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.
The fields of Heshbon are withering away, and the grapevines of Sibmah are dying. Foreign rulers have destroyed the best vines that once reached all the way to Jazer and spread through the desert. The vine branches that used to stretch far and wide, even crossing the sea, are now gone.
This verse describes how enemy nations have destroyed the once-flourishing vineyards and farmland of Moab, leaving the land desolate where abundance once grew.
📚 Historical Context
Isaiah is prophesying about the destruction of Moab, Israel's neighbor to the east. Heshbon and Sibmah were cities in Moab known for their fertile fields and excellent vineyards that produced wine traded throughout the region. The 'lords of the heathen' refers to foreign invaders, likely the Assyrians, who would devastate the land.
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