Revised Literal Translation
Isaiah 49:16
16Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
Isaiah 49:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
- New International Version (NIV)See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
- New King James Version (NKJV)See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.
Context of Isaiah 49:16
14But Zion said, Yhwh hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. 15Can 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. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. 17Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth from thee. 18Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith Yhwh, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.
Read all of Isaiah 49Isaiah 49:16 word by word
הֵ֥ן עַל־כַּפַּ֖יִם חַקֹּתִ֑יךְ חוֹמֹתַ֥יִךְ נֶגְדִּ֖י תָּמִֽיד׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Isaiah 49:16
- Exodus 13:9And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that Yhwh’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath Yhwh brought thee out of Egypt.
- Jeremiah 22:24As I live, saith Yhwh, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;
- Haggai 2:23In that day, saith Yhwh of Armies, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith Yhwh, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith Yhwh of Armies.
- Isaiah 26:1In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
- Isaiah 54:12And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
- Isaiah 60:18Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
- Revelation 21:10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Commentaries on Isaiah 49:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands "Behold, on the palms of my hands have I delineated thee" - This is certainly an allusion to some practice, common among the Jews at that time, of making marks on their hands or arms by punctures on the skin, with some sort of sign or representation of the city or temple, to show their affection and zeal for it. They had a method of making such punctures indelible by fire, or by staining. See note on…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands - This is another argument in answer to the complaint of Zion in Isaiah 49:14. There have been various interpretations of this passage. Grotius supposes that it refers to a custom of placing some mark or sign on the hand, or on one of the fingers when they wished to remember anything, and appeals to Exodus 13:9. Lowth supposes that it is an allusion to some practice common among the Jews at that time…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. 1616. Alluding to the Jews' custom (perhaps drawn from Ex 13:9) of puncturing on their hands a representation of their city and temple, in token of zeal for them [Lowth], (So 8:6).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 49:16
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
Revised Literal Translation — © 2018 Michael W. Jones, Sr. — GPL
Commentaries