Numbers 32:34

32:34 The Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,

Isaiah 15:2

15:2 They went up to the temple, ¹ 

the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. ² 

Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, ³  Moab wails.

Every head is shaved bare,

every beard is trimmed off. ⁴ 

Jeremiah 48:18

48:18 Come down from your place of honor;

sit on the dry ground, ⁵  you who live in Dibon. ⁶ 

For the one who will destroy Moab will attack you;

he will destroy your fortifications.

[15:2]  ¹ tn Heb “house.”

[15:2]  ² tn Heb “even Dibon [to] the high places to weep.” The verb “went up” does double duty in the parallel structure.

[15:2]  ³ tn Heb “over [or “for”] Nebo and over [or “for”] Medeba.”

[15:2]  ⁴ sn Shaving the head and beard were outward signs of mourning and grief.

[48:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “sit in thirst.” The abstract “thirst” is put for the concrete, i.e., thirsty or parched ground (cf. Deut 8:19; Isa 35:7; Ps 107:33) for the concrete. There is no need to emend to “filth” (צֹאָה [tso’ah] for צָמָא [tsama’]) as is sometimes suggested.

[48:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “inhabitant of Daughter Dibon.” “Daughter” is used here as often in Jeremiah for the personification of a city, a country, or its inhabitants. The word “inhabitant” is to be understood as a collective as also in v. 19.