The Meaning of Isaiah 50:2 Explained

Isaiah 50:2

KJV: Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.

YLT: Wherefore have I come, and there is no one? I called, and there is none answering, Hath My hand been at all short of redemption? And is there not in me power to deliver? Lo, by My rebuke I dry up a sea, I make rivers a wilderness, Their fish stinketh, for there is no water, And dieth with thirst.

Darby: Wherefore did I come, and there was no man? I called, and there was none to answer? Is my hand at all shortened that I cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make rivers a wilderness; their fish stink because there is no water, and die for thirst.

ASV: Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stink, because there is no water, and die for thirst.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Wherefore, when I came,  [was there] no man?  when I called,  [was there] none to answer?  Is my hand  shortened  at all,  that it cannot redeem?  or have I no power  to deliver?  behold, at my rebuke  I dry up  the sea,  I make  the rivers  a wilderness:  their fish  stinketh,  because [there is] no water,  and dieth  for thirst. 

What does Isaiah 50:2 Mean?

Study Notes

redeem
See Scofield " Exodus 14:30 ".
Redeemer
Redemption: Kinsman type, summary. The goel, or Kinsman-Redeemer, is a beautiful type of Christ.
(1) The kinsman redemption was of persons, and an inheritance Leviticus 25:48 ; Leviticus 25:25 ; Galatians 4:5 ; Ephesians 1:7 ; Ephesians 1:11 ; Ephesians 1:14
(2) The Redeemer must be a kinsman Leviticus 25:48 ; Leviticus 25:49 ; Ruth 3:12 ; Ruth 3:13 ; Galatians 4:4 ; Hebrews 2:14 ; Hebrews 2:15 .
(3) The Redeemer must be able to redeem Ruth 4:4-6 ; Jeremiah 50:34 ; John 10:11 ; John 10:18
(4) Redemption is effected by the goel paying the just demand in full Leviticus 25:27 ; 1 Peter 1:18 ; 1 Peter 1:19 ; Galatians 3:13 . (See Scofield " Exodus 14:30 ") See Scofield " Romans 3:24 "
come to Zion
The time when the "Redeemer shall come to Zion" is fixed, relatively, by Romans 11:23-29 as following the completion of the Gentile Church. That is also the order of the great dispensational passage, Acts 15:14-17 .
In both, the return of the Lord to Zion follows the outcalling of the Church.
come to Zion
The time when the "Redeemer shall come to Zion" is fixed, relatively, by Romans 11:23-29 as following the completion of the Gentile Church. That is also the order of the great dispensational passage, Acts 15:14-17 .
In both, the return of the Lord to Zion follows the outcalling of the Church.

Verse Meaning

The Lord asked two more questions of His people that amount to one. Note the prominence of questions as a teaching device in this chapter ( Isaiah 50:1-2; Isaiah 50:8-11). Why had they not responded to His calls for repentance and faith (which came through the prophets)? Had they done Song of Solomon , He implied, He would not have sold them into captivity. Was His lack of deliverance when they called to Him for help the result of His inability to save them? No, He could reach them, and He was strong enough to save them. The figure of God"s hand saving shows that God Himself saves. This is the first of several references to the Lord"s hand or arm in Isaiah , a common figure in the Old Testament for strength (cf. Isaiah 51:5; Isaiah 51:9; Isaiah 52:10; Isaiah 53:1). As Isaiah would reveal, the Lord"s power was great enough not only to rescue the Israelites from captivity, but to provide salvation from sin.

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 50:2 mean?

Why when I came and [was there] no man [Why] when I called and [was there] none to answer is at all shortened My hand that it [cannot] redeem Or have no I power to deliver indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea I make the rivers a wilderness stink their fish because [there is] no water and die of thirst
מַדּ֨וּעַ בָּ֜אתִי וְאֵ֣ין ؟ אִ֗ישׁ קָרָֽאתִי֮ וְאֵ֣ין ؟ עוֹנֶה֒ הֲקָצ֨וֹר קָצְרָ֤ה יָדִי֙ ؟ מִפְּד֔וּת וְאִם־ אֵֽין־ בִּ֥י כֹ֖חַ ؟ לְהַצִּ֑יל הֵ֣ן בְּגַעֲרָתִ֞י אַחֲרִ֣יב יָ֗ם אָשִׂ֤ים נְהָרוֹת֙ מִדְבָּ֔ר תִּבְאַ֤שׁ דְּגָתָם֙ מֵאֵ֣ין מַ֔יִם וְתָמֹ֖ת בַּצָּמָֽא

מַדּ֨וּעַ  Why 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מַדּוּעַ  
Sense: why?, on what account?, wherefore?.
בָּ֜אתִי  when  I  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וְאֵ֣ין  and  [was  there]  no 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
؟ אִ֗ישׁ  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
קָרָֽאתִי֮  [Why]  when  I  called 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
וְאֵ֣ין  and  [was  there]  none 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
؟ עוֹנֶה֒  to  answer 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: לְעַנּׄות 
Sense: to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout.
הֲקָצ֨וֹר  is  at  all 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: קָצוּר 
Sense: to be short, be impatient, be vexed, be grieved.
קָצְרָ֤ה  shortened 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: קָצוּר 
Sense: to be short, be impatient, be vexed, be grieved.
יָדִי֙  My  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
؟ מִפְּד֔וּת  that  it  [cannot]  redeem 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: פְּדוּת 
Sense: ransom.
אֵֽין־  have  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
כֹ֖חַ  power 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּחַ 
Sense: strength, power, might.
؟ לְהַצִּ֑יל  to  deliver 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: נָצַל  
Sense: to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder.
הֵ֣ן  indeed 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
בְּגַעֲרָתִ֞י  with  My  rebuke 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: גְּעָרָה  
Sense: a rebuke, reproof.
אַחֲרִ֣יב  I  dry  up 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: חָרֵב 
Sense: to be waste, lay waste, make desolate, be desolate, be in ruins.
יָ֗ם  the  sea 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
אָשִׂ֤ים  I  make 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
נְהָרוֹת֙  the  rivers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
מִדְבָּ֔ר  a  wilderness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
תִּבְאַ֤שׁ  stink 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בָּאַשׁ  
Sense: to have a bad smell, stink, smell bad.
דְּגָתָם֙  their  fish 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: דָּגָה  
Sense: fish.
מֵאֵ֣ין  because  [there  is]  no 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
מַ֔יִם  water 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
וְתָמֹ֖ת  and  die 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Jussive, third person feminine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
בַּצָּמָֽא  of  thirst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: צָמָא  
Sense: thirst.