Amplified Bible
Isaiah 49:21
21Then [Zion], you will say in your heart, ‘Who has borne me these children, Since I have been bereaved of my children And am barren, an exile and a wanderer? And who has reared these? Indeed, I was left alone; From where then did these children come?’ ”
Isaiah 49:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
- New International Version (NIV)Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these—where have they come from?’ ”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then you will say in your heart: 'Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away, but who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; from where have these come?'"
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me, Since I have lost my children and am desolate, A captive, and wandering to and fro? And who has brought these up? There I was, left alone; But these, where were they?’ ”
Context of Isaiah 49:21
19For your ruins and desolate places and your land [once the scene] of destruction— Certainly now [in the coming years] will be too cramped for the inhabitants, And those who once engulfed you will be far away. 20The children of your bereavement [those born in captivity] will yet say in your ears, ‘The place is too cramped for me’; Make room for me that I may live here. Then [Zion], you will say in your heart, ‘Who has borne me these children, Since I have been bereaved of my children And am barren, an exile and a wanderer? And who has reared these? Indeed, I was left alone; From where then did these children come?’ ” 22This is what the Lord God says, “Listen carefully, I will lift up My hand to the [Gentile] nations And set up My banner to the peoples; And they will bring your sons in the fold of their garments, And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders. 23Kings will be your attendants, And their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth And lick the dust of your feet; And you shall know [with an understanding based on personal experience] that I am the Lord; For they shall not be put to shame who wait and hope expectantly for Me.
Read all of Isaiah 49Isaiah 49:21 word by word
וְאָמַ֣רְתְּ בִּלְבָבֵ֗ךְ מִ֤י יָֽלַד־לִי֙ אֶת־אֵ֔לֶּה וַאֲנִ֥י שְׁכוּלָ֖ה וְגַלְמוּדָ֑ה גֹּלָ֣ה׀ וְסוּרָ֗ה וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ מִ֣י גִדֵּ֔ל הֵ֤ן אֲנִי֙ נִשְׁאַ֣רְתִּי לְבַדִּ֔י אֵ֖לֶּה אֵיפֹ֥ה הֵֽם׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then shalt thou sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- in thine heartלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
- Who hath begottenיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
- me these, seeing I have lost my childrenשָׁכֹלshâkôl · be bereavedH7921
- and am desolateגַּלְמוּדgalmûd · solitaryH1565
- a captiveגָּלָהgâlâh · to reveal: removeH1540
- and removing to and froסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: removeH5493
- and who hath brought upגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
- these? Behold, I was leftשָׁאַרshâ'ar · to remainH7604
- alone; these, whereאֵיפֹה'êyphôh · where?H375
Cross-references for Isaiah 49:21
- Jeremiah 31:15Thus says the Lord, “A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamentation (songs of mourning) and bitter weeping. Rachel (Israel) is weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted for her children, Because they are gone.”
- Romans 11:11So I say, have they stumbled so as to fall [to spiritual ruin]? Certainly not! But by their transgression [their rejection of the Messiah] salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous [when they realize what they have forfeited].
- Galatians 3:29And if you belong to Christ [if you are in Him], then you are Abraham’s descendants, and [spiritual] heirs according to [God’s] promise.
- Galatians 4:26But the Jerusalem above [that is, the way of faith, represented by Sarah] is free; she is our mother.
- Isaiah 3:26And Jerusalem’s gates will lament (cry out in grief) and mourn [as those who wail for the dead]; And she, being ruined and desolate, will sit upon the ground.
- Isaiah 51:17Wake yourself up! Wake yourself up! Stand up, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath, You who have drunk the cup of staggering and intoxication to the dregs [leaving only sediment].
- Isaiah 52:2Shake yourself from the dust, arise, O captive Jerusalem; Rid yourself of the chains around your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.
- Isaiah 54:3For you will spread out to the right and to the left; And your descendants will take possession of nations And will inhabit deserted cities.
- Isaiah 60:15“Whereas you [Jerusalem] have been abandoned and hated With no one passing through, I will make you an object of pride forever, A joy from generation to generation.
- Isaiah 62:4It will no longer be said of you [Judah], “Azubah (Abandoned),” Nor will it any longer be said of your land, “Shemamah (Desolate)”; But you will be called, “Hephzibah (My Delight is in Her),” And your land, “Married”; For the Lord delights in you, And to Him your land will be married [owned and protected by the Lord].
- Isaiah 64:10Your holy cities have become a wilderness, Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
- Lamentations 1:1How solitary and lonely sits the city [Jerusalem] That was [once] full of people! How like a widow she has become. She who was great among the nations! The princess among the provinces, Has become a forced laborer!
- Matthew 24:29“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not provide its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
- Luke 21:24And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (completed).
- Romans 11:26and so [at that time] all Israel [that is, all Jews who have a personal faith in Jesus as Messiah] will be saved; just as it is written [in Scripture], “The Deliverer (Messiah) will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
Commentaries on Isaiah 49:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21These, where had they been "These then, where were they?" - The conjunction is added before אלה elleh, that is, ואלה veelleh . in thirty-two MSS. (nine ancient) of Kennicott's, and fifty-four of De Rossi's, and so the Septuagint, Chaldee, and Vulgate. See the note on Isaiah 49:12; (note).Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Then shalt thou say in thine heart - Thou shalt wonder at the multitude, and shalt ask with astonishment from where they all come. This verse is designed to describe the great increase of the true people of God under the image of a mother who had been deprived of her children, who should suddenly see herself surrounded with more than had been lost, and should ask in astonishment from where they all came. Who hath begotten me these - The idea here is, that…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-23Verses 18-23 Zion is addressed as an afflicted widow, bereaved of her children. Numbers flock to her, and she is assured that they come to be a comfort to her. There are times when the church is desolate and few in number; yet its desolations shall not last for ever, and God will repair them. God can raise up friends for returning Israelites, even among Gentiles. They shall bring their children, and make them thy children. Let all deal tenderly and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-21The population growth would extend beyond Israel to include people from other nations who turn to the Lord (see Isaiah 56:6–8; Revelation 7:9). make room: The increased population would need space far beyond Israel's traditional borders (see also Zechariah 2:4).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. Who, &c.--Zion's joyful wonder at the unexpected restoration of the ten tribes. Secondarily, the accession of spiritual Israelites to the mother church of Jerusalem from the Gentiles is meant. This created surprise at first (Ac 10:45; 14:27; 15:3, 4). lost ... am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro--rather, "bereaved of ... have been barren, an exile and outcast" [Horsley]. She had been "put away" by Jehovah, her husband (Is 50:1); hence her…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 49:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 49
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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