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Isaiah 15:3
ESV in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears.
NIV In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping.
NASB In their streets they have put on sackcloth; On their housetops and in their public squares Everyone is wailing, overcome with weeping.
CSB In its streets they wear sackcloth; on its rooftops and in its public squares everyone wails, falling down and weeping.
NLT They will wear burlap as they wander the streets. From every home and public square will come the sound of wailing.
KJV In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.

What does Isaiah 15:3 mean?

Isaiah is describing the season of mourning that will come on Moab. This will follow a catastrophic event that will fall on the nation as the judgment of the Lord. Commentators suggest the pivotal event was an invasion by the Assyrians, who conquered nearly all the nations in the region at this time (Isaiah 15:1).

The prophet has said that the men have shaved their heads and beards to express their grief (Isaiah 15:2). He now adds that all the people in the street are dressed in sackcloth. This was a dark, rough material people of the past would put on while mourning instead of their regular clothing. "Sackcloth" is a literal name, since the material is much like burlap or other fabrics intended to cover supplies, not people. Wearing something uncomfortable and unattractive was part of signaling grief and unhappiness. The mourning ritual sometimes included bereaved family members rolling on the ground. It would be quite a sight to find all the men in the nation dressed in this manner, shaved and bald, and perhaps rolling or lying on the ground.

In both private and public spaces, from the housetops to the squares, everyone in Moab will "melt in tears." Their sadness is profound and universally shared.
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