The Meaning of Isaiah 49:13 Explained

Isaiah 49:13

KJV: Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

YLT: Sing, O heavens, and joy, O earth, And break forth, O mountains, with singing, For comforted hath Jehovah His people, And His afflicted ones He doth pity.

Darby: Shout, ye heavens; and be joyful, thou earth; and break forth into singing, ye mountains: for Jehovah hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted ones.

ASV: Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for Jehovah hath comforted his people, and will have compassion upon his afflicted.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Sing,  O heavens;  and be joyful,  O earth;  and break forth  into singing,  O mountains:  for the LORD  hath comforted  his people,  and will have mercy  upon his afflicted. 

What does Isaiah 49:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Isaiah concluded by calling on the whole created universe to rejoice because the Lord had comforted His people (cf. Isaiah 40:1; Isaiah 47:6) and had shown compassion on His formerly afflicted nation (cf. Isaiah 42:10-13; Isaiah 44:23; Isaiah 45:8; Isaiah 52:8-9; Isaiah 55:12-13). This is rejoicing over deliverance from sin, not just exile. When the Servant completes His work of salvation, the whole creation, not just humankind, will experience liberation from the effects of the Fall (cf. Romans 8:19-22).

Context Summary

Isaiah 49:1-13 - "a Light To The Gentiles"
The first division of this second part of Isaiah closes at Isaiah 48:22, with the phrase there is no peace to the wicked. The second division of part 2 closes with a similar phrase, Isaiah 57:21. The first division here ends with the proclamation for Israel to leave Babylon. They need never have gone there. If only they have been obedient in every particular theirs would have been the happy lot of Isaiah 48:18, as contrasted with Isaiah 48:22. But even under such circumstances, in captivity and as slaves of the Chaldeans the redeeming grace of God would triumph, Isaiah 48:20; Isaiah 49:5.
The second great division of Part 2 opens with Isaiah 49:1. In their first and immediate reference, these verses evidently apply to our Lord. See Acts 13:47, etc. In the mission of Jesus, the ideal of the Hebrew race was realized. As the white flower on the stalk He revealed the essential beauty and glory of the root, Isaiah 49:6. See Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:1-2; Matthew 2:14-15, etc.
There is a secondary sense, also, in which the Christian worker may appropriate many things in this glowing paragraph. Our mouth must be surrendered to God, that He may use it for His own high purposes. But do not dread the shadow of His hand. It is the quiver case in which He keeps His chosen arrows against the battle! [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 49

1  Christ being sent to the Jews, complains of them
5  He is sent to the Gentiles with gracious promises
13  God's love is perpetual to his church
18  The ample restoration of the church
24  The powerful deliverance out of captivity

What do the individual words in Isaiah 49:13 mean?

Sing heavens and Be joyful earth - and break out mountains in singing for has comforted Yahweh His people and on His afflicted will have mercy -
רָנּ֤וּ שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ וְגִ֣ילִי אָ֔רֶץ [יפצחו] (וּפִצְח֥וּ) ! הָרִ֖ים רִנָּ֑ה כִּֽי־ נִחַ֤ם יְהוָה֙ עַמּ֔וֹ וַעֲנִיָּ֖ו יְרַחֵֽם ס

רָנּ֤וּ  Sing 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: רוּן 
Sense: to overcome.
שָׁמַ֙יִם֙  heavens 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וְגִ֣ילִי  and  Be  joyful 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: גִּיל  
Sense: to rejoice, exult, be glad.
אָ֔רֶץ  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
[יפצחו]  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
(וּפִצְח֥וּ)  and  break  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: פָּצַח 
Sense: to cause to break or burst forth, break forth with, break out.
! הָרִ֖ים  mountains 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
רִנָּ֑ה  in  singing 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: רִנָּה  
Sense: ringing cry.
נִחַ֤ם  has  comforted 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָחַם  
Sense: to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עַמּ֔וֹ  His  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
וַעֲנִיָּ֖ו  and  on  His  afflicted 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עָנִי  
Sense: poor, afflicted, humble, wretched.
יְרַחֵֽם  will  have  mercy 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָחַם  
Sense: to love, love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection, have compassion.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation