Christian Standard Bible
Isaiah 51:19
19These two things have happened to you: devastation and destruction, famine and sword. Who will grieve for you? How can I comfort you?
Isaiah 51:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?
- New International Version (NIV)These double calamities have come upon you— who can comfort you?— ruin and destruction, famine and sword— who can console you?
- English Standard Version (ESV)These two things have happened to you— who will console you?— devastation and destruction, famine and sword; who will comfort you?
- New King James Version (NKJV)These two things have come to you; Who will be sorry for you?— Desolation and destruction, famine and sword— By whom will I comfort you?
Context of Isaiah 51:19
17Wake yourself, wake yourself up! Stand up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk the cup of his fury from the Lord’s hand; you who have drunk the goblet to the dregs — the cup that causes people to stagger. 18There is no one to guide her among all the children she has raised; there is no one to take hold of her hand among all the offspring she has brought up. These two things have happened to you: devastation and destruction, famine and sword. Who will grieve for you? How can I comfort you? 20Your children have fainted; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a net. They are full of the Lord’s fury, the rebuke of your God. 21So listen to this, suffering and drunken one — but not with wine.
Read all of Isaiah 51Isaiah 51:19 word by word
שְׁתַּ֤יִם הֵ֙נָּה֙ קֹֽרְאֹתַ֔יִךְ מִ֖י יָנ֣וּד לָ֑ךְ הַשֹּׁ֧ד וְהַשֶּׁ֛בֶר וְהָרָעָ֥ב וְהַחֶ֖רֶב מִ֥י אֲנַחֲמֵֽךְ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- These twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- are comeקָרָאqârâ' · to encounter: chancedH7122
- unto thee; who shall be sorryנוּדnûd · to wanderH5110
- for thee? desolationשֹׁדshôd shôd · violenceH7701
- and destructionשֶׁ֫בֶרsheber shêber · breakingH7667
- and the famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
- and the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- by whom shall I comfortנָחַםnâcham · to be sorry: comfortH5162
Cross-references for Isaiah 51:19
- Isaiah 47:9These two things will happen to you suddenly, in one day: loss of children and widowhood. They will happen to you in their entirety, in spite of your many sorceries and the potency of your spells.
- Ezekiel 14:21“For this is what the Lord God says: How much worse will it be when I send my four devastating judgments against Jerusalem — sword, famine, dangerous animals, and plague — in order to wipe out both people and animals from it!
- Job 2:11Now when Job’s three friends — Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite — heard about all this adversity that had happened to him, each of them came from his home. They met together to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.
- Psalms 69:20Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I waited for sympathy, but there was none; for comforters, but found no one.
- Jeremiah 9:17This is what the Lord of Armies says: Consider, and summon the women who mourn; send for the skillful women.
- Lamentations 1:9Her uncleanness stains her skirts. She never considered her end. Her downfall was astonishing; there was no one to comfort her. Lord, look on my affliction, for the enemy boasts.
- Amos 7:2When the locusts finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, “Lord God, please forgive! How will Jacob survive since he is so small?”
- Isaiah 22:4Therefore I said, “Look away from me! Let me weep bitterly! Do not try to comfort me about the destruction of my dear people.”
- Isaiah 61:2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn,
- Job 42:11All his brothers, sisters, and former acquaintances came to him and dined with him in his house. They sympathized with him and comforted him concerning all the adversity the Lord had brought on him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold earring.
- Ecclesiastes 4:1Again, I observed all the acts of oppression being done under the sun. Look at the tears of those who are oppressed; they have no one to comfort them. Power is with those who oppress them; they have no one to comfort them.
- Lamentations 1:16I weep because of these things; my eyes flow with tears. For there is no one nearby to comfort me, no one to keep me alive. My children are desolate because the enemy has prevailed.
- 2 Corinthians 7:6But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,
- 2 Thessalonians 2:16May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace,
Commentaries on Isaiah 51:19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19These two things - desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword - That is, desolation by famine, and destruction by the sword, taking the terms alternately: of which form of construction see other examples. De S. Poesi, Hebrews Prael. xix., and Prelim. Dissert. p. 30. The Chaldee paraphrast, not rightly understanding this, has had recourse to the following expedient: "Two afflictions are come upon thee, and when four shall come upon thee…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19These two things are come unto thee - Margin, Happened.‘ That is, two sources of calamity have come upon thee; to wit, famine and the sword, producing desolation and destruction; or desolation by famine, and destruction by the sword (see Lowth on Hebrew Poetry, Lect. xix.) The idea here is, that far-spread destruction had occurred, caused by the two things, famine and the sword. Who shall be sorry for thee? - That is, who shall be able so to pity thee as…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-23Verses 17-23 God calls upon his people to mind the things that belong to their everlasting peace. Jerusalem had provoked God, and was made to taste the bitter fruits. Those who should have been her comforters, were their own tormentors. They have no patience by which to keep possesion of their own souls, nor any confidence in God's promise, by which to keep possession of its comfort. Thou art drunken, not as formerly, with the intoxicating cup of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-23The prophet called the people of Israel to be done with their past and to anticipate God’s future for them.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. two--classes of evils, for he enumerates four, namely, desolation and destruction to the land and state; famine and the sword to the people. who shall be sorry for thee--so as to give thee effectual relief: as the parallel clause, "By whom shall I comfort thee?" shows (La 2:11-13).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 51:19
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 51
- 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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