Isaiah 49:20

49:19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

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.

KJV

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The children of your bereavement will say in your ears, ‘This place is too small for me. Give me a place to live in.’

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.

The children which you shall have, after you have lost the other, shall say again in your ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.

49:21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

What does Isaiah 49:20 mean?

Isaiah 49:20 is a verse in the book of Isaiah, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include בֵּן (bên), שִׁכֻּלִים (shikkulîym), אָמַר (ʼâmar).

Hebrew interlinear

The

childrenבֵּןbên/bane/H1121a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)

which

thou

shalt

have,

after

thou

hast

lostשִׁכֻּלִיםshikkulîym/shik-koo-leem'/H7923childlessness (by continued bereavements)

the

other,

shall

sayאָמַרʼâmar/aw-mar'/H559to say (used with great latitude)

again

thine

ears,אֹזֶןʼôzen/o'-zen/H241broadness. i.e. (concrete) the ear (from its form in man)

The

placeמָקוֹםmâqôwm/maw-kome'/H4725properly, a standing, i.e. a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific); also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or mind)

too

straitצַרtsar/tsar/H6862narrow; (as a noun) a tight place (usually figuratively, i.e. trouble); also a pebble ; (transitive) an opponent (as crowding)

for

me:

giveנָגַשׁnâgash/naw-gash'/H5066to be or come (causatively, bring) near (for any purpose); euphemistically, to lie with a woman; as an enemy, to attack; religious to worship; causatively, to present; figuratively, to adduce an argument; by reversal, to stand back

placeמָקוֹםmâqôwm/maw-kome'/H4725properly, a standing, i.e. a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific); also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or mind)

that

may

dwell.יָשַׁבyâshab/yaw-shab'/H3427properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Isaiah 49:20.

1 Chronicles 12:17

And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you: but if ye be come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it. to meet: Heb. before them be knit: Heb. be one wrong: or, violence

Psalms 102:2

Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.

Psalms 18:6

In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

Frequently asked questions

What does Isaiah 49:20 say?

Isaiah 49:20 (King James Version) reads: "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."

Is Isaiah 49:20 in the Old or New Testament?

Isaiah 49:20 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Isaiah.

Reflect

As you read Isaiah 49:20, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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