The Meaning of Isaiah 15:5 Explained

Isaiah 15:5

KJV: My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.

YLT: My heart is toward Moab, Cry do her fugitives unto Zoar, a heifer of the third year, For -- the ascent of Luhith -- With weeping he goeth up in it, For, in the way of Horonaim, A cry of destruction they wake up.

Darby: My heart crieth out for Moab; their fugitives have fled unto Zoar, unto Eglath-Sheli-shijah: for by the ascent of Luhith, with weeping they go up by it; for in the way of Horonaim they raise up a cry of destruction.

ASV: My heart crieth out for Moab; her nobles flee unto Zoar, to Eglath-shelishi-yah: for by the ascent of Luhith with weeping they go up; for in the way of Horonaim they raise up a cry of destruction.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

My heart  shall cry out  for Moab;  his fugitives  [shall flee] unto Zoar,  an heifer  of three years old:  for by the mounting up  of Luhith  with weeping  shall they go it up;  for in the way  of Horonaim  they shall raise up  a cry  of destruction. 

What does Isaiah 15:5 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 15

1  The lamentable state of Moab

What do the individual words in Isaiah 15:5 mean?

My heart for Moab will cry out His fugitives [shall flee] to Zoar [Like] a three-year-old heifer of three years old for by the Ascent of Luhith with weeping they will go up in for in the way of Horonaim a cry of destruction they will raise up
לִבִּי֙ לְמוֹאָ֣ב יִזְעָ֔ק בְּרִיחֶ֕הָ עַד־ צֹ֖עַר עֶגְלַ֣ת שְׁלִשִׁיָּ֑ה כִּ֣י ׀ מַעֲלֵ֣ה הַלּוּחִ֗ית בִּבְכִי֙ יַֽעֲלֶה־ בּ֔וֹ כִּ֚י דֶּ֣רֶךְ חוֹרֹנַ֔יִם זַעֲקַת־ שֶׁ֖בֶר יְעֹעֵֽרוּ

לִבִּי֙  My  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
לְמוֹאָ֣ב  for  Moab 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מֹואָב 
Sense: a son of Lot by his eldest daughter.
יִזְעָ֔ק  will  cry  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: זָעַק  
Sense: to cry, cry out, call, call for help.
בְּרִיחֶ֕הָ  His  fugitives  [shall  flee] 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: בְּרִיחַ  
Sense: bar.
צֹ֖עַר  Zoar 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צָעֹור 
Sense: a city at the southeast end of the Dead Sea grouped with Sodom and Gomorrah as being one of the 5 cities slated for destruction by God; spared at Lot’s plea as his place of refuge.
עֶגְלַ֣ת  [Like]  a  three-year-old  heifer 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֶגְלָה 
Sense: heifer.
שְׁלִשִׁיָּ֑ה  of  three  years  old 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: שְׁלִישִׁי 
Sense: third, one third, third part, third time.
כִּ֣י ׀  for  by 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
מַעֲלֵ֣ה  the  Ascent 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַעֲלֶה  
Sense: ascent, incline.
הַלּוּחִ֗ית  of  Luhith 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: לוּחִית 
Sense: a town of Moab, south of the Arnon River.
בִּבְכִי֙  with  weeping 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בְּכִי  
Sense: a weeping, weeping.
יַֽעֲלֶה־  they  will  go  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
דֶּ֣רֶךְ  in  the  way 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
חוֹרֹנַ֔יִם  of  Horonaim 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֹורֹנַיִם  
Sense: a town of Moab.
זַעֲקַת־  a  cry 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: זְעָקָה  
Sense: cry, outcry.
שֶׁ֖בֶר  of  destruction 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁבֶר 
Sense: breaking, fracture, crushing, breach, crash, ruin, shattering.
יְעֹעֵֽרוּ  they  will  raise  up 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: עוּר 
Sense: to rouse oneself, awake, awaken, incite.