Isaiah 15:1 The burden of Moab
A heavy, grievous prophecy, concerning the destruction of Moab. The Targum is,
``the burden of the cup of cursing, to give Moab to drink.''
This seems to respect the destruction of it by Nebuchadnezzar, which is prophesied of in (
Jeremiah 48:1-22 ) for that which was to be within three years, (
Isaiah 16:14 ) looks like another and distinct prophecy from this; though some think this was accomplished before the times of Nebuchadnezzar, either by Shalmaneser king of Assyria, some time before the captivity of the ten tribes, as Vitringa and others; or by Sennacherib, after the invasion of Judea, so Jarchi.
Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, [and] brought to silence;
this was a chief city in Moab, perhaps the metropolis of it; see (
Numbers 21:28 ) (
Deuteronomy 2:9 Deuteronomy 2:18 ) . Kimchi conjectures it to be the same with Aroer, which was by the brink of the river Arnon, (
Deuteronomy 2:36 ) (
Deuteronomy 3:12 ) and is mentioned with Dibon, as this, in (
Numbers 32:34 ) of which notice is taken, and not of Ar, in (
Jeremiah 48:19 Jeremiah 48:20 ) . Some versions take Ar to signify a "city", and render it, "the city of Moab", without naming what city it was; and the Targum calls it by another name, Lahajath; but, be it what city it will, it was destroyed in the night; in such a night, as Kimchi interprets it; in the space of a night, very suddenly, when the inhabitants of it were asleep and secure, and had no notice of danger; and so the Targum adds,
``and they were asleep.''
Some have thought this circumstance is mentioned with a view to the night work, that work of darkness of Lot and his daughter, which gave rise to Moab; however, in a night this city became desolate, being taken and plundered, and its inhabitants put to the sword, and so reduced to silence; though the last word may as well be rendered "cut off"
F14, utterly destroyed, being burnt or pulled down; two words are made use of, to denote the utter destruction of it:
because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, [and] brought to silence;
either in the same night, or rather in another. Kir, another city of Moab, met with the same fate as Ar. This is called Kirhareseth, and Kirharesh, in (
Isaiah 16:7 Isaiah 16:11 ) and so Kirheres in (
Jeremiah 48:31 Jeremiah 48:36 ) called Kir of Moab, to distinguish it from Kir in Assyria, (
Amos 1:5 ) (
2 Kings 16:9 ) and Kir in Media, (
Isaiah 22:6 ) .
FOOTNOTES:
F14 (hmdn) "succisus", Pagninus, Montanus; "excisa", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. So Ben Melech interprets it by (trkn) .