The Meaning of Isaiah 46:13 Explained

Isaiah 46:13

KJV: I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

YLT: I have brought near My righteousness, It is not far off, And My salvation -- it doth not tarry, And I have given in Zion salvation, To Israel My glory!

Darby: I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not delay; and I will give salvation in Zion, and unto Israel my glory.

ASV: I bring near my righteousness, it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry; and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I bring near  my righteousness;  it shall not be far off,  and my salvation  shall not tarry:  and I will place  salvation  in Zion  for Israel  my glory. 

What does Isaiah 46:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

God would be faithful to His covenant promises and bring salvation to Zion (cf. Isaiah 44:26-28; Romans 3:21-25; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 1:30). He would soon bring the righteousness that His people lacked. This deliverance would glorify His name. Some have interpreted the "stubborn-minded" in Isaiah 46:12-13 as the Babylonians, rather than the Israelites, but this is a minority view. [1]
"This proves to be Isaiah"s final appeal to Israel to accept the Lord"s will, to believe what he says and trust what he does, though even as he make [2] his appeal he senses that it is falling on deaf ears (12)." [3]

Context Summary

Isaiah 46:1-13 - God's Salvation Shall Not Tarry
Here is a startling contrast! Babylon is broken up. An invading army of stern monotheists have slain the idolatrous priests at their altars and are engaged in carrying out the idols for the bonfire. And as the Jewish remnant is witnessing the extraordinary spectacle, they are reminded that their God does not require to be borne. Nay, on the contrary He has borne His people from the earliest days and will continue to bear them till the heavens have passed away.
The contrast is a perpetual one. Some people carry their religion; others are carried by it. Some are burdened by minute prescriptions and an external ritual; others yield themselves to God, to be borne by Him in old age as they were in the helplessness of childhood. They are persuaded that He will bear them "as a man doth bear His son," in all the way that they go, until they come to the prepared place. See Deuteronomy 1:31; Isaiah 63:9. God immediately responds to a trust like that, and His salvation does not tarry. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 46

1  The idols of Babylon could not save themselves
3  God saves his people to the end
5  Idols are not comparable to God for power
12  Or present salvation

What do the individual words in Isaiah 46:13 mean?

I bring near My righteousness not it shall be far off and My salvation shall linger And I will place in Zion salvation for Israel My glory -
קֵרַ֤בְתִּי צִדְקָתִי֙ לֹ֣א תִרְחָ֔ק וּתְשׁוּעָתִ֖י תְאַחֵ֑ר וְנָתַתִּ֤י בְצִיּוֹן֙ תְּשׁוּעָ֔ה לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל תִּפְאַרְתִּֽי ס

קֵרַ֤בְתִּי  I  bring  near 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: קָרַב  
Sense: to come near, approach, enter into, draw near.
צִדְקָתִי֙  My  righteousness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: צְדָקָה  
Sense: justice, righteousness.
תִרְחָ֔ק  it  shall  be  far  off 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: רָחַק  
Sense: to be or become far, be or become distant, be removed, go far away.
וּתְשׁוּעָתִ֖י  and  My  salvation 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: תְּשׁוּעָה  
Sense: salvation, deliverance.
תְאַחֵ֑ר  shall  linger 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָחַר  
Sense: to delay, hesitate, tarry, defer, remain behind.
וְנָתַתִּ֤י  And  I  will  place 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
בְצִיּוֹן֙  in  Zion 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
תְּשׁוּעָ֔ה  salvation 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּשׁוּעָה  
Sense: salvation, deliverance.
לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  for  Israel 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
תִּפְאַרְתִּֽי  My  glory 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: תִּפְאֶרֶת  
Sense: beauty, splendour, glory.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation