Isaiah 22:4 kjv
Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.
Isaiah 22:4 nkjv
Therefore I said, "Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Do not labor to comfort me Because of the plundering of the daughter of my people."
Isaiah 22:4 niv
Therefore I said, "Turn away from me; let me weep bitterly. Do not try to console me over the destruction of my people."
Isaiah 22:4 esv
Therefore I said: "Look away from me; let me weep bitter tears; do not labor to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people."
Isaiah 22:4 nlt
That's why I said, "Leave me alone to weep;
do not try to comfort me.
Let me cry for my people
as I watch them being destroyed."
Isaiah 22 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 22:4 | Therefore I said, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly; do not try to console me... | Psalm 6:4; Jeremiah 9:1 |
| Jer 9:1 | Oh, that my head were water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! | Jeremiah 13:17; Lamentations 1:2 |
| Luke 19:41-42 | And when he drew near the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you even knew on this your day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. | Matthew 23:37-38; John 11:35 |
| Romans 9:2 | that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. | 2 Corinthians 2:14; Philippians 3:18 |
| Jeremiah 4:19 | My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the walls of my heart! My heart makes a noise in me; I cannot be quiet, because you hear, O soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. | Jeremiah 8:18; Jeremiah 30:12 |
| Isaiah 1:4 | Woe to them! they have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. | Jeremiah 2:13; John 8:42 |
| Hosea 11:8 | How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned over within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. | Deuteronomy 29:23; Genesis 19:24-25 |
| John 16:22 | So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. | John 14:27; John 20:20 |
| Isaiah 1:16 | Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, | Psalm 51:2, 7; Micah 6:8 |
| Isaiah 58:3 | Yet they say, ‘What’s the use of fasting if you don’t see it? What’s the use of humbling ourselves if you don’t know?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you pursue your business, and oppress all your workers. | Amos 5:21-23; Matthew 6:16-18 |
| Revelation 3:15-16 | I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. | Revelation 1:10-11; Revelation 21:6 |
| Matthew 23:37 | O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! | Luke 13:34; Acts 7:52 |
| Lamentations 3:48-49 | My eyes flow with rivers of tears because of the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eyes go blind; they do not cease, from continual unrest until the LORD looks down from heaven and sees. | Psalm 119:136; Jeremiah 14:17 |
| Ezekiel 16:43 | because you did not remember the days of your youth, but enraged me with all these things, therefore I have rained down your conduct upon your heads, declares the LORD GOD, and you have done none of the things described in your shamefulness. | Ezekiel 23:49; Hosea 11:9 |
| Proverbs 29:1 | Whoever is stubborn in his wrongdoing after a rebuke will suddenly be shattered, without remedy. | Proverbs 28:14; Romans 11:20 |
| Romans 15:4 | For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. | 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16 |
| Genesis 6:6 | And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. | Judges 2:18; Psalm 106:43 |
| Jeremiah 12:7 | I have forsaken my house; I have left my inheritance; I have given the beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. | Deuteronomy 32:15; Psalm 78:58 |
| Psalm 119:158 | I saw the treacherous, and I loathed them, because they do not keep your word. | Psalm 119:97, 139; John 15:7 |
| Revelation 18:7 | As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, because she said in her heart, ‘Sit as a queen on a throne, and I am no widow, I shall never see mourning.’ | Revelation 17:5; Revelation 19:3 |
Isaiah 22 verses
Isaiah 22 4 Meaning
The verse speaks of God's unwavering sorrow and distress over the sin and rebellion of His people. It highlights His profound emotional response to their turning away, portraying it as a deep seated grief that causes Him to weep incessantly and mourn. The "valley of vision" signifies a place of spiritual insight and prophetic revelation, and the distress indicates the sorrow felt when this vision is clouded by sin.
Isaiah 22 4 Context
Isaiah 22 prophesies against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, specifically those responsible for its fortifications and security, due to their pride and celebration in anticipation of a victorious outcome, rather than humility and repentance before God. The people were rejoicing and preparing for an attack, seemingly confident in their own strength and worldly preparations, but God declares that this confidence is misplaced. The chapter moves from a specific oracle concerning Shebna and the removal of his authority to a broader indictment against the people's reliance on earthly defenses and their lack of genuine sorrow for their sin. The prophet Isaiah is shown receiving a divine message of judgment and weeping for the city's impending destruction and spiritual blindness.
Isaiah 22 4 Word analysis
- Therefore (lāḵēn - לָכֵן): A conjunctive particle indicating consequence or result. It links the prophet's actions to the preceding divine message of impending judgment.
- I said (ʾāmar — אָמַר): The prophet speaks in his own voice, relaying the divine instruction. It signifies God's command given to the prophet.
- Look away (hāḇîṭû mē-ʿimmād - הַבִּיטוּ מֵעִמָּד): To turn aside from, to cease looking at. The imperative form suggests a command to avert one's gaze from something or someone, in this case, from consoling the one who weeps.
- from me (mimménnî — מִמֶּנִּי): Indicates the source or direction from which attention should be withdrawn.
- I will weep (ʾebḵēh — אֶבְכֶּה): A vivid declaration of intense sorrow and crying. The verb root b-k-h (בכה) signifies weeping, often aloud and with distress.
- bitterly (mar — מַר): Adverb modifying the weeping, emphasizing its deep anguish and suffering. It suggests a profound, unconsolable grief.
- do not (ʾal — אַל): A negative particle used to prohibit.
- try to console (niḥḥam — נִחַם): To comfort, to seek solace or ease another's grief. The refusal indicates an unwillingness to be comforted, highlighting the depth of sorrow.
- me (ʾōṯî — אוֹתִי): The object of the prohibition against consolation.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "Look away from me; I will weep bitterly; do not try to console me": This entire phrase expresses a state of profound, personal grief and a refusal of comfort. It shows the depth of emotional suffering that the prophet is instructed to embrace or is experiencing due to the sin of the people. It conveys a solemn, resolute sorrow that prioritizes expressing lament over seeking immediate solace.
Isaiah 22 4 Bonus section
This verse highlights the compassionate nature of God, who is grieved by the sin of His people. The prophet's willingness to weep bitterly reflects a spiritual sensitivity to God's heart. The phrase "valley of vision" might metaphorically represent the internal spiritual landscape of the nation, where a profound crisis has occurred, dimming their perception of truth and God's will. The command not to console the weeping prophet is a powerful image of how deep the sorrow of God and His messenger can be when faced with persistent iniquity, suggesting that some moments require the full experience of grief before restoration can be fully embraced. It illustrates the burden of prophetic ministry, which often involves intercessory prayer and profound empathy with the consequences of sin.
Isaiah 22 4 Commentary
The prophet Isaiah, upon receiving God's word concerning Jerusalem's impending judgment and the superficiality of their preparations, is overcome with a profound sorrow. His statement is not merely a personal expression of sadness but a divinely inspired lament that mirrors God's own grief over His people's rebellion. This deep sadness stems from the realization of their spiritual blindness and the consequences of their sin, which blinds them to the true source of their safety. The refusal of consolation underscores the severity of the situation and the unyielding nature of God's judgment against unrepentance, as well as the personal cost of bearing witness to such destruction. It signifies a moment where understanding the divine perspective on sin leads to an overwhelming sense of sorrow.