Isaiah 47 2

Isaiah 47:2 kjv

Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

Isaiah 47:2 nkjv

Take the millstones and grind meal. Remove your veil, Take off the skirt, Uncover the thigh, Pass through the rivers.

Isaiah 47:2 niv

Take millstones and grind flour; take off your veil. Lift up your skirts, bare your legs, and wade through the streams.

Isaiah 47:2 esv

Take the millstones and grind flour, put off your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers.

Isaiah 47:2 nlt

Take heavy millstones and grind flour.
Remove your veil, and strip off your robe.
Expose yourself to public view.

Isaiah 47 verses

Isaiah 47 2 Meaning

Isaiah 47:2 describes the swift and brutal humiliation awaiting Babylon, personified as a once-proud "daughter of the Chaldeans" (Isa 47:1). It issues commands for her to perform the most demeaning and arduous tasks of a slave: grinding meal with heavy millstones, removing her veil, and baring her legs, signifying the loss of status, dignity, and modesty. The final command to "pass through the rivers" graphically depicts her forced exile, a strenuous and dangerous journey where she will be exposed and vulnerable, stripped of her former glory and comfort. The verse foreshadows the complete reversal of Babylon's fortune, from a dominant imperial power to a vanquished, suffering servant.

Isaiah 47 2 Context

Verse Context: Isaiah 47:2 is a direct continuation of the oracle against Babylon, personifying the mighty empire as a "virgin daughter" now commanded to endure the lowest forms of servitude. Verse 1 describes her being cast down from her throne of power, compelled to sit in the dust as a slave. Verse 2 elaborates on the tasks and humiliation that await her, depicting the precise indignities of her new, reduced state, stripped of royal privileges and forced into abject labor and public shame.

Chapter Context: Chapter 47 is an oracle of judgment primarily targeting Babylon, who is depicted as a cruel oppressor of God's people (Israel) but now faces inevitable downfall. The chapter vividly contrasts Babylon's past pride, luxury, and perceived invincibility—her boast that "I shall not sit as a widow, nor know the loss of children" (v. 8), and "I am, and there is no one else besides me" (v. 10)—with her future degradation and utter helplessness. It emphasizes that her trust in her sorceries, enchantments, and wisdom (v. 12) will prove futile against the God of Israel. The overarching message is that God will humble the proud and deliver His people.

Historical Context: This prophecy likely originated during the Babylonian exile, or shortly before its conclusion, when Babylon was the dominant world power, having conquered Judah and destroyed Jerusalem. The Chaldeans were a powerful ethnic group, whose dynasty ruled Babylon during its zenith. The Babylonian Empire was renowned for its wealth, advanced culture, elaborate cities, and widespread use of astrological divination and sorcery. Babylon was infamous for its arrogance and brutal treatment of conquered nations, particularly Israel. The prophet Isaiah is delivering a message of hope and divine vindication to the exiled Jews, assuring them that their oppressor, for all its might and apparent invincibility, would fall, demonstrating God's sovereign control over world empires.

Isaiah 47 2 Word analysis

• לִקְחִי (lik-khí) - "Take" (imperative, feminine singular).
  • This is a command given directly to "daughter Babylon," underscoring her role as the object of divine judgment. The imperative mood implies immediate, unavoidable action, emphasizing the forced nature of her new existence. It sets the tone for a series of commands reducing her to a state of subservience.
• רֵחַיִם (rē-khá-yim) - "millstones" (dual form of 'millstone').
  • Refers to a set of two stones used for grinding grain by hand – one stationary base stone and one upper, rotating stone. This task was physically demanding, laborious, and traditionally assigned to female slaves, children, or the lowest members of a household. Its mention signifies a complete reversal of status for a royal capital known for luxury.
• טַחְנִי (ṭakh-ní) - "grind" (imperative, feminine singular).
  • This command reiterates the demand for servile labor. Grinding meal was the basic and constant chore ensuring food provision, symbolizing subsistence level work and loss of all privilege.
• קָמַח (qa-makh) - "meal" / "flour".
  • The product of the arduous grinding. This is the simple, basic necessity, far from the lavish banquets of Babylon's past.
• גַּלִּי (gal-lí) - "remove" / "uncover" (imperative, feminine singular).
  • This verb literally means "to uncover" or "to reveal." It signifies public exposure and stripping away.
• צַמָּתֵךְ (ṣam-má-thech) - "your veil" / "your long hair" / "head-covering."
  • In ancient cultures, a veil or a well-arranged head of hair (covered or uncovered depending on custom) symbolized a woman's honor, modesty, and social status. To have it removed or exposed publicly was a profound act of humiliation, rendering her vulnerable and defenceless. This imagery emphasizes her loss of honor and position.
• חֶשְׂפִּי (khes-pí) - "strip off" / "bare" (imperative, feminine singular).
  • Similar to 'galli,' this emphasizes revealing, uncovering, and stripping away, leading to exposure.
• שׁוֹבֶל (sho-vel) - "skirt" / "train" (of a dress) / "lower garment."
  • Refers to the flowing, often decorative, lower part of a garment, indicative of status and adornment. To strip it off suggests public exposure and preparation for hard labor or travel that necessitates fewer impediments, and often greater modesty for women.
• שׁוֹק (shōwq) - "leg" / "thigh."
  • Directly commands to expose the legs, traditionally kept covered by women, especially those of high standing. This implies deep dishonor, preparing for harsh physical activity like wading through water, or marching as a prisoner.
• עִבְרִי (ʿiv-rí) - "pass through" / "cross" (imperative, feminine singular).
  • This command denotes forced movement, an arduous journey, not a leisurely passage. It speaks of exile and displacement.
• נְהָרוֹת (nə-ha-rōwt) - "rivers."
  • Metaphorical of geographical boundaries that must be crossed, but also literally signifying treacherous and difficult passages without proper bridges or transport. For an exile, crossing rivers represents a perilous and unequipped journey, lacking the comforts and safety of normal travel, emphasizing desperation and vulnerability.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "Take the millstones and grind meal": This phrase directly imposes the work of the lowest slave. The millstones were heavy and grinding was monotonous, energy-intensive labor. For Babylon, a city of immense wealth and luxury, this command symbolizes the utter collapse of its status, replacing its rich lifestyle with grinding toil, and indicating its population will be forced into menial labor for its conquerors. It serves as a strong polemic against its former power and arrogance.
• "remove your veil, strip off your skirt, uncover your legs": This series of commands underscores profound public shame and defilement. The veil and the elegant skirt were symbols of a woman's modesty, dignity, and often her social standing. To remove them implies she is reduced to a public spectacle, stripped of honor and forced into positions of vulnerability. It signifies her desacralization from a queen-like city to a common, exposed individual. This group of actions emphasizes a total loss of pride and identity.
• "pass through the rivers": This signifies the beginning of a forced journey into exile. Rivers represented both geographical boundaries and natural barriers that required equipment or help to cross. For the now-unclothed, humiliated "daughter Babylon," this means a difficult, unprotected, and shaming exodus, wading through water, becoming a refugee, embodying her complete downfall and displacement from her homeland.

Isaiah 47 2 Bonus section

The depiction of "daughter Babylon" performing these tasks not only speaks to her eventual physical defeat but also carries strong cultural implications. In ancient Near Eastern conquest, a defeated capital city's symbolic 'body' was often desecrated to signify the conqueror's absolute victory. By stripping Babylon of her dignity and forcing her into the role of a laboring, exposed female slave, Isaiah conveys a judgment that is total, irreversible, and deeply humiliating on a spiritual, social, and political level. It’s a reversal of power where the proud, who once enslaved and disgraced others, are now receiving the same measure. The specificity of the actions – grinding, stripping, crossing rivers – reflects historical patterns of treating female captives or slaves, emphasizing the profound depths to which Babylon will fall. This prophecy ultimately foreshadows the complete overthrow of systems of human arrogance and oppression by divine authority.

Isaiah 47 2 Commentary

Isaiah 47:2 is a powerfully concise and vivid portrayal of Babylon's dramatic downfall and utter humiliation, rendered in highly personal and visceral imagery. Through the personification of Babylon as a "daughter" of the Chaldeans, once adorned and proud, but now subjected to the indignities of a low-status female slave, the prophet communicates God's irreversible judgment. The commands are specific, progressive, and deeply shaming. Grinding at the mill with heavy stones, a physically exhausting and soul-crushing labor, fundamentally negates Babylon's previous opulence. The stripping of her veil and the exposure of her legs signify a radical loss of honor, modesty, and the revered status she once commanded. This public exposure underscores her profound vulnerability and defilement, turning a queen into a captive. Finally, the injunction to "pass through the rivers" graphically depicts her forced exodus, not in luxury or military procession, but as a humbled, dishevelled exile, facing perilous waters and uncertain destinations. This verse thus stands as a testament to God's sovereign power to bring down the mightiest and proudest empires, turning their glory into dust and their dominion into abject servitude, all for the purpose of demonstrating His justice and providing hope for His oppressed people. It reveals that human power, wealth, and perceived security are transient before the will of the Almighty.