Isaiah 49:21

Isaiah 49:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
• New International Version (NIV)Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these—where have they come from?’ ”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then you will say in your heart: 'Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away, but who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; from where have these come?'"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me, Since I have lost my children and am desolate, A captive, and wandering to and fro? And who has brought these up? There I was, left alone; But these, where were they?’ ”

Context of Isaiah 49:21

19Though you are destroyed and demolished and your land is in ruins, you will be too crowded for ⌞your⌟ people now. Those who devoured you will be long gone. 20The children taken from you will say to you, “This place is too crowded for me. Make room for me to live here.” Then you will ask yourself, “Who has fathered these ⌞children⌟ for me? I was childless and unable to have children. I was exiled and rejected. Who raised these ⌞children for me⌟? I was left alone. Where have they come from?” 22This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will lift my hand ⌞to signal⌟ the nations. I will raise my flag for the people. They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders. 23Then kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens will nurse you. They will bow in front of you with their faces touching the ground. They will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who wait with hope for me will not be put to shame.

Isaiah 49:21 word by word

וְאָמַ֣רְתְּ בִּלְבָבֵ֗ךְ מִ֤י יָֽלַד־לִי֙ אֶת־אֵ֔לֶּה וַאֲנִ֥י שְׁכוּלָ֖ה וְגַלְמוּדָ֑ה גֹּלָ֣ה׀ וְסוּרָ֗ה וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ מִ֣י גִדֵּ֔ל הֵ֤ן אֲנִי֙ נִשְׁאַ֣רְתִּי לְבַדִּ֔י אֵ֖לֶּה אֵיפֹ֥ה הֵֽם׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then shalt thou sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• in thine heartלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
• Who hath begottenיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
• me these, seeing I have lost my childrenשָׁכֹלshâkôl · be bereavedH7921
• and am desolateגַּלְמוּדgalmûd · solitaryH1565
• a captiveגָּלָהgâlâh · to reveal: removeH1540
• and removing to and froסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: removeH5493
• and who hath brought upגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
• these? Behold, I was leftשָׁאַרshâ'ar · to remainH7604
• alone; these, whereאֵיפֹה'êyphôh · where?H375

Cross-references for Isaiah 49:21

• Jeremiah 31:15This is what the Lord says: A sound is heard in Ramah, the sound of crying in bitter grief. Rachel is crying for her children. She refuses to be comforted, because they are dead.
• Romans 11:11So I ask, “Has Israel stumbled so badly that it can’t get up again?” That’s unthinkable! By Israel’s failure, salvation has come to people who are not Jewish to make the Jewish people jealous.
• Galatians 3:29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants and heirs, as God promised.
• Galatians 4:26But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.
• Isaiah 3:26The gates of Zion will cry and grieve, and Zion will sit on the ground, exhausted.
• Isaiah 51:17Wake up! Wake up! Stand up, Jerusalem! You drank from the cup in the Lord’s hand. That cup was filled with his anger. You drank from the bowl, the cup that makes people stagger, and you drained it!
• Isaiah 52:2Shake the dust from yourselves. Get up, captive Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains around your neck, captive people of Zion.
• Isaiah 54:3You will spread out to the right and left. Your descendants will take over other nations, and they will resettle deserted cities.
• Isaiah 60:15“You have been abandoned and hated; no one has passed through you. But now I will make you a source of everlasting pride, a joy for all generations.
• Isaiah 62:4You will no longer be called Deserted, and your land will no longer be called Destroyed. But you will be named My Delight, and your land will be named Married. The Lord is delighted with you, and your land will be married.
• Isaiah 64:10Your holy cities have become a desert. Zion has become a desert. Jerusalem is a wasteland.
• Lamentations 1:1“Look how deserted Jerusalem is! Once the city was crowded with people. Once it was important among the nations. Now it is a widow. Once it was a princess among the provinces. Now it does forced labor.
• Matthew 24:29“Immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will turn dark, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the universe will be shaken.
• Luke 21:24Swords will cut them down, and they will be carried off into all nations as prisoners. Nations will trample Jerusalem until the times allowed for the nations ⌞to do this⌟ are over.
• Romans 11:26In this way Israel as a whole will be saved, as Scripture says, “The Savior will come from Zion. He will remove godlessness from Jacob.

Commentaries on Isaiah 49:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21These, where had they been "These then, where were they?" - The conjunction is added before אלה elleh, that is, ואלה veelleh . in thirty-two MSS. (nine ancient) of Kennicott's, and fifty-four of De Rossi's, and so the Septuagint, Chaldee, and Vulgate. See the note on Isaiah 49:12; (note).Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Then shalt thou say in thine heart - Thou shalt wonder at the multitude, and shalt ask with astonishment from where they all come. This verse is designed to describe the great increase of the true people of God under the image of a mother who had been deprived of her children, who should suddenly see herself surrounded with more than had been lost, and should ask in astonishment from where they all came. Who hath begotten me these - The idea here is, that…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-23Verses 18-23 Zion is addressed as an afflicted widow, bereaved of her children. Numbers flock to her, and she is assured that they come to be a comfort to her. There are times when the church is desolate and few in number; yet its desolations shall not last for ever, and God will repair them. God can raise up friends for returning Israelites, even among Gentiles. They shall bring their children, and make them thy children. Let all deal tenderly and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-21The population growth would extend beyond Israel to include people from other nations who turn to the Lord (see Isaiah 56:6–8; Revelation 7:9). make room: The increased population would need space far beyond Israel's traditional borders (see also Zechariah 2:4).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. Who, &c.--Zion's joyful wonder at the unexpected restoration of the ten tribes. Secondarily, the accession of spiritual Israelites to the mother church of Jerusalem from the Gentiles is meant. This created surprise at first (Ac 10:45; 14:27; 15:3, 4). lost ... am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro--rather, "bereaved of ... have been barren, an exile and outcast" [Horsley]. She had been "put away" by Jehovah, her husband (Is 50:1); hence her…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 49:21

• Church
• Gentiles
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ

In the dictionaries

• Barren
• Church
• Forget
• Mouth
• Desolate
• Exile
• Isaiah
• Mark, the Gospel According to
• Saviour
• Isaiah, Book of

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