English Standard Version
Isaiah 51:16
16And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, 'You are my people.'"
Isaiah 51:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
- New International Version (NIV)I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand— I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’ ”
- New King James Version (NKJV)And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, Lay the foundations of the earth, And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”
- New Living Translation (NLT)And I have put my words in your mouth and hidden you safely in my hand. I stretched out the sky like a canopy and laid the foundations of the earth. I am the one who says to Israel, ‘You are my people!’”
Context of Isaiah 51:16
14He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking. 15I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name. And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, 'You are my people.'" 17Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering. 18There is none to guide her among all the sons she has borne; there is none to take her by the hand among all the sons she has brought up.
Read all of Isaiah 51Isaiah 51:16 word by word
וָאָשִׂ֤ים דְּבָרַי֙ בְּפִ֔יךָ וּבְצֵ֥ל יָדִ֖י כִּסִּיתִ֑יךָ לִנְטֹ֤עַ שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ וְלִיסֹ֣ד אָ֔רֶץ וְלֵאמֹ֥ר לְצִיּ֖וֹן עַמִּי־אָֽתָּה׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And I have putשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
- my wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- in thy mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
- and I have coveredכָּסָהkâsâh · to coverH3680
- thee in the shadowצֵלtsêl · shadowH6738
- of mine handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- that I may plantנָטַעnâţa‛ · to plantH5193
- the heavensשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and lay the foundationsיָסַדyâsad · to foundH3245
- of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- and sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto Zionצִיּוֹןtsîyôn · ZionH6726
- my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
Cross-references for Isaiah 51:16
- Isaiah 50:4The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.
- Isaiah 59:21"And as for me, this is my covenant with them," says the Lord: "My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring," says the Lord, "from this time forth and forevermore."
- Deuteronomy 18:18I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
- John 3:34For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.
- John 8:38I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father."
- John 17:8For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
- Revelation 1:1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
- Isaiah 49:2He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away.
- Deuteronomy 33:27The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, 'Destroy.'
- Isaiah 45:18For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): "I am the Lord, and there is no other.
- Isaiah 60:21Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified.
- Isaiah 61:3to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
- Isaiah 65:17"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.
- Isaiah 66:22"For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain.
- Psalms 92:13They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.
- 2 Peter 3:13But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Commentaries on Isaiah 51:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16That I may plant the heavens "To stretch out the heavens" - In the present text it is לנתע lintoa, "to plant the heavens:" the phrase is certainly very obscure, and in all probability is a mistake for לנטות lintoth . This latter is the word used in Isaiah 51:13; just before, in the very same sentence; and this phrase occurs very frequently in Isaiah, Isaiah 40:22, Isaiah 42:5, Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 45:12; the former in no other place. It is also very…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16And I have put my words in thy mouth - That is, he had committed his truth to the Jewish people; to Zion. He had entrusted them with his statutes and his laws; he had given them the promise of the Messiah, and through him the assurance that the true religion would be spread to other nations. He would, therefore, preserve them, and restore them again to their own land. And have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand - That is, I have protected thee (see…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-16Verses 9-16 The people whom Christ has redeemed with his blood, as well as by his power, will obtain joyful deliverance from every enemy. He that designs such joy for us at last, will he not work such deliverance in the mean time, as our cases require? In this world of changes, it is a short step from joy to sorrow, but in that world, sorrow shall never come in view. They prayed for the display of God's power; he answers them with consolations of his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16My words in your mouth: The focus shifted back to the servant. You are My people: Israel was the covenant community.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. Addressed to Israel, embodied in "the servant of Jehovah" (Is 42:1), Messiah, its ideal and representative Head, through whom the elect remnant is to be restored. put my words in thy mouth--true of Israel, the depository of true religion, but fully realized only in Israel's Head and antitype, Messiah (Is 49:2; 50:4, 5; 59:21; De 18:18; Joh 3:34). covered ... in ... shadow of ... hand--protected thee (see on Is 49:2). plant--rather, "fix" as a…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 51:16
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries