Isaiah 16:12

English Standard Version

And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
The people of Moab will go to their high places to worship. They will go to their temple to pray, but it will not help them.

New Living Translation
The people of Moab will worship at their pagan shrines, but it will do them no good. They will cry to the gods in their temples, but no one will be able to save them.

Update Bible Version
And it shall come to pass, when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, and shall come to his sanctuary to pray, that he shall not prevail.

New Century Version
The people of Moab will go to their places of worship and will try to pray. But when they go to their temple to pray, they will not be able.

New English Translation
When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective!

Webster's Bible Translation
And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.

World English Bible
It shall happen, when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, and shall come to his sanctuary to pray, that he shall not prevail.

Amplified Bible
So it will come to pass when Moab presents himself, When he wearies himself [worshiping] on his high place [of idolatry] And comes to his sanctuary [of Chemosh, god of Moab] to pray, That he will not prevail.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And it schal be, whanne it schal appere, that Moab hath trauelid on hise places, it schal entre to hise hooli thingis, that it biseche, and it schal not be worth.

English Revised Version
And it shall come to pass, when Moab presenteth himself, when he wearieth himself upon the high place, and shall come to his sanctuary to pray, that he shall not prevail.

Berean Standard Bible
When Moab appears on the high place, when he wearies himself and enters his sanctuary to pray, it will do him no good.

Contemporary English Version
It's useless for Moab's people to wear themselves out by going to their altars to worship and pray.

American Standard Version
And it shall come to pass, when Moab presenteth himself, when he wearieth himself upon the high place, and shall come to his sanctuary to pray, that he shall not prevail.

Bible in Basic English
And when Moab goes up to the high place, and makes prayer in the house of his god, it will have no effect.

Complete Jewish Bible
Even when Mo'av is seen growing weary of worshipping on the high places and entering their sanctuaries to pray, they will have accomplished nothing.

Darby Translation
And it shall come to pass, when Moab shall appear, shall weary himself on the high place, and enter into his sanctuary to pray, that he shall not prevail.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab hath wearied himself upon the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.

King James Version (1611)
And it shal come to passe, when it is seene that Moab is weary on the high place, that hee shall come to his Sanctuary to pray: but hee shall not preuaile.

New Life Bible
When Moab goes to his high place, he will only become tired. When he goes to his holy place to pray, it will do him no good.

New Revised Standard
When Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself upon the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And when it shall appeare that Moab shall be wearie of his hie places, then shall hee come to his temple to praie, but he shall not preuaile.

George Lamsa Translation
And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high places, that he shall come to the sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it shall be - When it is seen that Moab hath laboured in vain on the high place, He shall enter into his holy place to pray, and shall not prevail,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is wearied on his high places, that he shall go in to his sanctuaries to pray, and shall not prevail.

Revised Standard Version
And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself upon the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And it shall come to passe, that when it is seene that Moab shalbe made weery of his hyll chappelles, he shall come to his temple to pray, but he shall not be able.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it shall be to thy shame, (for Moab is wearied at the altars,) that he shall go in to the idols thereof to pray, but they shall not be at all able to deliver him.

Good News Translation
The people of Moab wear themselves out going to their mountain shrines and to their temples to pray, but it will do them no good.

Christian Standard Bible®
When Moab appearsand tires himself out on the high placeand comes to his sanctuary to pray,it will do him no good.

Hebrew Names Version
It shall happen, when Mo'av presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, and shall come to his sanctuary to pray, that he shall not prevail.

King James Version
And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.

Lexham English Bible
And this shall happen: when Moab appears, when it is weary upon the high place and it comes to its sanctuary to pray, it will not prevail.

Literal Translation
And it shall be, when it is seen that Moab shall be wearied on the high place, then he shall come to his shrine to pray, and he shall not be able.

Young's Literal Translation
And it hath come to pass, when it hath been seen, That weary hath been Moab on the high place, And he hath come unto his sanctuary to pray, And is not able.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For it happened thus also: whe Moab sawe that she was turned vp syde downe: she went vp an hie in to hir sanctuary, to make hir prayer there, but she might not be helped.

New American Standard Bible
So it will come about when Moab presents himself, When he tires himself upon his high place And comes to his sanctuary to pray, That he will not prevail.

New King James Version
And it shall come to pass, When it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, That he will come to his sanctuary to pray; But he will not prevail.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So it will come about when Moab presents himself, When he wearies himself upon his high place And comes to his sanctuary to pray, That he will not prevail.

Legacy Standard Bible
So it will be when Moab appears,When he wearies himself upon his high placeAnd comes to his sanctuary to pray,That he will not prevail.

Contextual Overview

⁶ We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right. ⁷ Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. ⁸ For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea. ⁹ Therefore I weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; I drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for over your summer fruit and your harvest the shout has ceased. ¹⁰ And joy and gladness are taken away from the fruitful field, and in the vineyards no songs are sung, no cheers are raised; no treader treads out wine in the presses; I have put an end to the shouting. ¹¹ Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth. ¹² And when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself on the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail. ¹³ This is the word that the Lord spoke concerning Moab in the past. ¹⁴ But now the Lord has spoken, saying, "In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

when: Isaiah 15:2, Isaiah 26:16, Numbers 22:39, Numbers 22:41, Numbers 23:1-3, Numbers 23:14, Numbers 23:28, Numbers 24:17, Proverbs 1:28, Jeremiah 48:35

he shall: Isaiah 37:38, 1 Kings 11:7, 2 Kings 3:27, Jeremiah 48:7, Jeremiah 48:13, Jeremiah 48:46

but: Isaiah 47:13, 2 Kings 19:12, 2 Kings 19:16-19, Psalms 115:3-7, Jeremiah 10:5

Cross-References

Genesis 16:5
And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!"

Genesis 16:8
And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" She said, "I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai."

Genesis 21:20
And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow.

Genesis 27:40
By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you grow restless you shall break his yoke from your neck."

Job 11:12
But a stupid man will get understanding when a wild donkey's colt is born a man!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place,.... With weeping there, Isaiah 15:2 or with frequent sacrifices, and going from one high place to another, as Balak king of Moab did; and by comparing places together, it looks as if this was the way of the Moabites in their distress, to offer up a multitude of sacrifices in different places; now, when it should be seen by others, and appear to themselves, that they wearied themselves in vain, and all their cries and sacrifices were to no purpose, they should then be ashamed of them, leave off, and betake themselves to some other method; though Jarchi interprets it of their being weary of fighting on the high places of their towers, which when observed, they would take another course, and apply to devotion:

that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; to the temple of Chemosh, and to pray to that idol to help him, 1 Kings 11:7:

but he shall not prevail; his prayers shall be ineffectual; his suit will be fruitless, and without success; or "he cannot", that is, his idol cannot help him. So Kimchi interprets his sanctuary of the house of his God; and the Targum, of the house of his idolatry; yet since the house or temple of an idol is never called a sanctuary, it may be understood of God's sanctuary, the temple at Jerusalem; and the sense be, that when Moab shall see that his praying and sacrificing to idols are in vain, and he has tired himself with his superstition and idolatry, without having any redress, he shall think and express his desire of going up to the temple of Jerusalem, and of praying to the God of Israel; but he shall not be able to do it, because of the enemy; and could he get thither, he would not prevail with God, for the decree was gone forth, which could not be frustrated, as follows. Ben Melech interprets it of the palace of the king.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

When it is seen - When it occurs; that is, when Moab actually “becomes” weary.

Is weary on the high place - The “high place” denotes the place of idolatrous worship, and here means the same as the temple of Chemosh or his sanctuary. Temples and altars were usually constructed on such places, and especially the temples of the pagan gods. Moab is represented here as looking to her gods for protection. Weary, exhausted, worn down with calamities, she is represented as fleeing from the desolate towns and cities, and taking refuge at the altar, and seeking assistance there. This, says Jerome, is the final misery. She is now forsaken of those aids to which she had always trusted, and on which she had relied. Her people slain; her towns destroyed; her strong places broken down; her once fertile fields languishing and desolate, she flees to the shrine of her god, and finds even her god unable to aid and defend her.

Shall come to his sanctuary - To his “principle” sanctuary; or to the temple of the principal god which they worshipped - the god “Chemosh” 1 Kings 11:7. This does not mean the temple at Jerusalem, though Kimchi so understands it; but the temple of the chief divinity of Moab. Jerome says that this temple was on mount Nebo.

Shall not prevail - That is, her prayer shall not be heard.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 16:12. When it is seen that Moab, &c. - "When Moab shall see," &c.] For נראה nirah, a MS. reads ראה raah, and so the Syriac and Chaldee. "Perhaps כי נראה ki nirah is only a various reading of כי נלאה ki nilah." SECKER. A very probable conjecture.