ISA 15

Isaiah 15:6

WEB

For the waters of Nimrim will be desolate; for the grass has withered away, the tender grass fails, there is no green thing.

BSB

The waters of Nimrim are dried up, and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone, and the greenery is no more.

KJV

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

Matthew Henry

Verses 6–9

Isaiah 15:6–9

Here the prophet further describes the woeful and piteous lamentations that should be heard throughout all the country of Moab when it should become a prey to the Assyrian army. "By this time the cry has gone round about all the borders of Moab," Isa 15:8. Every corner of the country has received the alarm, and is in the utmost confusion upon it. It has reached to Eglaim, a city at one end of the country, and to Beer-elim, a city as far the other way. Where sin has been general, and all flesh have corrupted their way, what can be expected but a general desolation? Two things are here spoken of as causes of this lamentation: -

I. The waters of Nimrim are desolate (Isa 15:6), that is, the country is plundered and impoverished, and all the wealth and substance of it swept away by the victorious army. Famine is usually the sad effect of war. Look into the fields that were well watered, the fruitful meadows that yielded delightful prospects and more delightful products, and there all is eaten up, or carried off by the enemy's foragers, and the remainder trodden to dirt by their horses. If an army encamp upon green fields, their greenness is soon gone. Look into the houses, and they are stripped too (Isa 15:7): The abundance of wealth that they had gotten with a great deal of art and industry, and that which they had laid up with a great deal of care and confidence, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows. Either the owners shall carry it thither to hide it or the enemies shall carry it thither to pack it up and send it home, by water perhaps, to their own country. Note, 1. Those that are eager to get abundance of this world, and solicitous to lay up what they have gotten, little consider what may become of it and in how short a time it may be all taken from them. Great abundance, by tempting the robbers, exposes the owners; and those who depend upon it to protect them often find it does but betray them. 2. In times of distress great riches are often great burdens, and do but increase the owner's care or the enemies' strength. Cantabit vacuus coram latrone viator - The penniless traveller will exult, when accosted by a robber, in having nothing about him.

II. The waters of Dimon are turned into blood (Isa 15:9), that is, the inhabitants of the country are slain in great numbers, so that the waters adjoining to the cities, whether rivers or pools, are discoloured with human gore, inhumanly shed like water. Dimon signifies bloody; the place shall answer to its name. Perhaps it was that place in the country of Moab where the waters seemed to the Moabites as blood (Kg2 3:22, Kg2 3:23), which occasioned their overthrow. But now, says God, I will bring more upon Dimon, more blood than was shed, or thought to be seen, at that time. I will bring additions upon Dimon (so the word is), additional plagues; I have yet more judgments in reserve for them. For all this, God's anger is not turned away. When he judges he will overcome; and to the roll of curses shall be added many like words, Jer 36:32. See here what is the yet more evil to be brought upon Dimon, upon Moab, which is now to be made a land of blood. Some flee, and make their escape, others sit still, and are overlooked, and are as a remnant of the land; but upon both God will bring lions, beasts of prey (which are reckoned one of God's four judgments, Eze 14:21), and these shall glean up those that have escaped the sword of the enemy. Those that continue impenitent in sin, when they are preserved from one judgment, are but reserved for another.

Cross-references: Isa 15:8 · Isa 15:6 · Isa 15:7 · Isa 15:9 · 2Kgs 3:22 · 2Kgs 3:23 · Jer 36:32 · Ezek 14:21

Hebrew interlinear

H3588

כִּיkîy/kee/

conj — relative conjunction

Derivation: a primitive particle (the full form of the prepositional prefix) indicating causal relations of all kinds, antecedent or consequent;

(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed

KJV: and, (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), but, certainly, doubtless, else, even, except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, (al-) though, till, truly, until, when, whether, while, whom, yea, yet.

כִּי

conj — that

כִּי conj. that, for, when

1. that

2.

a. Of time, when, of the past

b. elsewhere כִּי has a force approximating to if, though it usu. represents a case as more likely to occur than אִם

c. when or if, with a concessive force, i.e. though

3. Because, since

כִּי אם־

relative conjunction

כִּי אם־

1. each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause:

a. that if

b. for if

2. (About 140 t.) the two particles being closely conjoined, and relating to the same clause—

a. limiting the prec. clause, except

b. the if being neglected, and treated as pleonastic, so that the clause is no longer a limitation of the preceding clause but a contradiction of it: but rather, but

c. after an oath, surely

כִּי עַל כֵּן

forasmuch as

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

H4325

מַיִםmayim/mah'-yim/

n-m — water, juice, urine, semen

Derivation: dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense);

water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen

KJV: piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).

מַי

n.m — waters

[מַי] 580 n.m. only pl. מַ֫יִם waters, water

H5249

נִמְרִיםNimrîym/nim-reem'/

n-pr-loc — Nimrim

Derivation: plural of a masculine corresponding to 5247; clear waters;

Nimrim, a place East of the Jordan

KJV: Nimrim. Compare 1039.

נִמְרִים

n.pr.loc — Nimrim. Compare

נִמְרִים n.pr.loc. in Moab

H4923

מְשַׁמָּהmᵉshammâh/mesh-am-maw'/

n-f — waste, amazement

Derivation: from 8074;

a waste or amazement

KJV: astonishment, desolate.

מְשַׁמָּה

n.f — waste

מְשַׁמָּה n.f. abs.

1. devastation, waste

2. horror

H1961

הָיָהhâyâh/haw-yaw/

v — exist, be, become, come to pass

Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1933);

to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

KJV: beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.

הָיָה

vb — fall out

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

I.

1.

a. Fall out, happen

b. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

2. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

a.

(1). וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

(2). rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

b. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

II. Come into being, become

1.

a. abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

b. sq. prep.

2. become

a. sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

b. sq. pred. adj.

c. become like

d. sq. pred. לְ pers.

e. sq. לְ pred.

f. oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

g. with עַל and לְ

h. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

III. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

1. exist, be in existence

2. abide, remain, continue

3. with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

4. as copula, joining subj. & pred.

5. periphrastic conjug.

Niph.

1. either be done, be brought about, or occur, come to pass

2. be done, finished, gone

H3001

יָבֵשׁyâbêsh/yaw-bashe'/

v — be ashamed, confused, disappointed, dry up, wither

Derivation: a primitive root;

to be ashamed, confused or disappointed; also (as failing) to dry up (as water) or wither (as herbage)

KJV: be ashamed, clean, be confounded, (make) dry (up), (do) shame(-fully), × utterly, wither (away).

יָבֵשׁ

vb — be dry

יָבֵשׁ vb. be dry, dried up, withered

Qal

1. be dry, dried up without moisture

2. be dried up

Pi. make dry, dry up

Hiph. dry up, make dry

1. dry up water

2. make dry, wither

3. exhibit dryness

H2682

חָצִירchâtsîyr/khaw-tseer'/

n-m — grass, leek

Derivation: perhaps originally the same as 2681, from the greenness of a courtyard;

grass; also a leek (collectively)

KJV: grass, hay, herb, leek.

חָצִיר

n.m — green grass

חָצִיר n.m. green grass, herbage

1. grass, as food for animals;spec. of leeks

2. as type of what is quickly perishing

H3615

כָּלָהkâlâh/kaw-law'/

v — end, cease, be finished, perish, complete, prepare, consume

Derivation: a primitive root;

to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitive (to complete, prepare, consume)

KJV: accomplish, cease, consume (away), determine, destroy (utterly), be (when... were) done, (be an) end (of), expire, (cause to) fail, faint, finish, fulfil, × fully, × have, leave (off), long, bring to pass, wholly reap, make clean riddance, spend, quite take away, waste.

כָּלָה

vb — be complete

כָּלָה 204 vb. be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, spent

Qal

1.

a. be complete, at an end, of a period of time

b. be completed, finished, of a work

c. be accomplished, fulfilled

d. be idealy complete, be determined, always in a bad sense, plotted

2.

a. be spent, used up (prop. come to an end), of water

b. waste away, be exhausted, fail

c. come to an end, vanish = perish, be destroyed

Pi.

1.

a. complete, bring to an end, finish, a thing, task, work, etc.

b. complete a period of time

c. finish doing a thing

d. make an end, end

e. accomplish, fulfil, bring to pass

f. accomplish in thought, determine

2.

a. put an end to, cause to cease

b. cause to fail, exhaust, use up, spend

c. destroy, sts. exterminate

H1877

דֶּשֶׁאdesheʼ/deh'-sheh/

n-m — sprout, grass

Derivation: from 1876;

a sprout; by analogy, grass

KJV: (tender) grass, green, (tender) herb.

דֶּ֫שֶׁא

n.m — grass

דֶּ֫שֶׁא n.m. grass

H3418

יֶרֶקyereq/yeh'-rek/

n-m — pallor, yellowish green, verdure, grass, vegetation

Derivation: from 3417 (in the sense of vacuity of color);

properly, pallor, i.e. hence, the yellowish green of young and sickly vegetation; concretely, verdure, i.e. grass or vegetation

KJV: grass, green (thing).

יֶ֫רֶק

n.m — green

יֶ֫רֶק n.m. green, greenness

H3808

לֹאlôʼ/lo/

adv — not, no

Derivation: or לוֹא; or לֹה; (Deuteronomy 3:11), a primitive particle;

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles

KJV: × before, or else, ere, except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (× as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, surely, as truly as, of a truth, verily, for want, whether, without.

לֹא

adv — not

לֹא or לוֹא adv. not

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