The Meaning of Isaiah 49:20 Explained

Isaiah 49:20

KJV: 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.

YLT: Again do the sons of thy bereavement say in thine ears: 'The place is too strait for me, Come nigh to me -- and I dwell.'

Darby: The children of thy bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, The place is too narrow for me: make room for me, that I may dwell.

ASV: The children of thy bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, The place is too strait for me; give place to me that I may dwell.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Isaiah 49:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Israelites who had once been far away would return, but would complain about the difficulty of finding room to live, because so many other Israelites would have returned.

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 49:20 mean?

Again will say in your ears the sons you will have after you have lost the others too small for me the place [is] Give a place me and where I may dwell
ע֚וֹד יֹאמְר֣וּ בְאָזְנַ֔יִךְ בְּנֵ֖י שִׁכֻּלָ֑יִךְ צַר־ לִ֥י הַמָּק֖וֹם גְּשָׁה־ לִּ֥י וְאֵשֵֽׁבָה

ע֚וֹד  Again 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
יֹאמְר֣וּ  will  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בְאָזְנַ֔יִךְ  in  your  ears 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, fdc, second person feminine singular
Root: אֹזֶן  
Sense: ear, as part of the body.
בְּנֵ֖י  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
שִׁכֻּלָ֑יִךְ  you  will  have  after  you  have  lost  the  others 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: שִׁכֻּלִים  
Sense: childlessness, bereavement.
צַר־  too  small 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צַר 
Sense: narrow, tight.
לִ֥י  for  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
הַמָּק֖וֹם  the  place  [is] 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
גְּשָׁה־  Give  a  place 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: נָגַשׁ  
Sense: to draw near, approach.
לִּ֥י  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
וְאֵשֵֽׁבָה  and  where  I  may  dwell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.