The passage doesn't just describe sorrow; it paints a picture of desperation. Moabites are fleeing to their "temple" and "high places" not for comfort, but to wail and shave their heads and beards, indicating they're appealing to their gods in the face of utter ruin, believing these acts of ritualistic grief will somehow offer them aid.
He has gone up to the temple, and to Dibon, to the high places to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn; in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The people of Moab are in deep distress and fleeing, heading to religious sites like the "temple" and Dibon to lament their situation. They will wail over their lost cities of Nebo and Medeba, their despair so profound that they shave their heads and beards in public displays of grief. This scene of widespread mourning sets the stage for the prophetic judgment about to unfold upon Moab.
When disaster strikes, where do you turn? For the Moabites, their first instinct was to rush to their religious centers, seeking divine intervention. But were their gods listening?
The verse describes the Moabites ascending to "Bajith" (likely a temple or religious house) and "Dibon," heading to "high places" to weep. These were their centers of worship, where they believed they could find solace and deliverance from impending doom.
This highlights a common human tendency: when faced with overwhelming troubles, we often turn to familiar places and practices that offer a sense of control or comfort, even if they are ultimately hollow. For Moab, this meant their idolatrous shrines, places that could offer no real help.
It's a stark picture of a people desperately seeking aid, but from sources that were powerless to save them. Their weeping and their pilgrimage to these religious sites were an expression of their fear and helplessness, a testament to their misplaced trust.
Baldness and a shorn beard might seem like odd details, but in the ancient world, these were potent symbols. What do they reveal about the depth of Moab's grief?
The verse paints a vivid picture of extreme mourning with the phrases "on every head is baldness; every beard is shorn." In ancient Near Eastern cultures, the hair, particularly the beard, was a source of pride and identity. To deliberately remove it was a radical act, signifying the deepest possible grief and despair.
It wasn't just a casual expression of sadness; it was a public, physical manifestation of utter devastation. Imagine the shock and horror of seeing everyone, from leaders to commoners, marked by this extreme loss.
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This imagery emphasizes that the calamity facing Moab wasn't a minor setback. It was an existential crisis, so profound that it stripped away their dignity and outward signs of normalcy. It’s a powerful way Isaiah communicates the magnitude of their suffering.
Understand the original words
bamah · Hebrew Noun
A physical location set apart for religious practice, often used for idolatrous worship in the Old Testament, representing false devotion or rebellion against God's instruction for centralized worship in Jerusalem.
bakah · Hebrew Verb
A outward expression of intense grief, sorrow, or judgment; in Scripture, it is a common reaction to calamity, loss, or the weight of impending divine judgment.
qorchah · Hebrew Noun
A sign of mourning or humiliation. Shaving the head and beard was a cultural practice in the Ancient Near East that signaled deep shame, degradation, or intense mourning.
saq · Hebrew Noun
A coarse fabric, typically made of goat hair, worn as a garment to signify profound mourning, repentance, or distress before God or due to national calamity.
This prophecy reflects a period of intense geopolitical upheaval in the ancient Near East, where Moab found itself increasingly vulnerable to powerful empires like Assyria and Babylon, leading to widespread destruction and national mourning.
c. 853 BC
Moabite Stone records Mesha's victories
King Mesha of Moab records his successes against Israel on the Moabite Stone, mentioning recaptured cities like Nebo and Medeba, and asserting Moabite independence. This inscription provides a direct glimpse into Moabite history and self-perception.
Late 8th Century BC
Assyrian Empire conquers surrounding regions
The powerful Neo-Assyrian Empire expands its influence, subjugating surrounding kingdoms like Israel and potentially impacting Moab through raids, tribute demands, or political pressure.
c. 730s-701 BC— this verse
Prophecies against Moab delivered
Isaiah delivers prophecies concerning the downfall of Moab, likely in response to regional instability, Assyrian expansion, and Moab's own political maneuvering or perceived arrogance.
c. 600s BC
Nebuchadnezzar's campaigns
The Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II becomes a dominant force, leading to campaigns into the Levant that would profoundly affect Moab and its neighbors.
c. 582 BC
Babylonian subjugation of Moab
Following the destruction of Jerusalem, Babylonian forces complete their consolidation of control in the region, which included subjugating and likely deporting parts of the Moabite population.
This passage directly parallels Isaiah's description of Moab's grief, repeating the exact imagery of baldness and shorn beards as signs of deep mourning.
Micah 1:16This verse uses the same language of self-mutilation (making oneself bald, plucking out hair) to describe a community's distress and lamentation over lost possessions and cities.
Job 1:20Job's profound grief after losing his children and possessions is expressed through tearing his robe, shaving his head, and falling to the ground, showing how extreme sorrow manifests in physical acts of mourning, similar to the Moabites.
Deuteronomy 14:1This passage explicitly forbids the Israelites from shaving their heads or beards as signs of mourning, highlighting that such practices were common among surrounding nations (like Moab) but set apart for God's people.
barnesIsaiah 15:2: "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."
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…
cambridgeIsaiah 15:2: "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."
2 . (Cf. Jeremiah 48:37 ) He is gone up … to weep ] The sense of the clause is uncertain. If Bayith be a proper name the best rendering would be that of R.V. marg. Bayith and Dibon are gone up to the high-places to weep . But Bayith enters so frequently into compound place-names in this region ( Beth-Diblathaim…
The passage doesn't just describe sorrow; it paints a picture of desperation. Moabites are fleeing to their "temple" and "high places" not for comfort, but to wail and shave their heads and beards, indicating they're appealing to their gods in the face of utter ruin, believing these acts of ritualistic grief will somehow offer them aid.
The people of Moab are in deep distress and fleeing, heading to religious sites like the "temple" and Dibon to lament their situation. They will wail over their lost cities of Nebo and Medeba, their despair so profound that they shave their heads and beards in public displays of grief. This scene of widespread mourning sets the stage for the prophetic judgment about to unfold upon Moab.
The people of Moab are in deep distress and fleeing, heading to religious sites like the "temple" and Dibon to lament their situation. They will wail over their lost cities of Nebo and Medeba, their despair so profound that they shave their heads and beards in public displays of grief. This scene of widespread mourning sets the stage for the prophetic judgment about to unfold upon Moab.
"He has gone up to the temple, and to Dibon, to the high places to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn; in the streets they wear sackcloth; on t…" — The passage doesn't just describe sorrow; it paints a picture of desperation. Moabites are fleeing to their "temple" and "high places" not for comfort, but to wail and shave their heads and beards, i…
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Last reviewed October 2026
