New Living Translation
Isaiah 49:15
15“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!
Isaiah 49:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
- New International Version (NIV)“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you.
Context of Isaiah 49:15
13Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. 14Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.” “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! 16See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins. 17Soon your descendants will come back, and all who are trying to destroy you will go away.
Read all of Isaiah 49Isaiah 49:15 word by word
הֲתִשְׁכַּ֤ח אִשָּׁה֙ עוּלָ֔הּ מֵרַחֵ֖ם בֶּן־בִּטְנָ֑הּ גַּם־אֵ֣לֶּה תִשְׁכַּ֔חְנָה וְאָנֹכִ֖י לֹ֥א אֶשְׁכָּחֵֽךְ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Isaiah 49:15
- 1 Kings 3:26Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!” But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!”
- Psalms 103:13The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
- Malachi 3:17“They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child.
- Matthew 7:11So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
- Leviticus 26:29Then you will eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters.
- Deuteronomy 28:56The most tender and delicate woman among you—so delicate she would not so much as touch the ground with her foot—will be selfish toward the husband she loves and toward her own son or daughter.
- 2 Kings 6:28But then the king asked, “What is the matter?” She replied, “This woman said to me: ‘Come on, let’s eat your son today, then we will eat my son tomorrow.’
- 2 Kings 11:1When Athaliah, the mother of King Ahaziah of Judah, learned that her son was dead, she began to destroy the rest of the royal family.
- Lamentations 4:3Even the jackals feed their young, but not my people Israel. They ignore their children’s cries, like ostriches in the desert.
- Romans 1:31They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.
- Isaiah 44:21“Pay attention, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I, the Lord, made you, and I will not forget you.
- Jeremiah 31:20“Is not Israel still my son, my darling child?” says the Lord. “I often have to punish him, but I still love him. That’s why I long for him and surely will have mercy on him.
- Hosea 11:1“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt.
- Romans 11:28Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Commentaries on Isaiah 49:15
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Can a woman forget her sucking child? - The design of this verse is apparent. It is to show that the love which God has for his people is stronger than that which is produced by the most tender ties created by any natural relation. The love of a mother for her infant child is the strongest attachment in nature. The question here implies that it was unusual for a mother to be unmindful of that tie, and to forsake the child that she should nourish and love…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-17Verses 13-17 Let there be universal joy, for God will have mercy upon the afflicted, because of his compassion; upon his afflicted, because of his covenant. We have no more reason to question his promise and grace, than we have to question his providence and justice. Be assured that God has a tender affection for his church and people; he would not have them to be discouraged. Some mothers do neglect their children; but God's compassions to his people…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. (Is 44:21; Psa 103:13; Mt 7:11).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 49:15
In the dictionaries
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
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