The Meaning of Isaiah 50:11 Explained

Isaiah 50:11

KJV: Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

YLT: Lo, all ye kindling a fire, girding on sparks, Walk ye in the light of your fire, And in the sparks ye have caused to burn, From my hand hath this been to you, In grief ye lie down!

Darby: Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and among the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of my hand: ye shall lie down in sorrow.

ASV: Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that gird yourselves about with firebrands; walk ye in the flame of your fire, and among the brands that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of my hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold, all ye that kindle  a fire,  that compass [yourselves] about  with sparks:  walk  in the light  of your fire,  and in the sparks  [that] ye have kindled.  This shall ye have of mine hand;  ye shall lie down  in sorrow. 

What does Isaiah 50:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord contrasted the way of sorrow, in this verse, with the way of trust, in Isaiah 50:10. The Israelites who refused to trust God and obey the Servant in their dark mission, and instead tried to escape the dark by lighting their own fires, would experience torment. They would encounter this if they refused to trust God for deliverance from the Babylonians, and they would encounter it in their larger relationship with God. The Lord would send them torment, not vindication (cf. Isaiah 50:8-9). The Lord may have been using the figure of a person binding a flaming torch to himself so he could keep his hands free while working his way out of darkness. In such a case, it would have been only too common for people to set their own clothes on fire accidentally. The prophet used fire here to describe human wickedness, not divine wrath.

Context Summary

Isaiah 50:1-11 - Help For Those Who Trust In Him
It is impossible for God to put away the soul that clings to Him in penitence and faith. Heaven and earth may be searched, but no bill of divorce can be found. See Deuteronomy 24:1. And He sends His great servant, our Lord, of whom this chapter is full, to deliver and assure our trembling faith.
Notice the difference in Isaiah 50:4, between the Authorized Version and the Revised Version which reads, Jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary"¦. He wakeneth mine ear to hear as they that are taught. This quality of teachableness was primarily true of Jesus. It was the habit of His human life to listen to the secret teaching of the Father, breathed into His heart. See John 8:28; John 8:40. So also must we allow ourselves to be wakened by Him, each morning, that we also may know how to help men more efficiently and tenderly.
From the first, Jesus knew that He must die. See Mark 10:34. But He did not turn back. See Hebrews 10:5, etc. Was not His choice abundantly vindicated? The Father who justified Him was always near, John 8:29. See John 16:22. Let us who may be walking in darkness learn from our King to stay ourselves on God. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 50

1  Christ shows Israel's Sin is not to be imputed to him,
2  by his ability to save
5  By his obedience in that work
7  And by his confidence in that assistance
10  An exhortation to trust in God, and not in ourselves

What do the individual words in Isaiah 50:11 mean?

Look all you who kindle a fire who encircle [yourselves] with sparks Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled From My hand shall have this you in torment You shall lie down -
הֵ֧ן כֻּלְּכֶ֛ם קֹ֥דְחֵי אֵ֖שׁ מְאַזְּרֵ֣י זִיק֑וֹת לְכ֣וּ ׀ בְּא֣וּר אֶשְׁכֶ֗ם וּבְזִיקוֹת֙ בִּֽעַרְתֶּ֔ם מִיָּדִי֙ הָיְתָה־ זֹּ֣את לָכֶ֔ם לְמַעֲצֵבָ֖ה תִּשְׁכָּבֽוּן פ

הֵ֧ן  Look 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
כֻּלְּכֶ֛ם  all  you 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine plural
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
קֹ֥דְחֵי  who  kindle 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: קָדַח  
Sense: to kindle, be kindled.
אֵ֖שׁ  a  fire 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
מְאַזְּרֵ֣י  who  encircle  [yourselves]  with 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: אָזַר  
Sense: gird, encompass, equip, clothe.
זִיק֑וֹת  sparks 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: זִיקֹות 
Sense: spark, missile, firebrand, flaming arrow.
לְכ֣וּ ׀  Walk 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בְּא֣וּר  in  the  light 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אוּר  
Sense: flame, light of fire.
אֶשְׁכֶ֗ם  of  your  fire 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
וּבְזִיקוֹת֙  and  in  the  sparks 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural
Root: זִיקֹות 
Sense: spark, missile, firebrand, flaming arrow.
בִּֽעַרְתֶּ֔ם  you  have  kindled 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: בָּעַר 
Sense: to burn, consume, kindle, be kindled.
מִיָּדִי֙  From  My  hand 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
הָיְתָה־  shall  have 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
זֹּ֣את  this 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
לְמַעֲצֵבָ֖ה  in  torment 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מַעֲצֵבָה  
Sense: place of pain, place of grief.
תִּשְׁכָּבֽוּן  You  shall  lie  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: שָׁכַב  
Sense: to lie down.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation