The verse highlights the depth of Moab's despair not just by describing their wailing, but by showing them going to their "house" (temple) and "high places" for worship. This reveals that in their utter devastation, their ultimate hope and recourse is to their idols, a poignant picture of spiritual abandonment.
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. Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Isaiah is detailing the devastating judgment coming upon Moab, a neighboring nation to Israel. The previous chapter likely set the stage for this judgment, and here Isaiah describes the people's panicked and grief-stricken response as they flee to their religious sites like "Bajith" (temple) and Dibon, and ascend to high places to weep and wail over the loss of their cities and people, evidenced by the ritualistic signs of mourning like shaving their heads and beards.
In the face of disaster, where do people turn? For Moab, it was a frantic journey to their places of worship, not for God’s comfort, but for their gods’ intervention.
When calamity struck, the Moabites didn't just sit and despair; they acted. They "gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, to the high places to weep." This wasn't just a casual trip; it was a pilgrimage to their religious centers.
Seeking Sanctuary in Sanctuaries
This shows how deeply ingrained their religious practices were, even in their darkest hours. They sought help from the very gods who, in the eyes of Isaiah’s prophecy, would not – or could not – save them.
Bald heads and shorn beards – these weren’t just physical changes, but a powerful, visceral expression of a nation’s utter devastation.
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The description of Moab's mourning goes beyond mere sadness; it’s a portrayal of absolute ruin and loss.
Symbols of Ultimate Loss
These actions, forbidden to the Israelites as expressions of mourning (Leviticus 21:5), were potent symbols for other nations. For Moab, it wasn't just about losing cities like Nebo and Medeba; it was about losing their pride, their identity, and their hope. The physical act of disfigurement underscored the depth of their national anguish.
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.
nephesh · Hebrew Noun
The inner life of a person, encompassing the seat of emotions, will, and desires; it is the center of human identity that experiences fear, trembling, or joy before the presence of God or the reality of judgment.
charad · Hebrew Verb
A state of acute psychological or physical agitation due to fear, awe, or the awareness of imminent danger or divine power.
This prophecy against Moab likely reflects the period of Assyrian dominance or the immediate aftermath of their campaigns, where Moabite cities faced destruction and their people were plunged into despair, seeking solace in their temples and weeping over their lost territories.
c. 850 BC
Moabite Stone Records Mesha's Revolt
King Mesha of Moab declares independence from Israel and records his victories and building projects on the Moabite Stone, mentioning his reconquest of Nebo and Medeba.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Campaigns in the Region
The Neo-Assyrian Empire under kings like Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II expands its influence, often subjugating smaller kingdoms like Moab and leading to instability and displacement.
c. 715 BC— this verse
Prophecy of Isaiah Against Moab
Isaiah delivers a prophecy detailing the impending destruction and desolation of Moab, naming specific cities and lamenting the people's grief and terror.
c. 600 BC
Jeremiah's Prophecy Against Moab
Jeremiah also prophesies against Moab, echoing themes of lamentation and judgment, and further solidifying the context of divine retribution against the nation.
This passage echoes Isaiah's description of mourning, directly quoting or alluding to the specific acts of making heads bald and beards shorn as signs of deep distress.
Micah 1:16Micah describes a similar scene of devastation and mourning for the inhabitants of Judah, including the act of making oneself bald for the sake of one's children, highlighting this as a common outward expression of grief for Israel's neighbors.
Job 1:20When Job faced immense loss, he tore his robe and shaved his head, demonstrating that this practice of baldness and mourning was understood as an extreme sign of grief and submission to divine power.
Leviticus 21:5The Mosaic Law prohibited priests from making themselves bald or shaving the edges of their beards, indicating that these were specific, culturally recognized expressions of mourning, likely associated with pagan practices that Israel was to avoid.
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 verse highlights the depth of Moab's despair not just by describing their wailing, but by showing them going to their "house" (temple) and "high places" for worship. This reveals that in their utter devastation, their ultimate hope and recourse is to their idols, a poignant picture of spiritual abandonment.
The prophet Isaiah is detailing the devastating judgment coming upon Moab, a neighboring nation to Israel. The previous chapter likely set the stage for this judgment, and here Isaiah describes the people's panicked and grief-stricken response as they flee to their religious sites like "Bajith" (temple) and Dibon, and ascend to high places to weep and wail over the loss of their cities and people, evidenced by the ritualistic signs of mourning like shaving their heads and beards.
The prophet Isaiah is detailing the devastating judgment coming upon Moab, a neighboring nation to Israel. The previous chapter likely set the stage for this judgment, and here Isaiah describes the people's panicked and grief-stricken response as they flee to their religious sites like "Bajith" (temple) and Dibon, and ascend to high places to weep and wail over the loss of their cities and people, evidenced by the ritualistic signs of mourning like shaving their heads and beards.
"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 verse highlights the depth of Moab's despair not just by describing their wailing, but by showing them going to their "house" (temple) and "high places" for worship. This reveals that in their ut…
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Last reviewed October 2026
