Isaiah 47:15 kjv
Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.
Isaiah 47:15 nkjv
Thus shall they be to you With whom you have labored, Your merchants from your youth; They shall wander each one to his quarter. No one shall save you.
Isaiah 47:15 niv
That is all they are to you? these you have dealt with and labored with since childhood. All of them go on in their error; there is not one that can save you.
Isaiah 47:15 esv
Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction; there is no one to save you.
Isaiah 47:15 nlt
And all your friends,
those with whom you've done business since childhood,
will go their own ways,
turning a deaf ear to your cries.
Isaiah 47 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 47:15 | "They shall all be scattered; Each one shall turn to his own way; No one shall save them." | Isaiah 13:14 |
| Deuteronomy 32:30 | "How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the LORD had given them up?" | Deuteronomy 32:30 |
| Psalm 73:18 | "Surely you set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction." | Psalm 73:18 |
| Jeremiah 50:37 | "And their horses, Their chariots, and all their mercenaries who are in her midst Shall be like a swath of grass; They shall become like weak women. Their treasures shall be plunder, Their idols plunder, And their strongholds plunder; Then I will be tired of them." | Jeremiah 50:37 |
| Jeremiah 51:9 | "We would have healed Babylon, But she is not healed. Forsake her, And let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgment reaches to heaven And is lifted up to the skies." | Jeremiah 51:9 |
| Job 12:24 | "He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness where there is no way." | Job 12:24 |
| Isaiah 19:3 | "The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, They will seek idols and the mumblers, the mediums, and the psychics." | Isaiah 19:3 |
| 1 Samuel 28:3 | "Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in his own place. And Saul had put the mediums and sorcerers out of the land." | 1 Samuel 28:3 |
| Isaiah 44:25 | "That frustrates the signs of the liars, And makes fools of diviners; That turns wise men back, And makes their knowledge foolish." | Isaiah 44:25 |
| Isaiah 8:19 | "And when they say to you, 'Seek those who are mediums and those who whisper and mutter,' Should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?" | Isaiah 8:19 |
| Acts 19:18-19 | "And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it was fifty thousand pieces of silver." | Acts 19:18-19 |
| Revelation 18:10 | "standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'" | Revelation 18:10 |
| Revelation 18:17 | "For in one hour such great riches came to nothing. Every shipmaster, all who travel by sea, sailors, and all who trade by sea, stood at a distance." | Revelation 18:17 |
| Romans 8:31 | "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" | Romans 8:31 |
| Proverbs 11:14 | "Where there is no guidance, a people falls; But in an abundance of counselors there is safety." | Proverbs 11:14 |
| Isaiah 5:21 | "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!" | Isaiah 5:21 |
| Psalm 146:3 | "Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help." | Psalm 146:3 |
| Jeremiah 10:23 | "O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps." | Jeremiah 10:23 |
| Zephaniah 1:8 | "And it shall be, in the day of the LORD’s sacrifice, That I will punish the princes And the king’s children, And all such as are readily clothed with foreign apparel." | Zephaniah 1:8 |
| Luke 12:20 | "But God said to him, ‘Foolish one, this night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have prepared?’" | Luke 12:20 |
Isaiah 47 verses
Isaiah 47 15 Meaning
This verse pronounces divine judgment upon Babylon, highlighting its utter helplessness in the face of the supernatural forces it sought help from. It describes how all its alleged advisors and stargazers, whom it trusted, are rendered utterly useless. They have no insight or ability to avert the impending doom. Therefore, they will all be scattered, and no one will be there to save or deliver them from God's wrath.
Isaiah 47 15 Context
Chapter 47 of Isaiah continues the prophetic oracle against Babylon. This section serves as a polemic against Babylon's pride and its reliance on magical and astrological means for security, contrasting them with true reliance on God. Babylon, which had previously acted as God's instrument of judgment against Israel, was itself destined for destruction. The chapter paints a vivid picture of Babylon's downfall, moving from a proud, ruling queen to a helpless captive stripped of her dignity and power. The verse in question specifically addresses the ultimate failure of all the diviners, sorcerers, and astrologers that Babylon trusted for counsel and protection against the approaching enemy.
Isaiah 47 15 Word Analysis
- "They": Refers to the specific individuals previously mentioned in the preceding verses who were Babylon's advisors – the stargazers, those who analyze the new moons, and the monthly prognosticators (Isaiah 47:13).
- "shall all": Emphasizes the totality of their dispersion. Not a single one will escape or be exempt from this fate.
- "be scattered": Hebrew: niphtsû. The Niphal (passive) form of the verb pâtsa. Implies being broken into pieces, dispersed, or broken apart. This signifies complete disarray and loss of cohesion.
- "Each one": Hebrew: îsh ’el dərêkô. Literally, "man to his way." This phrase conveys individualistic escape or abandonment, lacking any coordinated effort or mutual support. It underscores their isolation.
- "shall turn": Hebrew: yāshûb. The Hiphil (causative) form. It implies they will cause themselves to go, or will go, back to their own way. They abandon their posts and seek personal refuge.
- "to his own way": Indicates a complete lack of unity or leadership. They cease to function as a cohesive group advising the kingdom. Each seeks individual survival.
- "No one": Hebrew: ’ên. Negation. Highlights the absolute absence of any rescuer.
- "shall save them": Hebrew: yôshî‘ ’ôṯâm. This phrase signifies deliverance, rescue, or preservation from danger. God declares that no human or supernatural agency that Babylon trusted will provide this salvation.
Words Group Analysis
- "stargazers, those who analyze the new moons, and the monthly prognosticators": These titles in verse 13 represent the sophisticated astrological and divinatory system that Babylon relied upon. They are collectively dismissed in verse 15 as ineffective.
- "Each one shall turn to his own way; No one shall save them.": This is a powerful depiction of the collapse of Babylonian leadership and counsel. The failure of their supposed wise men leads to individualistic panic and abandonment, a complete negation of their supposed power to protect.
Isaiah 47 15 Bonus Section
The complete failure of Babylon's wise men in this verse echoes the biblical narrative of human pride and its eventual humbling. False prophets and counselors are a recurring theme throughout scripture, often leading their followers astray. The verse underscores the essential difference between true wisdom, which comes from God (Proverbs 1:7), and the deceptive practices of divination and astrology. The concept of being "scattered" also reflects divine judgment, often described as sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36), highlighting vulnerability and the absence of divine protection. The enemies' utter inability to save serves as a testament to God's sovereign power and His people's ultimate safety when they abide in Him.
Isaiah 47 15 Commentary
This verse is a devastating indictment of any system that places ultimate trust in human or occult wisdom rather than in the sovereign God. Babylon's counselors, who claimed to read the future and advise their king, are exposed as utterly powerless. Their scattering signifies the destruction of their practice and the breakdown of their influence. Their individual flight ("each one shall turn to his own way") demonstrates the inherent self-interest and lack of true solidarity within such systems, especially when faced with genuine divine judgment. The concluding statement, "No one shall save them," serves as a powerful affirmation of God's exclusive power to deliver and judge. This verse is a stern warning against syncretism and relying on any source of wisdom or power apart from the Almighty.