Isaiah 15:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For the waters of Dibon are full of blood; for I will bring upon Dibon even more, a lion for those of Moab who escape, for the remnant of the land.

NIV: The waters of Dimon are full of blood, but I will bring still more upon Dimon -- a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon those who remain in the land.

NASB: For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; I will certainly bring added woes upon Dimon, A lion upon the fugitives of Moab and the remnant of the land.

CSB: The Waters of Dibon are full of blood, but I will bring on Dibon even more than this -- a lion for those who escape from Moab, and for the survivors in the land.

NLT: The stream near Dibon runs red with blood, but I am still not finished with Dibon! Lions will hunt down the survivors — both those who try to escape and those who remain behind.

KJV: For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.

NKJV: For the waters of Dimon will be full of blood; Because I will bring more upon Dimon, Lions upon him who escapes from Moab, And on the remnant of the land.”

The suffering and grief of those in Moab is crushing. Those who have survived the slaughter of the foreign invaders as they wiped out one city after another are deep into mourning (Isaiah 15:1–3). Isaiah is revealing their future suffering in this prophecy about the coming judgment of God on Moab. This time of mourning and grief had not happened yet when the prophet was writing this oracle.

He now adds that the waters of Dimon are full of blood. "Dimon" may be a grim play on words for the city of Dibon in central Moab. "Dimon" sounds like the Hebrew word for "blood." The point is that so many people have been killed in the city of Dibon that the city's water supply is running with their blood. In less poetic terms, human corpses and other war debris have contaminated the water supply. It's a horrific picture, but it is not the end of Moab's suffering.

The Lord adds that He will bring on the city of Dibon even more suffering. Those who escape the initial slaughter will soon face another threat, poetically referred to as a "lion." It's unlikely actual lions will attack the remnant of refugees; Isaiah seems to use this as a metaphor for some other catastrophe. In either case, the Lord of Israel is taking full credit for the continued suffering of the people of Moab. This judgment is from Him.

This oracle was unlikely to have been written by Isaiah for the benefit of the Moabites. That is, this message is "about" the Moabites, but not "spoken to" them, directly. The point of all the oracles Isaiah has written was for the people of Judah to understand that the Lord alone is trustworthy to provide for and protect His people. Alliances with other nations cannot be relied upon for safety from harm. Only the Lord can give them the security they so desperately want.

Isaiah 15:1–9 describes the great suffering coming to the Moabites when the Lord's judgment falls on their cities. This judgment is likely in the form of invading Assyrian armies from the north. Moab will be undone as one city after another is laid waste. The people will weep before their false god, Chemosh, who did not save them. In mourning, the men will be bald, clean-shaven, and dressed in sackcloth. Refugees of the lost cities will stream south to escape the slaughter. One oasis will be dried up while the water supply of another city is full of blood.

Isaiah's next divine prophecy is against Moab. This nation is Israel's longtime neighbor to the east of the Dead Sea. He describes them as "undone" after the Moabite cities of Ar and Kir are laid waste in a night. The people go to the temple of their god to weep at the destruction. Everyone grieves, and the cry sent up is heard throughout the nation. Fugitives of the slaughter flee south toward the city of Zoar. They find a much-needed oasis is dried up. Meanwhile, the water supply of another city is full of blood. Even after all this, more suffering is to come to the people of Moab.

This follows a series of predictions about Babylon, Assyria, and Philistia (Isaiah 13—15). Here begins Isaiah's prophecy about great suffering to come on the people of Moab. After sudden destruction, Moab is shattered. The people weep before the false god who did not save them from the slaughter. Every man is bald and clean-shaven in mourning over all the losses. Fugitives of the massacre flee for their lives, heading south to Zoar, where they only find more devastation. The next chapter explains Moab's request to take refuge in Israel, and the further catastrophe they will endure.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).