Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together.
Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled. Nebuchadnezzar, coming from the north, first attacked Ammon, then its brother and neighbour Moab. As Ai of Ammon had already suffered destruction, Heshbon of Moab, being near it, might well fear the same fate.
Run to and fro by the hedges. Their cities being destroyed, the outcasts have no place of shelter except behind the "hedges" of vineyards and gardens; or else the enclosures of their villages.
Their king shall go into captivity - Melchom, the idol, as the mention of "his priests" shows (cf. Jeremiah 48:7).