The Meaning of Isaiah 49:23 Explained

Isaiah 49:23

KJV: And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

YLT: And kings have been thy nursing fathers, And their princesses thy nursing mothers; Face to the earth -- they bow down to thee, And the dust of thy feet they lick up, And thou hast known that I am Jehovah, That those expecting Me are not ashamed.

Darby: And kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and their princesses thy nursing-mothers: they shall bow down to thee with the face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet. And thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; for they shall not be ashamed who wait on me.

ASV: And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; and they that wait for me shall not be put to shame.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And kings  shall be thy nursing fathers,  and their queens  thy nursing mothers:  they shall bow down  to thee with [their] face  toward the earth,  and lick up  the dust  of thy feet;  and thou shalt know  that I [am] the LORD:  for they shall not be ashamed  that wait  for me. 

What does Isaiah 49:23 Mean?

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 49:23 mean?

And shall be Kings your foster fathers and their queens your nursing mothers With [their] faces to the earth they shall bow down to you and the dust of your feet lick up and you will know that I [am] Yahweh for not they shall be ashamed who wait for Me -
וְהָי֨וּ מְלָכִ֜ים אֹֽמְנַ֗יִךְ וְשָׂרֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ מֵינִ֣יקֹתַ֔יִךְ אַפַּ֗יִם אֶ֚רֶץ יִשְׁתַּ֣חֲווּ לָ֔ךְ וַעֲפַ֥ר רַגְלַ֖יִךְ יְלַחֵ֑כוּ וְיָדַ֙עַתְּ֙ כִּֽי־ אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־ יֵבֹ֖שׁוּ קוָֹֽי ס

וְהָי֨וּ  And  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
מְלָכִ֜ים  Kings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אֹֽמְנַ֗יִךְ  your  foster  fathers 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אָמַן 
Sense: to support, confirm, be faithful.
וְשָׂרֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙  and  their  queens 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׂרָה  
Sense: princess, noblewoman, noble lady.
מֵינִ֣יקֹתַ֔יִךְ  your  nursing  mothers 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, feminine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: יָנַק 
Sense: to suckle, nurse, suck.
אַפַּ֗יִם  With  [their]  faces 
Parse: Noun, md
Root: אַף 
Sense: nostril, nose, face.
אֶ֚רֶץ  to  the  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
יִשְׁתַּ֣חֲווּ  they  shall  bow  down 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁחָה  
Sense: to bow down.
לָ֔ךְ  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
וַעֲפַ֥ר  and  the  dust 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עָפָר  
Sense: dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish.
רַגְלַ֖יִךְ  of  your  feet 
Parse: Noun, fdc, second person feminine singular
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.
יְלַחֵ֑כוּ  lick  up 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: לָחַךְ  
Sense: to lick, lick up.
וְיָדַ֙עַתְּ֙  and  you  will  know 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
כִּֽי־  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אֲנִ֣י  I  [am] 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
יֵבֹ֖שׁוּ  they  shall  be  ashamed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּושׁ 
Sense: to put to shame, be ashamed, be disconcerted, be disappointed.
קוָֹֽי  who  wait  for  Me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: קָוָה 
Sense: to wait, look for, hope, expect.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation