Isaiah 50:2

Isaiah 50:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.
• New International Version (NIV)When I came, why was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Was my arm too short to deliver you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you? By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert; their fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Why, when I came, was there no man; why, when I called, was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert; their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Why, when I came, was there no man? Why, when I called, was there none to answer? Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish stink because there is no water, And die of thirst.

Context of Isaiah 50:2

1This is what the Lord says to his people: ‘Did I send your mother away, like a man sends away his wife? Where is the paper to say why I have sent her away? Did I sell you to pay people that I was in debt to? Where is the paper that shows the reason for my debt? Listen! I sold you because of your sins. I sent your mother away because you have not obeyed me. Nobody was there to meet me, when I came to help you. When I called out to you, nobody answered me. Do you think that my arm is too weak to rescue you? Am I not strong enough to save you? Look! I can speak to the sea so that it becomes dry! I can cause rivers to become deserts. Then the fish die because they have no water. 3I can cause the sky to become dark, as if I have covered it with sackcloth.’ 4‘The Almighty Lord has given his message to me, his servant. I speak it on his behalf. I know what to say to help weak and tired people. The Lord wakes me up every morning so that I can learn something. I listen carefully to him, as a student listens to his teacher.

Isaiah 50:2 word by word

מַדּ֨וּעַ בָּ֜אתִי וְאֵ֣ין אִ֗ישׁ קָרָֽאתִי֮ וְאֵ֣ין עוֹנֶה֒ הֲקָצ֨וֹר קָצְרָ֤ה יָדִי֙ מִפְּד֔וּת וְאִם־אֵֽין־בִּ֥י כֹ֖חַ לְהַצִּ֑יל הֵ֣ן בְּגַעֲרָתִ֞י אַחֲרִ֣יב יָ֗ם אָשִׂ֤ים נְהָרוֹת֙ מִדְבָּ֔ר תִּבְאַ֤שׁ דְּגָתָם֙ מֵאֵ֣ין מַ֔יִם וְתָמֹ֖ת בַּצָּמָֽא׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Wherefore, when I cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• no manאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
• when I calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
• none to answerעָנָה‛ânâh · to answerH6030
• Is my handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• shortenedקָצֵרqâtsar · be shortH7114
• that it cannot redeemפְּדוּתpedûth pedûth · redemptionH6304
• or have I no powerכֹּחַkôach kôach · strengthH3581
• to deliverנָצַלnâtsal · to rescueH5337
• behold, at my rebukeגְּעָרָהge‛ârâh · rebukeH1606
• I dry upחָרֵבchârab chârêb · to dryH2717
• the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
• I makeשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
• the riversנָהָרnâhâr · riverH5104
• a wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
• their fishדָּגָהdâgâh · fishH1710
• stinkethבָּאַשׁbâ'ash · to stinkH887
• no waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
• and diethמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• for thirstצָמָאtsâmâ' · thirstH6772

Cross-references for Isaiah 50:2

• Isaiah 59:16He saw that there was nobody who would help, and he was very upset. So he used his own strength to help. Because he had to do what was right, he made his people safe.
• Isaiah 65:12So this will be your fate: a sword will kill you. You will all bend down low for someone to kill you. This will happen because you did not answer me when I spoke to you. You did not even listen to my words. You did evil things against me. You chose to do things that I would hate.’
• Isaiah 66:4So I will cause great trouble to come to them. It will be the trouble that they are so afraid of. When I called out to them, nobody answered me. When I spoke to them, nobody listened. They did evil things against me. They chose to do things that I would hate.’
• Proverbs 1:24I called out to you, but you refused to listen. I reached out to you, but you turned your backs to me.
• Jeremiah 5:1The Lord said, ‘Run along all the streets of Jerusalem. Look carefully all around you. Look in all the public places of the city. Try to find one person who is honest. Try to find one person who wants to know the truth. If you find one person like that, I will forgive all the people in the city.
• Jeremiah 7:13You have done the same wicked things. I have warned you many times, but you have not listened to me. I called out to you, but you refused to answer.” That is what the Lord says.
• Jeremiah 8:6I have listened carefully to them, but they do not say what is right. They are not sorry for the wicked things that they have done. None of them say, “I have done something wrong.” They all continue to do what they want to do. They are like horses that are running into a battle.
• Jeremiah 35:15I have sent my servants the prophets to warn you many times. They told you, ‘You must all stop doing wicked things. Instead, start doing the things that are right. Do not serve other gods and worship them. Then you will continue to live in this land that I gave to you and to your ancestors.’ But you did not listen to my message. You did not obey me.
• Hosea 11:2But the more I spoke to Israel's people, the more they turned away from me. They offered sacrifices to the images of Baal. They burned incense to give honour to their idols.
• John 1:11He came to his own place, but his own people did not accept him.
• John 3:19God's Son has brought light into the world. But some people did not love the light. They loved the dark instead. That was because they were doing evil things. That is why God has decided to punish those people.
• Isaiah 59:1Listen! The Lord's hand is not too weak to save you. His ear is not too deaf to hear you.
• Genesis 18:14But surely, nothing is too difficult for the Lord to do. At this time next year, I will return to you and Sarah will have a son.’
• Numbers 11:23Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Do you think that I, the Lord, do not have enough power to do this? I have promised you to do it. So now you will see me do it!’
• Isaiah 36:20No god among all the gods of those countries could save their people from my power. So do not think that the Lord can save Jerusalem from my power.” ’
• 2 Chronicles 32:15Do not let Hezekiah deceive you with his lies. Do not believe him. No god of any nation or kingdom has been able to save his people from me or from my ancestors. So your God certainly cannot save you from my power! ’

Commentaries on Isaiah 50:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Their fish stinketh "Their fish is dried up" - For תבאש tibaosh, stinketh, read תיבש tibash, is dried up; so it stands in the Bodl. MS., and it is confirmed by the Septuagint, , they shall be dried up.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? - That is, when I came to call you to repentance, why was there no man of the nation to yield obedience? The sense is, that they had not been punished without warning. He had called them to repentance, but no one heard his voice. The Chaldee renders this, Wherefore did I send my prophets, and they did not turn? They prophesied, but they did not attend.‘ When I called, was there none to answer? - None obeyed, or…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Why did no one answer: The people did not respond to God's repeated call to trust him and repent of their sins. They were deaf and stubborn (see Isaiah 6:9–10; 29:18; 35:5; 42:18–19). The Lord came and called the people through the prophets (see also Isaiah 65:1–3). do I lack the strength to deliver you?: God could rescue Israel and Judah from the Assyrians and Babylonians, but he first had to address his people's sinfulness (see Isaiah 59:1). My rebuke…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. I--Messiah. no man--willing to believe in and obey Me (Is 52:1, 3). The same Divine Person had "come" by His prophets in the Old Testament (appealing to them, but in vain, Jr 7:25, 26), who was about to come under the New Testament. hand shortened--the Oriental emblem of weakness, as the long stretched-out hand is of power (Is 59:1). Notwithstanding your sins, I can still "redeem" you from your bondage and dispersion. dry up ... sea--(Ex 14:21). The…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 50:2

• Doubting
• God
• Jesus Continued

In the dictionaries

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

Commentaries on Isaiah 50

• 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