Isaiah 15:8 · Bible study
Isaiah 15:8 Commentary: The Cry That Encompasses All Moab
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Isaiah specify Moab's wailing reaches Eglaim and Beer-elim? This study explores the geography of total judgment.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The cry of destruction reaches every corner of Moab, from one border to the other, showing the totality of judgment.
- Key words: “cry” (H2201 ze‘aqah), “wailing” (H3215 yelalah), “borders” (H1366 gevul), and the perfect verb “has gone around” (H5362 hiqqifah) stressing completed action.
- Main debate: The exact locations of Eglaim and Beer-elim: some see them as specific border towns; others read them as representative extremes.
- Theological theme: God’s judgment is complete, leaving no refuge; yet even in judgment, God’s compassion is present (Isaiah’s heart for Moab).
- Best use: A sobering reminder of God’s sovereignty over nations, used in teaching on judgment, repentance, and the universality of God’s moral order.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
For their outcry echoes to the border of Moab. Their wailing reaches Eglaim; it is heard in Beer-elim.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For the cry has gone around the borders of Moab, its wailing to Eglaim, and its wailing to Beer Elim.
KJV King James Version 1769
For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beer–elim.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the wailing thereof unto Eglaim, and the wailing thereof unto Beer-elim.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
For gone round hath the cry the border of Moab, Unto Eglaim is its howling, And to Beer-Elim is its howling.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For the cry goeth round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beer-elim.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For the cry is gone round about the border of Moab: the howling thereof unto Gallim, and unto the well of Elim the cry thereof.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque el llanto rodeó los términos de Moab; hasta Eglaim llegó su alarido, y hasta Beer-elim su clamor.
Porque o pranto rodeia aos limites de Moabe; até Eglaim chega seu grito de lamento, e até Beer-Elim sua lamentação.
Car les cris environnent les frontières de Moab;
Geschrei geht um in den Grenzen Moabs; sie heulen bis gen Eglaim und heulen bei dem Born Elim.
Want dat geschreeuw zal omgaan door de landpale van Moab, haar gehuil tot Eglaim toe, ja, tot Beer-Elim toe zal haar gehuil zijn.
Le grida fanno il giro de’ confini di Moab, il suo urlo rintrona fino a Beer-Elim.
Bo obejdzie krzyk granicę Moabską, aż do Eglaim narzekanie jego, i aż do Beer Elim kwilenie jego;
Ибо вопль по всем пределам Моава, до Эглаима плач его и до Беэр-Елима плач его;
哀聲 遍聞 摩押 的四境；哀號 的聲音達到 以基蓮；哀號的聲音達到比珥‧以琳。
For the cry has gone round the limits of Moab; as far as to Eglaim and Beer-elim.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 15:8
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree this verse is a summary statement for the entire Moab oracle. Barnes notes that “the cry of distress and calamity has encompassed the whole land of Moab,” and Calvin adds that “every part of that country all around shall be full of crying and howling.” The Cambridge Bible identifies Eglaim and Beer-elim as the extreme limits of Moab, its “Dan and Beersheba”, so the mention of these two towns signals that destruction reaches from one border to the other. Keil and Delitzsch trace a diagonal across the territory, with the wailing passing from Eglaim in the south-west as far as Beer-elim in the north-east. The Hebrew perfect verb hiqqifah ("it has gone around") underscores completed action: the alarm has already encircled the entire land. Nothing is left out.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The wailing of Moab covers the entire land from one end to the other, signaling the completeness of the judgment.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Interpretation of the geographical scope | Christians agree that the mention of two towns indicates the totality of the judgment, covering the whole land. | Some interpreters treat Eglaim and Beer-elim as historical towns at opposite ends of Moab; others see them as symbolic representatives of the country’s borders, not necessarily its farthest points. |
| Location of Eglaim | Eusebius placed it 8 miles south of Ar, near the south border of Moab, and Ezekiel 47:10 mentions an En-eglaim on the Dead Sea. | Some scholars (e.g., Gill) note that the word ‘Eglaim’ can mean ‘border,’ suggesting it might refer to a region rather than a specific city. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown questions the identification with the Agalum of Eusebius, preferring a location on the very border. |
| Location of Beer-elim | Most identify it with the well in Numbers 21:16, 18, dug by Israel’s princes, and locate it in northern or eastern Moab. | The exact position is uncertain; some place it on the northeast border toward the desert, while others associate it with a site near the Arnon. |
| The nature of the ‘cry’ | The Hebrew terms refer to loud outcry and wailing in distress, whether from military defeat or natural disaster. | Some see it strictly as a cry of mourning (funeral wailing), while others understand it as an alarm of approaching invaders. The two are not mutually exclusive but shift the emphasis slightly. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 15 is an oracle of judgment against Moab, a nation east of the Dead Sea descended from Lot. The historical backdrop is likely the Assyrian campaigns of the eighth century BC, when Moab was overrun and its resources plundered (Matthew Henry connects this to an Assyrian army). Verse 8 appears after a detailed description of devastated pastures, withered crops, and fleeing nobles (vv. 4, 7). The specifying of two towns marks the geographic scope of the disaster.
Eglaim (meaning “double reservoir”) is placed by Eusebius eight miles south of Ar, near the southern end of the Dead Sea. Ezekiel 47:10 later mentions an En-eglaim as a fishing site, confirming its location on the south-eastern shore. Beer-elim (“well of princes” or “well of God”) is widely identified with the well dug by Israel’s leaders in Numbers 21:16, 18, located in the northern or eastern part of Moab. Gill notes that the name “Eglaim” itself can mean “border,” suggesting a boundary town, while Beer-elim is similarly associated with a border region. The two names thus form a pair: one on the south-west, one on the north-east.
Together, these locations show the cry of destruction reaching the entire country. The word for “borders” (gevul) is a territorial term; the cry has gone around the perimeter. No entrance or exit is safe. Yet even in this sobering announcement, the prophet’s own heart breaks for Moab (v. 5). The judgment is real, but it is delivered with grief, not glee.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Masoretic Text is stable across manuscripts, and the ancient versions (Septuagint, Vulgate) reflect the same reading. Minor orthographic variations (e.g., the presence or absence of a waw in some forms) do not affect the meaning.
Reception History
Early church interpreters (e.g., Jerome) read the Moab oracles as a warning against pride and self-reliance, applying the judgment allegorically to those who trust in earthly resources. During the Reformation, Calvin and Luther focused on the literal historical event, seeing it as a demonstration of God’s sovereignty over nations. Puritan commentators like Matthew Henry used the verse to emphasize that where sin is universal, only a universal desolation can follow. In modern scholarship, the emphasis falls on the literary structure of the oracle and the geographical realism of the place names, which ground the prophecy in the actual landscape of Moab.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God’s judgment reaches every corner. From Eglaim to Beer-elim, no town or region is spared. The cry of distress is total in its coverage.
- God hears the cry. The Hebrew words for “cry” (ze‘aqah) and “wailing” (yelalah) describe raw distress. Even the cries of a pagan nation reach God’s ears.
- No place is hidden from God’s sight. The borders of Moab are known; the towns are named. God’s knowledge of the land matches His sovereignty over it.
Five-point outline
- The completeness of judgment. The perfect verb shows the alarm has already gone around; the deed is done.
- The specificity of geography. God does not issue vague threats; He knows every town by name.
- The human response to judgment. Moab responds with wailing, a stripped-down acknowledgment of helplessness.
- The prophet’s compassion. Isaiah grieves even for Moab (v. 5), reminding us that judgment is a foreign work to God.
- The call to reflection. If God’s judgment covers Moab entirely, what does that mean for every nation, and for us?
Illustration hooks
- A wildfire that jumps from one end of a valley to the other, leaving no home untouched. The dispatch goes out to every town: evacuate.
- A coordinated search-and-rescue operation that divides a county into grid squares. No area is left unchecked.
- A tsunami warning that travels the entire coastline, announced in every port and village. No one is unaware.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God really judge entire nations today, or was that just an Old Testament thing?
- If God’s judgment is so total, is there any hope for people caught in it?
- Why does the prophet sound so sad about Moab? Doesn’t he want them to be punished?
Leading a Discussion
This verse comes near the end of a vivid description of Moab’s collapse. The prophet has already shown us ruined fields and fleeing nobles. Now he sums up: the cry of distress has covered the entire land. As you read, pay attention to both the severity of the judgment and the grief of the prophet.
Discussion questions
- What does the verse say about the reach of the cry? What words indicate its extent?
- Why do you think the prophet names two specific towns instead of saying “the whole country”?
- How do the earlier verses (vv. 4, 7) help you understand what this “cry” and “wailing” sound like?
- The Hebrew verb for “has gone around” is a perfect tense. Why does that matter for how we read the certainty of the event?
- In verse 5, Isaiah says “my heart cries out for Moab.” How does that affect your view of God’s judgment? Does it change how you read this verse?
- What does this passage teach about God’s sovereignty over national boundaries and events?
- If you were in Moab when this oracle was spoken, what would you hope to hear next? Is there any hint of hope in the context?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Isaiah 15:2 | They have gone up to Bayith, and to Dibon, to the high places, to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and over Medeba. Baldness is on all of their heads. Every beard is cut off. |
| Isaiah 15:5 | My heart cries out for Moab! Her nobles flee to Zoar, to Eglath Shelishiyah; for they go up by the ascent of Luhith with weeping; for on the way to Horonaim, they raise up a cry of destruction. |
| Jeremiah 48:20 | Moab is disappointed; for it is broken down. Wail and cry! Tell it by the Arnon, that Moab is laid waste. |
| Jeremiah 48:24 | on Kerioth, on Bozrah, and on all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near. |
| Jeremiah 48:31 | Therefore I will wail for Moab. Yes, I will cry out for all Moab. They will mourn for the men of Kir Heres. |
| Jeremiah 48:34 | From the cry of Heshbon even to Elealeh, even to Jahaz they have uttered their voice, from Zoar even to Horonaim, to Eglath Shelishiyah; for the waters of Nimrim will also become desolate. |
| Ezekiel 47:10 | It will happen that fishermen will stand by it. From En Gedi even to En Eglaim will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish will be after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceedingly many. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes focuses on the geographic scope of Moab's calamity, showing that the cry of distress covers every part of the land from one named city to another. He identifies Eglaim near the southern border and Beer-elim, the well of princes, linking it to the site in Numbers where nobles dug a well.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that the cry of destruction spreads through every border of Moab, leaving no part untouched. He draws attention to the double mention of howling, which shows such overwhelming despair that people give themselves entirely to lamentation.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator interprets Eglaim and Beer
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
For the crie went round about the borders of Moab: and the howling thereof vnto Eglaim, and the skriking thereof vnto Beer Elim,
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill traces the exact reach of Moab's cry of destruction by identifying each named location as a border town. He notes that Eglaim itself means border, and Beerelim is the well the Israelite princes dug, marking the limits of Moab's territory where the howling is heard.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB rejects Eusebius's location for Eglaim, insisting it must be near Moab's border rather than farther south. He notes that Beer-elim means "well of the Princes" and lies beyond Moab's eastern boundary.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch see the Moabites fleeing not just because their land is already devastated, but out of dread that even worse judgment is coming. What drives them across the willow-brook is the foreboding that Jehovah will send a lion, which they identify as Judah itself.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange insists the prophecy against Moab is genuinely Isaiah's, not a later addition. He argues the prophet's apparent sympathy for Moab is not heartfelt compassion but a rhetorical device used to emphasize the terror of the judgment. He also notes Isaiah's deliberate imitation of Moabite speech patterns.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley observes that the people's cry was not confined to one spot but spread across the entire region. Their lament filled every part of the country, showing the depth and universality of their distress.