The Meaning of Isaiah 49:21 Explained

Isaiah 49:21

KJV: Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

YLT: And thou hast said in thy heart: 'Who hath begotten for me -- these? And I bereaved and gloomy, A captive, and turned aside, And these -- who hath nourished? Lo, I -- I was left by myself, these -- whence are they?

Darby: And thou shalt say in thy heart, Who hath borne me these, seeing I had lost my children and was desolate, an exile, and driven about? and who hath brought up these? behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?

ASV: Then shalt thou say in thy heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then shalt thou say  in thine heart,  Who hath begotten  me these, seeing I have lost my children,  and am desolate,  a captive,  and removing to and fro?  and who hath brought up  these? Behold, I was left  alone; these, where  [had] they [been]? 

What does Isaiah 49:21 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Zion would then say to herself: "Where in the world did all these children of mine come from? I thought all my children were dead and gone and that I was an old, forsaken widow. But now my children surround me." Her many children will not simply be the product of her own fertility, but a supernatural gift from God (cf. Genesis 18:12-14; Ruth 4:13-17).

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 49:21 mean?

And you will say in your heart who has begotten for me - these since I have lost my children and am barren a captive and wandering to and fro and these has brought up there I was left alone [But] these where [were] they -
וְאָמַ֣רְתְּ בִּלְבָבֵ֗ךְ מִ֤י יָֽלַד־ לִי֙ אֶת־ אֵ֔לֶּה וַאֲנִ֥י שְׁכוּלָ֖ה וְגַלְמוּדָ֑ה גֹּלָ֣ה ׀ ؟ וְסוּרָ֗ה ؟ וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ גִדֵּ֔ל הֵ֤ן אֲנִי֙ נִשְׁאַ֣רְתִּי לְבַדִּ֔י אֵ֖לֶּה אֵיפֹ֥ה הֵֽם פ

וְאָמַ֣רְתְּ  And  you  will  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בִּלְבָבֵ֗ךְ  in  your  heart 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: לֵבָב  
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.
יָֽלַד־  has  begotten 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
לִי֙  for  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֵ֔לֶּה  these 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
וַאֲנִ֥י  since  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
שְׁכוּלָ֖ה  have  lost  my  children 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: מְשַׁכֶּלֶת 
Sense: to be bereaved, make childless, miscarry.
וְגַלְמוּדָ֑ה  and  am  barren 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: גַּלְמוּד  
Sense: hard, barren, harsh, bleak.
גֹּלָ֣ה ׀  a  captive 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: גֹּולָה  
Sense: exiles, exile, captivity.
؟ וְסוּרָ֗ה  and  wandering  to  and  fro 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
؟ וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙  and  these 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
גִדֵּ֔ל  has  brought  up 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּדַל  
Sense: to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things.
נִשְׁאַ֣רְתִּי  was  left 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁאַר  
Sense: to remain, be left over, be left behind.
לְבַדִּ֔י  alone 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: בַּד 
Sense: alone, by itself, besides, a part, separation, being alone.
אֵ֖לֶּה  [But]  these 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
אֵיפֹ֥ה  where 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: אֵיפֹה  
Sense: where?.
הֵֽם  [were]  they 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation