Isaiah 48:18

Isaiah 48:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
• New International Version (NIV)If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;
• New Living Translation (NLT)Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.

Context of Isaiah 48:18

16“Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and His Spirit Have sent Me.” 17Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 19Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me.” 20Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, Declare, proclaim this, Utter it to the end of the earth; Say, “The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!”

Isaiah 48:18 word by word

ל֥וּא הִקְשַׁ֖בְתָּ לְמִצְוֹתָ֑י וַיְהִ֤י כַנָּהָר֙ שְׁלוֹמֶ֔ךָ וְצִדְקָתְךָ֖ כְּגַלֵּ֥י הַיָּֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• O thatלוּlû' lû' lû · ifH3863
• thou hadst hearkenedקָשַׁבqâshab · to listenH7181
• to my commandmentsמִצְוָהmitsvâh · commandmentH4687
• then had thy peaceשָׁלוֹםshâlôm shâlôm · peaceH7965
• been as a riverנָהָרnâhâr · riverH5104
• and thy righteousnessצְדָקָהtsedâqâh · righteousnessH6666
• as the wavesגַּלgal · heap: waveH1530
• of the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220

Cross-references for Isaiah 48:18

• Deuteronomy 5:29Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!
• Deuteronomy 32:29Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would consider their latter end!
• Psalms 81:13“Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!
• Matthew 23:37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
• Luke 19:41Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,
• Isaiah 32:15Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.
• Isaiah 66:12For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed; On her sides shall you be carried, And be dandled on her knees.
• Psalms 36:8They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
• Psalms 119:165Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.
• Amos 5:24But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.
• Romans 14:17for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Commentaries on Isaiah 48:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18As a river "Like the river" - That is, the Euphrates.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18O that thou hadst heardened to my commandments! - This expresses the earnest wish and desire of God. He would greatly have preferred that they should have kept his law. He had no wish that they should sin, and that these judgments should come upon them. The doctrine taught here is, that God greatly prefers that people should keep his laws. He does not desire that they should be sinners, or that they should be punished. It was so with regard to the Jews…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 The Holy Spirit qualifies for service; and those may speak boldly, whom God and his Spirit send. This is to be applied to Christ. He was sent, and he had the Spirit without measure. Whom God redeems, he teaches; he teaches to profit by affliction, and then makes them partakers of his holiness. Also, by his grace he leads them in the way of duty; and by his providence he leads in the way of deliverance. God did not afflict them willingly. If…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18Peace and righteousness will be established when the kingdom of God fully comes (see Isaiah 66:12). like a river … like waves of the sea: There will be abundant peace and overflowing righteousness (compare Amos 5:24). Israel could have had this if its people had listened to God.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. peace--(Psa 119:165). Compare the desire expressed by the same Messiah (Mt 23:37; Lu 19:42). river--(Is 33:21; 41:18), a river flowing from God's throne is the symbol of free, abundant, and ever flowing blessings from Him (Eze 47:1; Zec 14:8; Re 22:1). righteousness--religious prosperity; the parent of "peace" or national prosperity; therefore "peace" corresponds to "righteousness" in the parallelism (Is 32:17).Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 48:18

• Peace

In the dictionaries

• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Isaiah
• Mark, the Gospel According to
• Saviour

Commentaries on Isaiah 48

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• 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