Isaiah 47:8 kjv
Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:
Isaiah 47:8 nkjv
"Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures, Who dwell securely, Who say in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, Nor shall I know the loss of children';
Isaiah 47:8 niv
"Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.'
Isaiah 47:8 esv
Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children":
Isaiah 47:8 nlt
"Listen to this, you pleasure-loving kingdom,
living at ease and feeling secure.
You say, 'I am the only one, and there is no other.
I will never be a widow or lose my children.'
Isaiah 47 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 47:9 | "But these two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day, the loss of children and widowhood..." | Direct consequence |
| Isaiah 5:30 | "...and they shall roar over it on that day like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks toward the land, behold, distress and darkness, the dimness of anguish, and they are driven into thick darkness." | Similar imagery of desolation |
| Jeremiah 15:1-2 | "Then the LORD said to me, 'Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart goes out toward this people..." | God's finality in judgment |
| Jeremiah 15:7 | "I winnow them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land..." | Imagery of scattering |
| Ezekiel 5:10 | "Therefore the fathers shall eat their sons among you, and the sons shall eat their fathers..." | Extreme consequence of judgment |
| Ezekiel 14:17 | "Or if I bring a sword upon that land and say, 'Let the sword pass through the land,' so that no one is spared..." | Total destruction by sword |
| Lamentations 4:3 | "Even the jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young; but the daughter of my people has become a cruel one like the ostriches in the wilderness." | Similar animal imagery in desolation |
| Hosea 5:11 | "Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he was willing to go after the command of Ba’al." | Judgment for willful rebellion |
| Zechariah 11:9 | "So I said, 'I will not do this. Whatever is to die, let it die, and whatever is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed...' " | God's decisive judgment |
| Matthew 23:33 | "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sent to the hell of fire?" | Pronouncement of severe judgment |
| Luke 19:27 | "But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.” | Rejection leading to destruction |
| Romans 1:28-32 | "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind..." | Consequences of rejecting God |
| 2 Thessalonians 1:9 | "...they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might," | Eternal destruction for opposition |
| Revelation 18:5 | "for her sins are heaped high, reaching into heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities." | Accumulation of sin leading to judgment |
| Revelation 18:17-19 | Describes the utter destruction of Babylon. | Imagery of final downfall |
| Psalm 73:18-19 | "Surely you intend them for stumbling blocks, and you cast them down into destruction. Oh, how they are instantly destroyed!" | Instantaneous destruction |
| Psalm 36:12 | "There the workers of lawlessness are overthrown; they are cast down, never to rise again." | Finality of defeat |
| Jeremiah 46:28 | "Fear not, O Jacob my servant, for I am with you, declares the LORD. For I will make a full end of all the nations..." | God's promised end to nations |
| Psalm 50:3 | "Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, and round about him a mighty tempest." | God's judgmental nature |
| Amos 9:8 | "Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth..." | God's targeting of sinful kingdoms |
Isaiah 47 verses
Isaiah 47 8 Meaning
This verse pronounces a devastating fate upon "those who say, 'Keep to yourself, and do not come near me, for I am set apart from you!'" It signifies their rejection and the subsequent utter desolation and destruction that will befall them, with their remnants scattered and utterly undone.
Isaiah 47 8 Context
This verse is found within Isaiah chapter 47, which is a prophecy directed at Babylon. God is depicted as pronouncing judgment on the proud and luxurious city. The prophecy highlights Babylon's arrogance, her delight in afflicting other nations, and her ultimate downfall. This particular verse specifically addresses a group who isolate themselves and claim a special, superior status, indicating their utter rejection and coming destruction. It's a pronouncement of severe judgment from God upon those who exalt themselves against Him and His people.
Isaiah 47 8 Word Analysis
- Woe (אֳּ֣י, 'ôy): An interjection expressing grief, distress, or calamity; a cry of lamentation.
- to you (לָ֑ךְ, lāḵ): Refers to the recipients of the woe, the self-isolating and prideful.
- who say (הָאֹמְרִ֥ים, hā’ōmərîm): Those who articulate and maintain a belief or declaration.
- Stand (עִמְדִי־, ‘imdî): Literally "you stand" or "you will stand," implying maintaining a position or isolation.
- yourself (לְבַדֵּ֔ךְ, ləḇaddêḵ): "Alone," "by yourself," emphasizing complete separation and self-sufficiency.
- and (וְ, wə): Connects the actions or declarations.
- Do not (אַל־, ’al): A negative particle for prohibition.
- come near (תִּגְּשִׁ֖י, tiggəšî): "Touch," "approach," or "associate with," indicating avoidance of contact.
- me (בִּ֣י, bî): "Me" or "unto me," the speaker's perspective.
- because (כִּֽי־, kî): Signifies reason or cause.
- I (אָנֹ֙כִי֙, ’ānōḵî): The emphatic first-person pronoun.
- am set apart (קָדוֹשׁ֙, qāḏôš): "Holy," but in this context, it's a claim of distinctiveness, separation from others, often with a sense of inherent purity or chosenness that leads to exclusion.
- from (מִמֵּ֖ךְ, mimmêḵ): "From you," indicating separation.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Stand by yourself, and do not come near me": This phrase depicts absolute isolationism and a declaration of separateness, stemming from a perceived unique or sacred status. It suggests a self-imposed exclusion from community and interaction, fueled by arrogance.
- "for I am set apart from you": This is the rationale given for their isolation. The term "set apart" (qadosh) is usually associated with divine holiness or consecration. Here, it is perverted to denote prideful self-exaltation and exclusion of others, rather than true sacredness in service or relationship.
Isaiah 47 8 Bonus Section
The concept of being "set apart" (holy, qadosh) is central to Israel's identity as God’s chosen people. However, this verse illustrates how the concept can be corrupted. True holiness from God's perspective leads to engagement with the world in love and witness, not to arrogant withdrawal. The perversion here highlights how pride can twist even divine concepts into self-serving justifications for isolation, ultimately leading to judgment. The imagery of scattering and being utterly undone resonates with other prophecies concerning the downfall of proud nations that oppose God's purposes.
Isaiah 47 8 Commentary
This verse exposes the destructive nature of pride that masqueraves as holiness or superiority. The group addressed believes their "set apart" status (likely referring to a supposed spiritual or ethnic superiority) justifies their complete withdrawal from others. However, God declares that this self-imposed isolation, born of arrogance, will not preserve them. Instead, it marks them for absolute destruction and scattering. Their attempt to preserve themselves through exclusion leads to their ultimate undoing, a powerful warning against any form of spiritual or social elitism that isolates individuals or groups from fellowship and compassionate engagement. God’s judgment will not be restrained by their claims of separation; in fact, their very claims become the grounds for their removal.