Isaiah 47 6

Isaiah 47:6 kjv

I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.

Isaiah 47:6 nkjv

I was angry with My people; I have profaned My inheritance, And given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily.

Isaiah 47:6 niv

I was angry with my people and desecrated my inheritance; I gave them into your hand, and you showed them no mercy. Even on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke.

Isaiah 47:6 esv

I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.

Isaiah 47:6 nlt

For I was angry with my chosen people
and punished them by letting them fall into your hands.
But you, Babylon, showed them no mercy.
You oppressed even the elderly.

Isaiah 47 verses

Isaiah 47 6 Meaning

God declares His righteous anger against Judah, His covenant people, due to their profound unfaithfulness and sin. He proactively withdrew His divine protection, allowing their sacred status to be treated as common, and purposefully delivered them into the hands of Babylon. However, this verse critically indicts Babylon for its brutal, excessive cruelty and utter lack of mercy towards the Israelites. Specifically, Babylon showed a heinous disregard for human dignity by inflicting a heavy yoke of oppression even upon the most vulnerable, the aged, thus exceeding the divine commission God had given them.

Isaiah 47 6 Context

Isaiah 47 is a prophetic "taunt song" or lament primarily directed at Babylon, referred to as the "daughter of Babylon." Chapters 40-66 of Isaiah are known as the Book of Comfort, providing hope and solace to the Jewish exiles, particularly those suffering under Babylonian captivity. However, before comfort, justice is often declared. This verse (47:6) serves as God's retrospective explanation to Babylon, stating why Babylon was given dominion over Judah and why that dominion will now cease. God asserts His ultimate authority, revealing that Judah's suffering was a direct result of His anger due to their sins. Critically, the verse then turns to condemn Babylon not for being an instrument, but for how it fulfilled that role, showing extreme cruelty and lack of mercy that transgressed God's unspoken boundaries. This sets the stage for Babylon's inevitable downfall, detailed throughout the chapter and book.

Isaiah 47 6 Word analysis

• Word by word analysis:

  • I: Refers to YHWH, the LORD God. This singular pronoun establishes divine agency and supreme authority, underscoring that the events unfolded by His decree, not by chance or the power of other gods.
  • was angry (קָצַפְתִּי, qatsaphti): This Hebrew verb indicates a deep, strong, and righteous divine indignation that culminated in a decisive past action. It implies God's just displeasure towards His people for their prolonged unfaithfulness and covenant violations.
  • with My people (בְּעַמִּי, b^e‘ammi): Highlights the unique, covenantal relationship God had with Israel/Judah, making their disobedience particularly grievous to Him. "My people" emphasizes God's ownership and intimate bond, even amidst judgment.
  • I profaned (חִלַּלְתִּי, ḥillalti): (Piel verb, intensive stem). Signifies an intentional, decisive act by God to treat as common or unclean, or to allow to be treated as such, that which was holy. This was a severe divine withdrawal of their consecrated status and protection due to their own self-defilement.
  • My inheritance (נַחֲלָתִי, naḥalati): A potent term for Israel, affirming their special standing as God's cherished possession, chosen and established through His divine covenant. To "profane My inheritance" indicates a deliberate act of allowing His treasured possession to be dishonored.
  • and gave them (נְתַתִּים, n^etattam): Simple past tense. Directly affirms God's active, sovereign involvement in delivering His people. This confirms Babylon's victory was by YHWH's deliberate act, not their gods' strength or their own military prowess.
  • into your hand (בְּיָדֵךְ, b^eyadek): "Your" refers to Babylon, the 'daughter of Babylon' (feminine singular). "Hand" metaphorically represents power, authority, and control. This indicates the authority was given to Babylon by God, carrying inherent responsibilities.
  • You showed them no mercy (לֹא־רִחַמְתְּם, lo’-raḥamt^em): A direct, severe accusation against Babylon. The negation lo' ("no") makes it absolute. The verb raḥam (root of compassion) implies a complete absence of pity, compassion, or clemency. This moral failure is key to Babylon's downfall.
  • on the aged (עַל־זָקֵן, ‘al-zaqen): Specifically targets the elders, those usually held in reverence and often physically vulnerable. Their specific mention emphasizes the particularly heinous and extreme nature of Babylon's cruelty and lack of humane consideration.
  • you heavily laid (הִכְבַּדְתְּ, hikbaddət^e): (Hiphil verb, causative/intensive). Means "made heavy" or "imposed with great weight/severity." It indicates an intensified, burdensome, and overly harsh infliction of suffering.
  • your yoke (עֻלֵּךְ, ‘ul-lêkh): A universal symbol of servitude, oppression, harsh labor, and loss of freedom. Babylon's "yoke" refers to the literal and metaphorical burdens of slavery and conquest, amplified by their mercilessness.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "I was angry with My people; I profaned My inheritance": These phrases definitively attribute Judah's subjugation to God's just anger and sovereign judgment, stemming from their persistent rebellion against His covenant. He deliberately acted to remove their sacred protective status.
  • "and gave them into your hand": This pivotal statement establishes God's absolute sovereignty over nations and historical events. Babylon was merely an instrument in God's plan, underscoring that its military success was not by its own might but by divine permission.
  • "You showed them no mercy; on the aged you heavily laid your yoke": This sharply contrasts God's righteous judgment with Babylon's excessive, heartless cruelty. While God used Babylon, their brutal actions, particularly targeting the vulnerable, went beyond God's intended boundaries, incurring fresh divine wrath upon them. This emphasizes moral accountability even for instruments of God's will.

Isaiah 47 6 Bonus section

The Hebrew word ḥillalti (I profaned) in its intensive Piel stem conveys God's deliberate and complete action in withdrawing the set-apart, sacred status of His people. This was not a passive observation but an active decision to allow them to be subjected to the common experience of war and defeat that any nation would face, thereby making them vulnerable to Gentile powers. The phrase "My inheritance" (naḥalati) frequently in the Bible refers to the land of Israel and, by extension, the people themselves as God's specially chosen possession. The act of "profaning" implies a temporary suspension of their consecrated nature, signifying a severe but just punishment. The imagery of the "yoke" not only implies forced labor but was often associated with subservience to a conquering nation. The specific cruelty against the elderly (al-zaqen) also carries particular weight because reverence for elders was a fundamental tenet in ancient Near Eastern cultures and specifically in Mosaic law. By transgressing this basic ethical standard, Babylon demonstrated a complete lack of human decency, solidifying their moral condemnation and foreshadowing their ultimate downfall. This verse demonstrates a vital principle: while God uses nations for His purposes, those nations are never absolved of their moral responsibility for their actions.

Isaiah 47 6 Commentary

Isaiah 47:6 offers a profound theological explanation for Judah's exile and lays the groundwork for Babylon's prophesied doom. God explicitly states He was the orchestrator of Judah's calamity, withdrawing His protective hand due to their sins and allowing them to be treated as "common" (profaned My inheritance). This emphasizes God's justice and sovereignty: nothing happens outside His ultimate control. However, Babylon is fiercely condemned for its egregious lack of mercy. While serving as God's rod of judgment, Babylon acted with cruel vindictiveness, exceeding its commission. The specific mention of oppressing the "aged" highlights a callous disregard for the most vulnerable in society, indicative of a pervasive, inhuman spirit that violates even common ethical decency. This severe overreach of their divine task becomes the very justification for Babylon's subsequent and inevitable judgment, a stark reminder that all, even those fulfilling a divine purpose, are held accountable for their actions and attitudes. This verse teaches us that God punishes both sin among His own people and unmerciful cruelty among those He uses.