And they beat down the cities. — Rather, And the cities they would overthrow, describing what happened again and again.
On every... filled it. — Literally, And every good plot, they would cast each man his stone, and fill it; and every fountain of water they would stop, and every good tree they would fell. All this as Elisha foretold, 2 Kings 3:19.
Only in Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof. — Literally, as margin, until one left her stones in Kir-harèseth. This clause connects itself with the opening statement, “And the cities they would overthrow (or, kept overthrowing) until her stones were left in Kir-harèseth,” i.e., the work of destruction stopped before the walls of this, the principal strong-hold of the country. In the other cities the invaders had not left one stone upon another.
Kir-haraseth. — Called “Kir-moab,” Isaiah 15:1, and “Kir-hères,” Isaiah 16:11. The Targum on Isaiah 15 calls it “Kerak (castle) of Moab,” and it still bears that name. It stands upon a steep cliff of chalk.
Howbeit the slingers went about it. — And the slingers went round, surrounded it.
And smote it — i.e., shot at the men on the walls with deadly effect.