New English Translation
Isaiah 51:19
19These double disasters confronted you. But who feels sorry for you? Destruction and devastation, famine and sword. But who consoles you?
Isaiah 51:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?
- New International Version (NIV)These double calamities have come upon you— who can comfort you?— ruin and destruction, famine and sword— who can console you?
- English Standard Version (ESV)These two things have happened to you— who will console you?— devastation and destruction, famine and sword; who will comfort you?
- New King James Version (NKJV)These two things have come to you; Who will be sorry for you?— Desolation and destruction, famine and sword— By whom will I comfort you?
Context of Isaiah 51:19
17Wake up! Wake up! Get up, O Jerusalem! You drank from the cup the Lord passed to you, which was full of his anger! You drained dry the goblet full of intoxicating wine. 18There was no one to lead her among all the children she bore; there was no one to take her by the hand among all the children she raised. These double disasters confronted you. But who feels sorry for you? Destruction and devastation, famine and sword. But who consoles you? 20Your children faint; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a snare. They are left in a stupor by the Lord’s anger, by the battle cry of your God. 21So listen to this, oppressed one, who is drunk, but not from wine!
Read all of Isaiah 51Isaiah 51:19 word by word
שְׁתַּ֤יִם הֵ֙נָּה֙ קֹֽרְאֹתַ֔יִךְ מִ֖י יָנ֣וּד לָ֑ךְ הַשֹּׁ֧ד וְהַשֶּׁ֛בֶר וְהָרָעָ֥ב וְהַחֶ֖רֶב מִ֥י אֲנַחֲמֵֽךְ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- These twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- are comeקָרָאqârâ' · to encounter: chancedH7122
- unto thee; who shall be sorryנוּדnûd · to wanderH5110
- for thee? desolationשֹׁדshôd shôd · violenceH7701
- and destructionשֶׁ֫בֶרsheber shêber · breakingH7667
- and the famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
- and the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- by whom shall I comfortנָחַםnâcham · to be sorry: comfortH5162
Cross-references for Isaiah 51:19
- Isaiah 47:9Both of these will come upon you suddenly, in one day! You will lose your children and be widowed. You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, despite your many incantations and your numerous amulets.
- Ezekiel 14:21“For this is what the sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send my four terrible judgments – sword, famine, wild animals, and plague – to Jerusalem to kill both people and animals!
- Job 2:11When Job’s three friends heard about all this calamity that had happened to him, each of them came from his own country – Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to come to show sympathy for him and to console him.
- Psalms 69:20Their insults are painful and make me lose heart; I look for sympathy, but receive none, for comforters, but find none.
- Jeremiah 9:17The Lord who rules over all told me to say to this people, “Take note of what I say. Call for the women who mourn for the dead! Summon those who are the most skilled at it!”
- Lamentations 1:9Her menstrual flow has soiled her clothing; she did not consider the consequences of her sin. Her demise was astonishing, and there was no one to comfort her. She cried, “Look, O Lord, on my affliction because my enemy boasts!” י (Yod)
- Amos 7:2When they had completely consumed the earth’s vegetation, I said, “Sovereign Lord, forgive Israel! How can Jacob survive? He is too weak!”
- Isaiah 22:4So I say: “Don’t look at me! I am weeping bitterly. Don’t try to console me concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.”
- Isaiah 61:2to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor, the day when our God will seek vengeance, to console all who mourn,
- Job 42:11So they came to him, all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they dined with him in his house. They comforted him and consoled him for all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.
- Ecclesiastes 4:1So I again considered all the oppression that continually occurs on earth. This is what I saw: The oppressed were in tears, but no one was comforting them; no one delivers them from the power of their oppressors.
- Lamentations 1:16I weep because of these things; my eyes flow with tears. For there is no one in sight who can comfort me or encourage me. My children are desolated because an enemy has prevailed. פ (Pe)
- 2 Corinthians 7:6But God, who encourages the downhearted, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:16Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope,
Commentaries on Isaiah 51:19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19These two things - desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword - That is, desolation by famine, and destruction by the sword, taking the terms alternately: of which form of construction see other examples. De S. Poesi, Hebrews Prael. xix., and Prelim. Dissert. p. 30. The Chaldee paraphrast, not rightly understanding this, has had recourse to the following expedient: "Two afflictions are come upon thee, and when four shall come upon thee…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19These two things are come unto thee - Margin, Happened.‘ That is, two sources of calamity have come upon thee; to wit, famine and the sword, producing desolation and destruction; or desolation by famine, and destruction by the sword (see Lowth on Hebrew Poetry, Lect. xix.) The idea here is, that far-spread destruction had occurred, caused by the two things, famine and the sword. Who shall be sorry for thee? - That is, who shall be able so to pity thee as…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-23Verses 17-23 God calls upon his people to mind the things that belong to their everlasting peace. Jerusalem had provoked God, and was made to taste the bitter fruits. Those who should have been her comforters, were their own tormentors. They have no patience by which to keep possesion of their own souls, nor any confidence in God's promise, by which to keep possession of its comfort. Thou art drunken, not as formerly, with the intoxicating cup of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-23The prophet called the people of Israel to be done with their past and to anticipate God’s future for them.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. two--classes of evils, for he enumerates four, namely, desolation and destruction to the land and state; famine and the sword to the people. who shall be sorry for thee--so as to give thee effectual relief: as the parallel clause, "By whom shall I comfort thee?" shows (La 2:11-13).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 51:19
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
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