The Meaning of Isaiah 46:3 Explained

Isaiah 46:3

KJV: Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:

YLT: Hearken unto Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of Israel, Who are borne from the belly, Who are carried from the womb,

Darby: Hearken unto me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, ye who have been borne from the belly, who have been carried from the womb:

ASV: Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, that have been borne by me from their birth, that have been carried from the womb;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Hearken  unto me, O house  of Jacob,  and all the remnant  of the house  of Israel,  which are borne  [by me] from the belly,  which are carried  from the womb: 

What does Isaiah 46:3 Mean?

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 46:3 mean?

Listen to Me house of Jacob and all the remnant of the house of Israel who have been upheld [by Me] from birth who have been carried the womb
שִׁמְע֤וּ אֵלַי֙ בֵּ֣ית יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְכָל־ שְׁאֵרִ֖ית בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הַֽעֲמֻסִים֙ מִנִּי־ בֶ֔טֶן הַנְּשֻׂאִ֖ים רָֽחַם

שִׁמְע֤וּ  Listen 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
אֵלַי֙  to  Me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
בֵּ֣ית  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יַעֲקֹ֔ב  of  Jacob 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַעֲקֹב  
Sense: son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the 2 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel.
וְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
שְׁאֵרִ֖ית  the  remnant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שְׁאֵרִית  
Sense: rest, residue, remainder, remnant.
בֵּ֣ית  of  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל  of  Israel 
Parse: 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.
הַֽעֲמֻסִים֙  who  have  been  upheld  [by  Me] 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine plural
Root: עָמַס  
Sense: to load, carry, carry a load.
בֶ֔טֶן  birth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: בֶּטֶן  
Sense: belly, womb, body.
הַנְּשֻׂאִ֖ים  who  have  been  carried 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine plural
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
רָֽחַם  the  womb 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רַחַם 
Sense: womb.