The Meaning of Isaiah 16:8 Explained

Isaiah 16:8

KJV: For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.

YLT: Because fields of Heshbon languish, The vine of Sibmah, Lords of nations did beat her choice vines, Unto Jazer they have come, They have wandered in a wilderness, Her plants have spread themselves, They have passed over a sea.

Darby: For the fields of Heshbon languish, the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have broken down its choice plants: they reached unto Jaazer, they wandered through the wilderness; its shoots stretched out, they went beyond the sea.

ASV: For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have broken down the choice branches thereof, which reached even unto Jazer, which wandered into the wilderness; its shoots were spread abroad, they passed over the sea.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For the fields  of Heshbon  languish,  [and] the vine  of Sibmah:  the lords  of the heathen  have broken down  the principal plants  thereof, they are come  [even] unto Jazer,  they wandered  [through] the wilderness:  her branches  are stretched out,  they are gone over  the sea. 

What does Isaiah 16:8 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 16

1  Moab is exhorted to yield obedience to the throne of David
6  Moab is threatened for her pride
9  The prophet bewails her
12  The judgment of Moab

What do the individual words in Isaiah 16:8 mean?

For the fields of Heshbon languish [And] the vine of Sibmah the lords of the nations have broken down its choice plants to Jazer which have reached and wandered through the wilderness Her branches are stretched out they are gone over the sea
כִּ֣י שַׁדְמוֹת֩ חֶשְׁבּ֨וֹן אֻמְלָ֜ל גֶּ֣פֶן שִׂבְמָ֗ה בַּעֲלֵ֤י גוֹיִם֙ הָלְמ֣וּ שְׂרוּקֶּ֔יהָ עַד־ יַעְזֵ֥ר נָגָ֖עוּ תָּ֣עוּ מִדְבָּ֑ר שְׁלֻ֣חוֹתֶ֔יהָ נִטְּשׁ֖וּ עָ֥בְרוּ יָֽם

שַׁדְמוֹת֩  the  fields 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: שְׁדֵמָה  
Sense: field.
חֶשְׁבּ֨וֹן  of  Heshbon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶשְׁבֹּון  
Sense: the capital city of Sihon, king of the Amorites, located on the western border of the high plain and on the border line between the tribes of Reuben and Gad.
אֻמְלָ֜ל  languish 
Parse: Verb, Pual, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַל 
Sense: to be weak, to droop, to languish, to be exhausted.
גֶּ֣פֶן  [And]  the  vine 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: גֶּפֶן  
Sense: vine, vine tree.
שִׂבְמָ֗ה  of  Sibmah 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׂבָם 
Sense: one of the towns in the pastoral district on the east of the Jordan in Moab; allotted to the tribes of Reuben and Gad.
בַּעֲלֵ֤י  the  lords 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בָּעַל 
Sense: owner, husband, lord.
גוֹיִם֙  of  the  nations 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
הָלְמ֣וּ  have  broken  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: הָלַם  
Sense: (Qal) to smite, strike, hammer, strike down.
שְׂרוּקֶּ֔יהָ  its  choice  plants 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׂרֹק 
Sense: vine-tendrils or clusters.
יַעְזֵ֥ר  Jazer 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יַעְזֵיר  
Sense: a Levitical city east of the Jordan, in Gilead in the territory of Gad, formerly an Amorite city; site uncertain.
נָגָ֖עוּ  which  have  reached 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: נָגַע  
Sense: to touch, reach, strike.
תָּ֣עוּ  and  wandered 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: תָּעָה  
Sense: to err, wander, go astray, stagger.
מִדְבָּ֑ר  through  the  wilderness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
שְׁלֻ֣חוֹתֶ֔יהָ  Her  branches 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: שְׁלֻחֹות  
Sense: shoot, branch.
נִטְּשׁ֖וּ  are  stretched  out 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: נָטַשׁ  
Sense: to leave, permit, forsake, cast off or away, reject, suffer, join, spread out or abroad, be loosed, cease, abandon, quit, hang loose, cast down, make a raid, lie fallow, let fall, forgo, draw.
עָ֥בְרוּ  they  are  gone  over 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
יָֽם  the  sea 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.