[[Isa-15]] Prev: [[Prophecies in Isa-14]] | Next: [[Prophecies in Isa-16]] --- ### For in a night, Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to nothing. For in a night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to nothing. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: The prophet predicts the sudden and total destruction of the major Moabite strongholds, Ar and Kir, occurring in a single night. *Historical context*: This prophecy is historically linked to the campaigns of the Neo-Assyrian Empire under Sargon II (c. 715 BC) and later the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II (c. 582 BC). Archaeological evidence at sites like Dibon shows destruction layers from this era. Josephus ([[Ant|Antiquities 10]].9.7) records that the Babylonians subdued the Moabites during their 6th-century BC campaigns, leading to the eventual disappearance of the Moabite state. *Related to*: ### For the waters of Nimrim will be desolate; for the grass has withered away, the tender grass fails, there is no green thing. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: Isaiah foretells an ecological and agricultural collapse in Moab, specifically mentioning the desolation of the 'waters of Nimrim.' *Historical context*: The 'Waters of Nimrim' are identified with Wadi en-Numeira or Wadi el-Nimrin. Archaeological excavations at Khirbet Nimrin revealed a burn layer and destruction dating to approximately 715 BC. Ancient warfare, particularly by the Assyrians, often involved the strategic 'stopping up' of wells and destruction of irrigation systems, which caused the rapid desiccation of fertile areas described in the text. *Related to*: ### For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; for I will bring yet more on Dimon, a lion on those of Moab who escape, and on the remnant of the land. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: A prediction that those who survive the initial military slaughter will face a secondary threat, represented as a 'lion' that hunts the remnant. *Historical context*: Historical and theological analysis suggests the 'lion' may refer to a secondary conqueror such as Nebuchadnezzar II, who finalized the destruction initiated by the Assyrians. Alternatively, it reflects the subsequent incursion of the Nabataean Arabs, who moved into the Moabite vacuum in the late 6th century BC, hunting or displacing the remaining population until Moab was absorbed and ceased to exist as a distinct ethnic identity. *Related to*: --- #ai_prophecy