The description of mourning continues here. The three phrases, in the streets, on the housetops and in the squares, point to public lamentation everywhere. Since roofs were mostly flat in biblical culture, people could gather on housetops for various purposes, including mourning together. Translators may need to explain this cultural feature in a footnote, or provide a picture of a typical house. Housetops are frequently mentioned in the New Testament (for example, Matt 10.27; Mark 2.4). Squares refer to open plazas where people gather. Some languages may not have words to distinguish streets and squares, in which case it may be possible to combine them by saying “open spaces in the towns.”
They gird on sackcloth: Wearing sackcloth was a customary way of indicating sorrow; see the comments on 3.24. The verb gird on describes the action of putting on a belt, or wearing something around the waist.
In the Septuagint the phrase “put on sackcloth and lament” is a standard expression. Based on this fact and Jer 48.38, some scholars have suggested that the verb “lament” has been omitted from this verse. They link it with the activity on the housetops. New English Bible and Revised English Bible have followed this view, but there is no reason to go against Masoretic Text since it has full support from the Qumran text. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project also recommends it.
Every one wails and melts in tears: The verb wails is repeated from the previous verse. In addition, everyone melts in tears. This expression is literally “going down in tears [or, with weeping].” New Jerusalem Bible expresses this fairly literally with “collapsing in tears.” New International Version is similar with “prostrate with weeping.” The prophet probably uses the verb “go down” in a figurative sense to contrast with the verb “go up” in the previous verse. However, translators will need to find a verb that is appropriate with the shedding of tears. Melts is not a good modern English equivalent. Revised English Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh say “streaming with tears,” which is an acceptable idiom. We could say “their faces streaming with tears.”
Translation suggestions for this verse are:
• In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the rooftops and in the town squares everyone wails, their faces streaming with tears.
• In the streets they wear mourning clothes; on the rooftops and throughout the town everyone weeps loudly, their faces wet with tears.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .