Isaiah 49:20

Isaiah 49:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
• New International Version (NIV)The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.’
• English Standard Version (ESV)The children of your bereavement will yet say in your ears: 'The place is too narrow for me; make room for me to dwell in.'
• New King James Version (NKJV)The children you will have, After you have lost the others, Will say again in your ears, ‘The place is too small for me; Give me a place where I may dwell.’

Context of Isaiah 49:20

18Look around you and see, for all your children will come back to you. As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to display. 19“Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land will soon be crowded with your people. Your enemies who enslaved you will be far away. The generations born in exile will return and say, ‘We need more room! It’s crowded here!’ 21Then you will think to yourself, ‘Who has given me all these descendants? For most of my children were killed, and the rest were carried away into exile. I was left here all alone. Where did all these people come from? Who bore these children? Who raised them for me?’” 22This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I will give a signal to the godless nations. They will carry your little sons back to you in their arms; they will bring your daughters on their shoulders.

Isaiah 49:20 word by word

ע֚וֹד יֹאמְר֣וּ בְאָזְנַ֔יִךְ בְּנֵ֖י שִׁכֻּלָ֑יִךְ צַר־לִ֥י הַמָּק֖וֹם גְּשָׁה־לִּ֥י וְאֵשֵֽׁבָה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• which thou shalt have, after thou hast lostשִׁכֻּלִיםshikkûlîym · bereavementH7923
• the other, shall sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• again in thine earsאֹ֫זֶן'ôzen · earH241
• The placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
• too straitצַרtsar tsâr · narrowH6862
• for me: giveנָגַשׁnâgash · to approach: approachH5066
• to me that I may dwellיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427

Cross-references for Isaiah 49:20

• Isaiah 60:4“Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home.
• Hosea 1:10“Yet the time will come when Israel’s people will be like the sands of the seashore—too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God.’
• Matthew 3:9Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.
• Galatians 4:26But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother.
• Isaiah 51:3The Lord will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.
• Isaiah 54:1“Sing, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem, you who have never been in labor. For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband,” says the Lord.
• Joshua 17:14The descendants of Joseph came to Joshua and asked, “Why have you given us only one portion of land as our homeland when the Lord has blessed us with so many people?”
• 2 Kings 6:1One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small.

Commentaries on Isaiah 49:20

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20The children which thou shalt have - The increase of the population shall be so great. After thou hast lost the other - Hebrew, The sons of thy widowhood.‘ That is, after thou hast lost those that have been killed in the wars, and those that have died in captivity in a distant land, there shall be again a great increase as if they were given to a widowed mother. And perhaps the general truth is taught here, that the persecution of the people of God will…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. 2020. children ... after ... other--rather, "the children of thy widowhood," that is, the children of whom thou hast been bereft during their dispersion in other lands (see on Is 47:8) [Maurer]. again--rather, "yet." give place--rather, "stand close to me," namely, in order that we may be the more able to dwell in in the narrow place [Horsley]. Compare as to Israel's spiritual children, and the extension of the gospel sphere, Ro 15:19, 24; 2Co 10:14-16. But…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 49:20

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

In the dictionaries

• Church
• Forget
• Mouth
• Bereave; Bereaver; Bereft
• Isaiah
• Loss
• Mark, the Gospel According to
• Saviour
• Strait; Straiten; Straitly
• 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