The Meaning of Isaiah 49:19 Explained

Isaiah 49:19

KJV: 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.

YLT: Because thy wastes, and thy desolate places, And the land of thy ruins, Surely now are straitened because of inhabitants, And far off have been those consuming thee.

Darby: For in thy waste and thy desolate places, and thy destroyed land, thou shalt even now be too straitened by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

ASV: For, as for thy waste and thy desolate places, and thy land that hath been destroyed, surely now shalt thou be too strait for the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Isaiah 49:19 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jerusalem"s waste and desolate places would one day be full of people. Her destroyers would be gone and in their place would be so many inhabitants that the land would overflow with people.
"The city"s growth is cited as an unmistakable sign of Yahweh"s grace." [1]

Context Summary

Isaiah 49:14-26 - The Lord Cannot Forget His Own
These assurances were given to the chosen race on the eve of their return from Babylon. They were timid and reluctant to quit the familiar scenes of their captivity; they dreaded the dangers and privations of their way home, and questioned whether the great empire of their captors would ever let them go or allow their city to rise from its ruins. Therefore the Lord's voice takes on a tone of unusual persuasiveness. Let us ponder His assurances of compassion and comfort, Isaiah 49:13; Isaiah 49:15-16.
He will lead us with a shepherd's care, Isaiah 49:10. He will make obstacles subserve His purpose, Isaiah 49:11. His love is more than motherhood, Isaiah 49:15. He treasures the remembrance of His own, Isaiah 49:16. Zion thinks herself cast away as a derelict, Isaiah 49:14, but such is not the case. Even her broken walls are ever before God, with a view to their rebuilding, Isaiah 49:19, etc. God's love is stronger than our strongest enemies, Isaiah 49:25, etc. Let us hide in it, standing above the fears that compose the cloudland of our soul, in the upper peaks of a strong faith. [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 49:19 mean?

For your waste and desolate places and the land of your destruction even now will be too small for the inhabitants and will be far away those who swallowed you up
כִּ֤י חָרְבֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ וְשֹׁ֣מְמֹתַ֔יִךְ וְאֶ֖רֶץ הֲרִֽסֻתֵ֑יךְ כִּ֤י עַתָּה֙ תֵּצְרִ֣י מִיּוֹשֵׁ֔ב וְרָחֲק֖וּ מְבַלְּעָֽיִךְ

חָרְבֹתַ֙יִךְ֙  your  waste 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: חָרְבָּה  
Sense: a place laid waste, ruin, waste, desolation.
וְשֹׁ֣מְמֹתַ֔יִךְ  and  desolate  places 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: שָׁמֵם  
Sense: to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy.
וְאֶ֖רֶץ  and  the  land 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
הֲרִֽסֻתֵ֑יךְ  of  your  destruction 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: הֲרִיסוּת  
Sense: destruction, ruin, overthrow.
כִּ֤י  even 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
עַתָּה֙  now 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עַתָּה  
Sense: now.
תֵּצְרִ֣י  will  be  too  small 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: צָרַר  
Sense: to bind, be distressed, be in distress, be cramped, be narrow, be scant, be in straits, make narrow, cause distress, beseige.
מִיּוֹשֵׁ֔ב  for  the  inhabitants 
Parse: Preposition-m, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
וְרָחֲק֖וּ  and  will  be  far  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: רָחַק  
Sense: to be or become far, be or become distant, be removed, go far away.
מְבַלְּעָֽיִךְ  those  who  swallowed  you  up 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: בָּלַע 
Sense: to swallow down, swallow up, engulf, eat up.