Isaiah 49:23

Isaiah 49:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
• New International Version (NIV)Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Kings shall be your foster fathers, And their queens your nursing mothers; They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, And lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord, For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”

Context of Isaiah 49:23

21Then you will think to yourself, ‘Who bore these children for me? I was bereaved and barren, dismissed and divorced. Who raised these children? Look, I was left all alone; where did these children come from?’” 22This is what the sovereign Lord says: “Look I will raise my hand to the nations; I will raise my signal flag to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders. Kings will be your children’s guardians; their princesses will nurse your children. With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you and they will lick the dirt on your feet. Then you will recognize that I am the Lord; those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame. 24Can spoils be taken from a warrior, or captives be rescued from a conqueror? 25Indeed,” says the Lord, “captives will be taken from a warrior; spoils will be rescued from a conqueror. I will oppose your adversary and I will rescue your children.

Isaiah 49:23 word by word

וְהָי֨וּ מְלָכִ֜ים אֹֽמְנַ֗יִךְ וְשָׂרֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ מֵינִ֣יקֹתַ֔יִךְ אַפַּ֗יִם אֶ֚רֶץ יִשְׁתַּ֣חֲווּ לָ֔ךְ וַעֲפַ֥ר רַגְלַ֖יִךְ יְלַחֵ֑כוּ וְיָדַ֙עַתְּ֙ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יֵבֹ֖שׁוּ קוָֹֽי׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• shall be thy nursing fathersאָמַן'âman · be faithfulH539
• and their queensשָׂרָהώârâh · princessH8282
• thy nursing mothersיָנַקyânaq · to suckleH3243
• they shall bow downשָׁחָהshâchâh · to bowH7812
• faceאַף'aph · faceH639
• toward the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
• and lick upלָחַךְlâchak · to lickH3897
• the dustעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
• of thy feetרֶ֫גֶלregel · footH7272
• and thou shalt knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• for they shall not be ashamedבּוֹשׁbûsh · be ashamedH954
• that waitקָוָהqâvâh · to awaitH6960

Cross-references for Isaiah 49:23

• Isaiah 49:7This is what the Lord, the protector of Israel, their Holy One, says to the one who is despised and rejected by nations, a servant of rulers: “Kings will see and rise in respect, princes will bow down, because of the faithful Lord, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”
• Isaiah 52:15his form was so marred he no longer looked human – so now he will startle many nations. Kings will be shocked by his exaltation, for they will witness something unannounced to them, and they will understand something they had not heard about.
• Isaiah 60:3Nations come to your light, kings to your bright light.
• Isaiah 62:2Nations will see your vindication, and all kings your splendor. You will be called by a new name that the Lord himself will give you.
• Ezra 1:2“Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: “‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
• Ezra 6:7Leave the work on this temple of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this temple of God in its proper place.
• Ezra 7:11What follows is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priestly scribe. Ezra was a scribe in matters pertaining to the commandments of the Lord and his statutes over Israel:
• Nehemiah 2:6Then the king, with his consort sitting beside him, replied, “How long would your trip take, and when would you return?” Since the king was amenable to dispatching me, I gave him a time.
• Esther 8:1On that same day King Ahasuerus gave the estate of Haman, that adversary of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Now Mordecai had come before the king, for Esther had revealed how he was related to her.
• Esther 9:1In the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar), on its thirteenth day, the edict of the king and his law were to be executed. It was on this day that the enemies of the Jews had supposed that they would gain power over them. But contrary to expectations, the Jews gained power over their enemies.
• Esther 10:1King Ahasuerus then imposed forced labor on the land and on the coastlands of the sea.
• Psalms 2:10So now, you kings, do what is wise; you rulers of the earth, submit to correction!
• Psalms 68:31They come with red cloth from Egypt, Ethiopia voluntarily offers tribute to God.
• Psalms 72:10The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will offer gifts; the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring tribute.
• Psalms 138:4Let all the kings of the earth give thanks to you, O Lord, when they hear the words you speak.
• Revelation 21:24The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur into it.

Commentaries on Isaiah 49:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23With their face toward the earth "With their faces to the earth" - It is well known that expressions of submission, homage, and reverence always have been and are still carried to a great degree of extravagance in the eastern countries. When Joseph's brethren were introduced to him, "they bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth," Genesis 42:6. The kings of Persia never admitted any one to their presence without exacting this act of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23And kings shall be thy nursing fathers - Margin, Nourishers.‘ That is, they would patronize the church of God; they would protect it by their laws, and foster it by their influence and become the personal advocates of the cause of Zion. The idea is properly that of guarding, educating, and proriding for children; and the sense is that kings and princes would evince the same tender care for the interests of the people of God which a parent or a nurse does…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. 23you will know that I am the LORD: The surprising role reversal, with kings and queens serving the humble exiles upon their return, will show God's power to do the unimaginable (see also Isaiah 60:16). The godly will face temporary disgrace during the exile in Babylon but would not ultimately be put to shame, as the idolaters and ungodly were.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. lick ... dust--that is, kiss thy feet in token of humble submission. for they ... not ... ashamed ... wait for me--The restoration of Israel shall be in answer to their prayerful waiting on the Lord (Is 30:18, 19; Psa 102:16, 17; Zec 12:10; 14:3).Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 49:23

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

In the dictionaries

• Church
• Forget
• Mouth
• Dust
• Faithful; Faithfulness
• Foot
• Isaiah
• Mark, the Gospel According to
• Nurse; Nursing
• Princess

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