Isaiah 16:2

The verse gives no good sense in its present position. Not only does it obscure the connexion between Isaiah 16:1 and Isaiah 16:3, but its language of prediction reveals an affinity with Isaiah 15:9. It has probably been misplaced (so Duhm), and the fact that the Moabites are represented as at "the fords of Arnon," instead of in Edom, confirms the impression that we have here an addition to the original prophecy. The images of the wandering birds and the scattered nest (render as in R.V.) remind us of Isaiah (ch. Isaiah 10:14; Isaiah 31:5). The daughters of Moabare the provincial towns of Moab, or their inhabitants (cf. Psalms 48:11).