Isaiah 16:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in the past.

NIV: This is the word the LORD has already spoken concerning Moab.

NASB: This is the word which the Lord spoke earlier concerning Moab.

CSB: This is the message that the Lord previously announced about Moab.

NLT: The Lord has already said these things about Moab in the past.

KJV: This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning Moab since that time.

NKJV: This is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning Moab since that time.

This suggests that some of what Isaiah has written about future judgement on Moab was not new information. Some form or version of this prediction may have been given already. We don't know whether that means that parts of the oracle existed before Isaiah was born, or that he himself wrote It. We do know that Jeremiah 48 includes some of this same prophecy about this judgement on Moab. It is possible that both used and revised an existing oracle under the inspiration of the Lord.

Isaiah will say in the next verse that he does have new information about the oracle from the Lord. This judgement will come to pass in three years' time (Isaiah 16:14).

Isaiah 16:1–14 begins with an official request to settle in Judah, spoken by Moabite refugees. This request is followed by a declaration that a descendant of David will establish the throne of Israel with love and righteousness when the oppressor is no more. Isaiah points to the arrogance of Moab regarding their abundance. This pride will be shown to be empty talk since it can be taken away in a night. Isaiah calls everyone to wail for Moab's losses and weep for the end of the grape harvest and its products. He reveals the judgment will fall in three years.

The refugees of Moab send a tribute to Jerusalem and make an official request to shelter in Judah due to the oppression of the enemy in their own land. After the oppressor is no more, the throne of the Messiah will be established in Israel. Moab's pride and arrogance about their abundance are revealed to be empty talk since it can all be taken away in a night. Isaiah calls everyone to wail and mourn for the suffering of Moab. He weeps for the loss of the grape harvest. The prophet announces this judgement will happen in three years.

Prior chapters included predictions about Assyria, Babylon, and Philistia. Chapter 15 introduces a prophecy about an enemy invading Moab. Chapter 16 finds the Moabite refugees in Sela. They ask Judah for shelter. Isaiah points to the pride and arrogance of Moab about their wealth that can be taken away in a single night. He calls everyone to mourn with him for the loss of the grape harvest and its products in Moab. The Moabites' prayers to their god will not prevent judgment from falling on them in three years. The next prophecy, in chapter 17, deals with Damascus.

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).

Accessed 5/4/2024 9:50:52 AM