Isaiah 16:8

Verse

For the fields of Heshbon have withered, along with the grapevines of Sibmah. The rulers of the nations have trampled its choicest vines, which had reached as far as Jazer and spread toward the desert. Their shoots had spread out and passed over the sea.

American Standard Version (1901)

For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have broken down the choice branches thereof, which reached even unto Jazer, which wandered into the wilderness; its shoots were spread abroad, they passed over the sea.

Bible in Basic English

For the fields of Heshbon are waste, the vine of Sibmah is dead; the lords of nations were overcome by the produce of her vines; her vine-plants went as far as Jazer, and came even to the waste land; her branches were stretched out to the sea.

Free Bible Version

Heshbon's fields have dried up, as have Sibmah's grapevines. The rulers of the nations have trampled down the vines that once branched out to Jazer and east towards the desert, and west as far as the sea.

Geneva Bible 1599

For ye vineyards of Heshbon are cut downe, and the vine of Sibmah: the lordes of the heathen haue broken the principal vines thereof: they are come vnto Iaazer: they wandred in the wildernesse: her goodly branches stretched out them selues, and went ouer the sea.

King James (Authorized) Version

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.

One Unity Resource Bible

For the fields of Heshbon languish with the vine of Sibmah. The lords of the nations have broken down its choice branches, which reached even to Jazer, which wandered into the wilderness. Its shoots were spread abroad. They passed over the sea.

Translation for Translators

The crops in the fields at Heshbon city will wither, and the vineyards at Sibmah town will wither also. The armies of other nations will destroy Moab, which is like [MET] a beautiful grapevine whose branches spread north to Jazer town and east to the desert. Its branches spread very far west, to the west side of the Dead Sea.

Unlocked Literal Bible

The fields of Heshbon have dried up as well as the vines of Sibmah. The rulers of the nations have trampled the choice vines that reached to Jazer and spread into the desert. Its shoots spread abroad; they went over to the sea.

Noah Webster Bible

For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down her principal plants, they have come even to Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are extended, they have gone over the sea.

World English Bible

Young's Literal Translation

Because fields of Heshbon languish, The vine of Sibmah, Lords of nations did beat her choice vines, Unto Jazer they have come, They have wandered in a wilderness, Her plants have spread themselves, They have passed over a sea.

Context

Moab’s Destruction

⁷Therefore let Moab wail; let them wail together for Moab. Moan for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth, you who are utterly stricken. ⁸For the fields of Heshbon have withered, along with the grapevines of Sibmah. The rulers of the nations have trampled its choicest vines, which had reached as far as Jazer and spread toward the desert. Their shoots had spread out and passed over the sea.

Summary

This verse speaks of the sorrow and mourning that will come upon the land of Moab, a neighboring nation of Israel, as a result of its pride and arrogance. Moab's vineyards and fields will be devastated, and the people will be left desolate and in mourning. The prophet Isaiah foretells the judgment that will befall Moab due to their rebellion against God and their mistreatment of His people. Ultimately, this verse serves as a reminder of the consequences of pride and disobedience, highlighting the importance of humility and obedience to God.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Languish "Are put to shame" - Here the text of Jeremiah leaves us much at a loss, in a place that seems to be greatly corrupted. The Septuagint join the two last words of this verse with the beginning of the following. Their rendering is: και ουκ εντραπησῃ, τα πεδια Εσεβων. For אך ach they must have read אל al; otherwise, how came they by the negative, which seems not to belong to this place? Neither is it easy to make sense of the rest without a small alteration, by reading, instead of εντραπησῃ τα, εντραπησεται. In a word, the Arabic version taken from the Septuagint, plainly authorizes this reading of the Septuagint, and without the negative; and it is fully confirmed by MSS. Pachom. and 1. D. II., which have both of them εντραπησεται πεδια Εσεβων, without the negative; which makes an excellent sense, and, I think, gives us the true reading of the Hebrew text; אך נכלמו שדמות חשבון ak nichlemu shadmoth cheshbon. They frequently render the verb נכלם nichlam by εντρεπομαι. And נכלמו nichlemu answers perfectly well to אמלל umlal, the parallel word in the next line. The MSS. vary in expressing the word נכאים nechaim, which gives no tolerable sense in this place; one reads נוכאים nochaim; two others בכאים bechaim; in another the כ caph is upon a rasure of two letters; and the Vulgate instead of it reads מכותם mecotham, plagas suas. - L. For the men of Kirhares ye shall make a moan. For the fields of Heshbon are put to shame. This is Bp. Lowth's sense of the passage. Her branches are stretched out "Her branches extended themselves" - For נטשו nitteshu, a MS. has נגשו niggeshu; which may perhaps be right. Compare Jer 48:32, which has in this part of the sentence the synonymous word נגעו nagau. The meaning of this verse is, that the wines of Sibmah and Heshbon were greatly celebrated, and in high repute with all the great men and princes of that and the neighboring countries; who indulged themselves even to intemperance in the use of them. So that their vines were so much in request as not only to be propagated all over the country of Moab to the sea of Sodom, but to have scions of them sent even beyond the sea into foreign countries. הלמו halemu, knocked down, demolished; that is overpowered, intoxicated. The drunkards of Ephraim are called by the prophet, Isa 28:1, הלומי יין halumey yayin, drinkers of wine. See Schultens on Pro 23:25. Gratius, speaking of the Mareotic wine, says of it, Pharios quae fregit noxia reges. Cyneg. 312.

John Gill Bible Commentary

For the fields of Heshbon languish,.... Through drought; or because of the forage of the enemy, and their treading upon them; or because there were no men left to till and manure them. Of Heshbon See Gill on Isa 15:4. It seems to have been a place famous for fields and pastures, and to have been a very fruitful and well watered place; hence we read of the fish pools in Heshbon, Sol 7:4 though Aben Ezra and Kimchi think the word signifies vines, as they suppose it does in Deu 32:32, and the vine of Sibmah; called Shebam and Shibmah, in Num 32:3 thought to be the Seba of Ptolemy (e); and seems to have been famous for vines and vineyards: the lords of the Heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof; that is, the Chaldeans and their army, and commanders and principal officers of it, dealing with them as the Turks do with vines, wherever they meet with them, destroy them; though Jarchi and Kimchi interpret all this figuratively, both here and in the above clauses, of the inhabitants of these places, the multitude of the common people, and their princes, some being killed, and others carried captive; to which sense the Targum, "because the armies of Heshbon are spoiled, the multitude of Sebama are killed, the kings of the people have killed their rulers:'' they are come even unto Jazer; meaning either the Chaldean army, or the Moabites, who had fled hither; or rather this is to be understood of the vines of Sibmah, expressing the excellency and large spread of them, which reached even to Jazer; which, as Jerom says (f), was fifteen miles from Heshbon, called Jaazer, Num 21:32, they wandered through the wilderness; the wilderness of Moab, Deu 2:8 not the lords of the Heathen, nor the Moabites, but the vines and their branches, which crept along, and winded to and fro, as men wander about: her branches are stretched out; that is, the branches of the vine Sibmah: they are gone over the sea; the Dead Sea, called the sea of Jazer, Jer 48:32 or rather a lake near that city. (e) Geograph. l. 5. c. 19. (f) De locis Hebraicis, fol. 92. G.