The Meaning of Isaiah 51:18 Explained

Isaiah 51:18

KJV: There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.

YLT: There is not a leader to her Out of all the sons she hath borne, And there is none laying hold on her hand Out of all the sons she hath nourished.

Darby: there is none to guide her among all the children that she hath brought forth; neither is there any to take her by the hand of all the children that she hath brought up.

ASV: There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand among all the sons that she hath brought up.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[There is] none to guide  her among all the sons  [whom] she hath brought forth;  neither [is there any] that taketh  her by the hand  of all the sons  [that] she hath brought up. 

What does Isaiah 51:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

She was unable to stand up and walk on her own, so devastating had been the effects of the Lord"s judgment against her. Moreover, she had no children (inhabitants) to help her go home.

Context Summary

Isaiah 51:12-23 - "the Captive Exile Shall Be Loosed"
During the Sepoy mutiny in India, when a number of English men and women were shut up in a quarter of Cawnpore, expecting a terrible death by assault or slow starvation, a torn page of the Bible, containing this passage, was found on the street pavement and was of unspeakable comfort. Oh, the blessedness of appropriating Isaiah 51:16! See Isaiah 49:7.
We are too apt to forget that God pleads the cause of His people, even when they have sinned and have reduced themselves to sore straits, Isaiah 51:17 and Isaiah 51:22. We think more of the earth than of the over-arching skies; of the fading grass than of the tree of Life; of man than of God. The near obscures the distant, and the flaring earth lights, the shine of the stars! Root yourself in God! Think of Him who sits at the right hand of the throne, the seat of resistless, ceaseless energy! Believe that God has placed Himself between you and all enemies and circumstances which threaten. To fear all day is impossible in face of these paragraphs. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 51

1  An exhortation after the pattern of Abraham, to trust in Christ
3  By reason of his comfortable promises,
4  Of his righteous salvation
7  And man's mortality
9  Christ by his sanctified arm defends his from the fear of man
17  He bewails the afflictions of Jerusalem
21  And promises deliverance

What do the individual words in Isaiah 51:18 mean?

[There is] no one to guide her Among all the sons she has brought forth and [there is] no one who takes her by the hand she has brought up
אֵין־ מְנַהֵ֣ל לָ֔הּ מִכָּל־ בָּנִ֖ים יָלָ֑דָה וְאֵ֤ין מַחֲזִיק֙ בְּיָדָ֔הּ גִּדֵּֽלָה

אֵין־  [There  is]  no  one 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
מְנַהֵ֣ל  to  guide 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָהַל  
Sense: to lead, give rest, lead with care, guide to a watering place or station, cause to rest, bring to a station or place of rest, guide, refresh.
לָ֔הּ  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
מִכָּל־  Among  all 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
בָּנִ֖ים  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יָלָ֑דָה  she  has  brought  forth 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
וְאֵ֤ין  and  [there  is]  no 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
מַחֲזִיק֙  one  who  takes  her 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: חָזַק  
Sense: to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore.
בְּיָדָ֔הּ  by  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
גִּדֵּֽלָה  she  has  brought  up 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: גָּדַל  
Sense: to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things.