phrase fulfills earlier prophetic warnings that disaster would come swiftly (Deuteronomy 28:65–67; Isaiah 24:17–18). • Yet lament without turning to the Lord leaves sorrow unresolved. Contrast Nineveh’s response: when confronted, they humbled themselves and found mercy (Jonah 3:5–10). summary Isaiah 15:5 paints a vivid, literal picture of Moab’s downfall: fleeing people, distant towns, steep roads, and bitter tears. Every phrase reveals a just God whose heart still aches over human rebellion. His compassion calls us to share His grief for the lost, while His judgment reminds us that no flight can outrun Him. True refuge is found only by turning back to the Lord in humble repentance and faith. |
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