Isaiah 49:23

Isaiah 49:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
• New International Version (NIV)Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Kings shall be your foster fathers, And their queens your nursing mothers; They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, And lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord, For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”

Context of Isaiah 49:23

21Then you will say within yourself, ‘Who fathered these for me? I was deprived of my children and unable to conceive, exiled and wandering — but who brought them up? See, I was left by myself — but these, where did they come from?’” 22This is what the Lord God says: Look, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my banner to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders. Kings will be your guardians and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down to you with their faces to the ground and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who put their hope in me will not be put to shame. 24Can the prey be taken from a mighty man, or the captives of a tyrant be delivered? 25For this is what the Lord says: “Even the captives of a mighty man will be taken, and the prey of a tyrant will be delivered; I will contend with the one who contends with you, and I will save your children.

Isaiah 49:23 word by word

וְהָי֨וּ מְלָכִ֜ים אֹֽמְנַ֗יִךְ וְשָׂרֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ מֵינִ֣יקֹתַ֔יִךְ אַפַּ֗יִם אֶ֚רֶץ יִשְׁתַּ֣חֲווּ לָ֔ךְ וַעֲפַ֥ר רַגְלַ֖יִךְ יְלַחֵ֑כוּ וְיָדַ֙עַתְּ֙ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יֵבֹ֖שׁוּ קוָֹֽי׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• shall be thy nursing fathersאָמַן'âman · be faithfulH539
• and their queensשָׂרָהώârâh · princessH8282
• thy nursing mothersיָנַקyânaq · to suckleH3243
• they shall bow downשָׁחָהshâchâh · to bowH7812
• faceאַף'aph · faceH639
• toward the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
• and lick upלָחַךְlâchak · to lickH3897
• the dustעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
• of thy feetרֶ֫גֶלregel · footH7272
• and thou shalt knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• for they shall not be ashamedבּוֹשׁbûsh · be ashamedH954
• that waitקָוָהqâvâh · to awaitH6960

Cross-references for Isaiah 49:23

• Isaiah 49:7This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, says to one who is despised, to one abhorred by people, to a servant of rulers: “Kings will see, princes will stand up, and they will all bow down because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel — and he has chosen you.”
• Isaiah 52:15so he will sprinkle many nations. Kings will shut their mouths because of him, for they will see what had not been told them, and they will understand what they had not heard.
• Isaiah 60:3Nations will come to your light, and kings to your shining brightness.
• Isaiah 62:2Nations will see your righteousness and all kings, your glory. You will be given a new name that the Lord’s mouth will announce.
• Ezra 1:2This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah.
• Ezra 6:7Leave the construction of the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.
• Ezra 7:11This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in matters of the Lord’s commands and statutes for Israel:
• Nehemiah 2:6The king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So I gave him a definite time, and it pleased the king to send me.
• Esther 8:1That same day King Ahasuerus awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Mordecai entered the king’s presence because Esther had revealed her relationship to Mordecai.
• Esther 9:1The king’s command and law went into effect on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. On the day when the Jews’ enemies had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them.
• Esther 10:1King Ahasuerus imposed a tax throughout the land even to the farthest shores.
• Psalms 2:10So now, kings, be wise; receive instruction, you judges of the earth.
• Psalms 68:31Ambassadors will come from Egypt; Cush will stretch out its hands to God.
• Psalms 72:10May the kings of Tarshish and the coasts and islands bring tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
• Psalms 138:4All the kings on earth will give you thanks, Lord, when they hear what you have promised.
• Revelation 21:24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

Commentaries on Isaiah 49:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23With their face toward the earth "With their faces to the earth" - It is well known that expressions of submission, homage, and reverence always have been and are still carried to a great degree of extravagance in the eastern countries. When Joseph's brethren were introduced to him, "they bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth," Genesis 42:6. The kings of Persia never admitted any one to their presence without exacting this act of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23And kings shall be thy nursing fathers - Margin, Nourishers.‘ That is, they would patronize the church of God; they would protect it by their laws, and foster it by their influence and become the personal advocates of the cause of Zion. The idea is properly that of guarding, educating, and proriding for children; and the sense is that kings and princes would evince the same tender care for the interests of the people of God which a parent or a nurse does…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. 23you will know that I am the LORD: The surprising role reversal, with kings and queens serving the humble exiles upon their return, will show God's power to do the unimaginable (see also Isaiah 60:16). The godly will face temporary disgrace during the exile in Babylon but would not ultimately be put to shame, as the idolaters and ungodly were.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. lick ... dust--that is, kiss thy feet in token of humble submission. for they ... not ... ashamed ... wait for me--The restoration of Israel shall be in answer to their prayerful waiting on the Lord (Is 30:18, 19; Psa 102:16, 17; Zec 12:10; 14:3).Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 49:23

• Church
• Gentiles
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Seekers
• Waiting

In the dictionaries

• Church
• Forget
• Mouth
• Dust
• Faithful; Faithfulness
• Foot
• Isaiah
• Mark, the Gospel According to
• Nurse; Nursing
• Princess

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