English Standard Version
Isaiah 49:16
16Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
Isaiah 49:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
- New International Version (NIV)See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.
- New King James Version (NKJV)See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.
- New Living Translation (NLT)See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.
Context of Isaiah 49:16
14But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me." 15"Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. 17Your builders make haste; your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you. 18Lift up your eyes around and see; they all gather, they come to you. As I live, declares the Lord, you shall put them all on as an ornament; you shall bind them on as a bride does.
Read all of Isaiah 49Isaiah 49:16 word by word
הֵ֥ן עַל־כַּפַּ֖יִם חַקֹּתִ֑יךְ חוֹמֹתַ֥יִךְ נֶגְדִּ֖י תָּמִֽיד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Isaiah 49:16
- Exodus 13:9And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.
- Jeremiah 22:24"As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off
- Haggai 2:23On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts."
- Isaiah 26:1In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.
- Isaiah 54:12I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones.
- Isaiah 60:18Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.
- Revelation 21:10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
Commentaries on Isaiah 49:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands "Behold, on the palms of my hands have I delineated thee" - This is certainly an allusion to some practice, common among the Jews at that time, of making marks on their hands or arms by punctures on the skin, with some sort of sign or representation of the city or temple, to show their affection and zeal for it. They had a method of making such punctures indelible by fire, or by staining. See note on…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands - This is another argument in answer to the complaint of Zion in Isaiah 49:14. There have been various interpretations of this passage. Grotius supposes that it refers to a custom of placing some mark or sign on the hand, or on one of the fingers when they wished to remember anything, and appeals to Exodus 13:9. Lowth supposes that it is an allusion to some practice common among the Jews at that time…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-17Verses 13-17 Let there be universal joy, for God will have mercy upon the afflicted, because of his compassion; upon his afflicted, because of his covenant. We have no more reason to question his promise and grace, than we have to question his providence and justice. Be assured that God has a tender affection for his church and people; he would not have them to be discouraged. Some mothers do neglect their children; but God's compassions to his people…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. Alluding to the Jews' custom (perhaps drawn from Ex 13:9) of puncturing on their hands a representation of their city and temple, in token of zeal for them [Lowth], (So 8:6).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 49:16
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries