Isaiah 48:18

Isaiah 48:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
• New International Version (NIV)If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;
• New King James Version (NKJV)Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

Context of Isaiah 48:18

16Come near to me! Listen to my message! From the beginning, I have not spoken secretly. When these things happen, I will already be there.’ Now the Almighty Lord has sent me, with the power of his Spirit. 17The Lord is your Redeemer, Israel's Holy God. He says, ‘I am the Lord your God. I teach you what will be good for you. I lead you along a good path in life. You should have obeyed my commands. Then you would have had peace in your lives, like a river that runs quietly. You would have been safe and well, like the strong waves in the sea. 19You would have had many descendants, as much as the sand on the shore of the sea. I would not need to destroy them. Their family name would continue for ever.’ 20Now leave Babylon as free people! No longer serve the Babylonians! Shout the news with joy! Tell everyone about it, all over the world. Tell them that the Lord has redeemed his people, his servants, the Israelites.

Isaiah 48:18 word by word

ל֥וּא הִקְשַׁ֖בְתָּ לְמִצְוֹתָ֑י וַיְהִ֤י כַנָּהָר֙ שְׁלוֹמֶ֔ךָ וְצִדְקָתְךָ֖ כְּגַלֵּ֥י הַיָּֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• O thatלוּlû' lû' lû · ifH3863
• thou hadst hearkenedקָשַׁבqâshab · to listenH7181
• to my commandmentsמִצְוָהmitsvâh · commandmentH4687
• then had thy peaceשָׁלוֹםshâlôm shâlôm · peaceH7965
• been as a riverנָהָרnâhâr · riverH5104
• and thy righteousnessצְדָקָהtsedâqâh · righteousnessH6666
• as the wavesגַּלgal · heap: waveH1530
• of the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220

Cross-references for Isaiah 48:18

• Deuteronomy 5:29I really want them to respect me with fear. I want them to obey my commands in the future! If they do that, everything will be well for them and for their descendants for ever.
• Deuteronomy 32:29If they were wise, they would understand. They would know what would happen to them in the end.
• Psalms 81:13But my people should listen to me! Yes, Israel should obey my commands!
• Matthew 23:37Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed God's prophets. They have thrown stones to kill other people that God has sent to you. Many times, I have wanted to bring all of your people near to me. A female bird covers her babies with her body to make them safe. But you would not let me keep you from danger like that.
• Luke 19:41When Jesus got near to the city, he looked at it. He cried because he felt very sorry for the people in it.
• Isaiah 32:15It will be like that until God pours a new spirit on us from heaven. Then, deserts will become fields of fruit trees. And fields of fruit trees will seem like forests.
• Isaiah 66:12The Lord says, ‘Look! I will give peace to Jerusalem, like a great river. Riches from other nations will pour into the city, like a stream that is full of water. Jerusalem will take care of you like a mother that feeds her baby. She will carry you in her arms, and she will hold you on her knees.
• Psalms 36:8You have plenty of food in your house, to give them all that they need. You give them water from your river, that makes them happy when they drink it.
• Psalms 119:165People who love your Law have peace in their minds. Nothing will cause them to fall down.
• Amos 5:24What I do want to see is justice! I want to see that you always do what is right. Those good things should never stop, like a river that always runs with water.
• Romans 14:17We belong to God's people and he is our King. The things that we eat and drink are not really important to him. This is important: We should do what is right. We should have peace in our minds. And we should be truly happy. God's Holy Spirit helps us to live like that.

Commentaries on Isaiah 48:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18As a river "Like the river" - That is, the Euphrates.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18O that thou hadst heardened to my commandments! - This expresses the earnest wish and desire of God. He would greatly have preferred that they should have kept his law. He had no wish that they should sin, and that these judgments should come upon them. The doctrine taught here is, that God greatly prefers that people should keep his laws. He does not desire that they should be sinners, or that they should be punished. It was so with regard to the Jews…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 The Holy Spirit qualifies for service; and those may speak boldly, whom God and his Spirit send. This is to be applied to Christ. He was sent, and he had the Spirit without measure. Whom God redeems, he teaches; he teaches to profit by affliction, and then makes them partakers of his holiness. Also, by his grace he leads them in the way of duty; and by his providence he leads in the way of deliverance. God did not afflict them willingly. If…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18Peace and righteousness will be established when the kingdom of God fully comes (see Isaiah 66:12). like a river … like waves of the sea: There will be abundant peace and overflowing righteousness (compare Amos 5:24). Israel could have had this if its people had listened to God.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. peace--(Psa 119:165). Compare the desire expressed by the same Messiah (Mt 23:37; Lu 19:42). river--(Is 33:21; 41:18), a river flowing from God's throne is the symbol of free, abundant, and ever flowing blessings from Him (Eze 47:1; Zec 14:8; Re 22:1). righteousness--religious prosperity; the parent of "peace" or national prosperity; therefore "peace" corresponds to "righteousness" in the parallelism (Is 32:17).Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 48:18

• Peace

In the dictionaries

• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Isaiah
• Mark, the Gospel According to
• Saviour

Commentaries on Isaiah 48

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• 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