Isaiah 47:9 kjv
But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.
Isaiah 47:9 nkjv
But these two things shall come to you In a moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon you in their fullness Because of the multitude of your sorceries, For the great abundance of your enchantments.
Isaiah 47:9 niv
Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells.
Isaiah 47:9 esv
These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments.
Isaiah 47:9 nlt
Well, both these things will come upon you in a moment:
widowhood and the loss of your children.
Yes, these calamities will come upon you,
despite all your witchcraft and magic.
Isaiah 47 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 13:9-11 | Behold, the day of the Lord comes... to make the land a desolation... punish the world for its evil. | Swift and complete judgment from God. |
| Jer 51:8 | Babylon has suddenly fallen and been broken... | Sudden downfall of Babylon. |
| 1 Thes 5:3 | While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them. | Sudden destruction on the complacent. |
| Rev 18:8 | For this reason her plagues will come in a single day—death and mourning and famine... | Babylon's judgment is in a single day. |
| Rev 18:10 | ...for in a single hour your judgment has come!" | Babylon's swift, concentrated judgment in Revelation. |
| Psa 78:64 | Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lament. | Widowhood and lack of lament due to great destruction. |
| Lam 1:1,5 | How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become... | Jerusalem described as a desolate widow. |
| Lam 5:3 | We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are like widows. | Orphanhood and widowhood as markers of national calamity. |
| Zech 12:10 | ...there will be bitter mourning... as one mourns for a firstborn. | Profound grief associated with loss of children. |
| Rev 18:7 | She says in her heart, 'I sit as a queen... and I will never see sorrow.' | Boast of escaping widowhood by Revelation's Babylon. |
| Deut 18:10 | There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering... | God's absolute prohibition against occult practices. |
| Ex 7:11-12 | Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers, and they... cast down their staffs... | Magicians' limited power against divine acts. |
| Isa 8:19 | When people tell you to consult mediums and spiritists... | Warnings against consulting mediums. |
| Isa 44:25 | ...who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners; who turns wise men back... | God rendering human divination foolish and powerless. |
| Jer 27:9-10 | So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers... who are saying to you... | Warning against false diviners and their empty promises. |
| Dan 2:27-28 | No wise man, enchanter, magician, or astrologer can show to the king the mystery... | Human wisdom and occult powerless to reveal divine truth. |
| Acts 19:19 | ...a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them... | Conversion leading to rejection of magic practices. |
| Rev 9:21 | nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. | Unrepentant reliance on sorcery as a sign of wickedness. |
| Rev 18:23 | ...by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. | Babylon's role in deceiving nations through sorcery. |
| Psa 33:10 | The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. | God's sovereignty over human plans and wisdom. |
| Prov 21:30 | No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD. | Futility of human wisdom against God. |
| Isa 40:23 | He brings princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. | God's power over human rulers and their might. |
Isaiah 47 verses
Isaiah 47 9 Meaning
Isaiah 47:9 prophesies a sudden and complete catastrophe upon Babylon, personified as a proud, luxurious queen. It declares that two specific calamities – the loss of children and widowhood – will befall her rapidly and entirely, making her desolate. This judgment is presented as inevitable and irresistible, specifically rendering useless all her vaunted reliance on sorcery and powerful enchantments, revealing the futility of human occult practices against God's decree.
Isaiah 47 9 Context
Isaiah chapter 47 is a "Lament over Babylon," prophesying the dramatic downfall of this powerful empire, depicted as a proud queen. She is characterized by self-sufficiency, luxury, cruelty to captives (specifically Judah), and a profound reliance on astrological divination and sorcery, believing herself invulnerable ("I shall never be a widow; I shall never suffer loss of children," verse 8). The chapter mocks her overconfidence and announces God's righteous judgment against her. Verse 9 specifically highlights the nature of this judgment: sudden, complete, and despite all her cherished occult practices. This prophecy would eventually see its fulfillment in the fall of Babylon to Cyrus the Great in 539 BC, though the full measure of its symbolic significance often points to any worldly power opposed to God, especially "Babylon the Great" in Revelation.
Isaiah 47 9 Word analysis
- But: Introduces a stark contrast to Babylon's earlier boast of security (v.7-8) and her belief in perpetual reign. It signals the inevitability of divine judgment.
- these two things: Refers specifically to the "loss of children and widowhood" immediately following. It emphasizes the dual and core components of her desolation.
- shall come to you: Asserts divine decree and certainty. It is an unchangeable pronouncement, not a mere possibility.
- in a moment (Hebrew: rega', רֶגַע): Signifies an instant, a flash, a sudden point in time. It denotes swiftness and unexpectedness. The judgment will not be drawn out.
- in one day (Hebrew: yom 'echad, יוֹם אֶחָד): Reinforces the immediacy and concentration of the calamity. The devastation will be complete within a very short, decisive period, overwhelming her without recovery.
- the loss of children (Hebrew: shakkul, שַׁכּוּל): Refers to bereavement, the painful deprivation of offspring. In ancient societies, this meant the extinction of the family line, loss of future support, and profound personal sorrow.
- and widowhood (Hebrew: 'almon, אַלְמֹן): The state of a woman whose husband has died. In ancient patriarchal societies, it implied extreme vulnerability, economic destitution, loss of protector, and social degradation. Together, these two losses represent the deepest possible personal and societal desolation.
- in their full measure (Hebrew: bĕḵōḥām, בְּכֹחָם): Literally, "in their strength/might" or "in their fullness." It signifies the completeness, devastating power, and unmitigated extent of the suffering. It will be experienced in its most intense and unreduced form.
- they shall come upon you: Repetition of the arrival, emphasizing the direct, personal experience of the judgment and its certainty.
- in spite of: Highlights the inefficacy and ultimate powerlessness of Babylon's cherished protective measures.
- your many sorceries (Hebrew: kĕšāfayiḵ, כְּשָׁפַיִךְ): Refers to the practices of magic, witchcraft, enchantments, and dark arts. Babylon was renowned for its reliance on such divination and astrology, believing these practices provided insight and control over fate.
- and the great power of your enchantments (Hebrew: ûva'aṣămat ḥăḇārayiḵ, וּבַעֲצֻמַת חֲבָרָיִךְ): "Great power" indicates the intensity and widespread belief in their efficacy. "Enchantments" (from ḥāḇār, a charm or spell) speaks of incantations, binding spells, or mystic connections thought to provide strength and protection. God directly challenges and utterly discredits Babylon's deepest-held beliefs and source of presumed power.
Isaiah 47 9 Bonus section
The destruction outlined in Isaiah 47:9 highlights a specific aspect of judgment: a focus on personal and relational devastation (bereavement, widowhood), rather than solely political or economic downfall. This shows that divine judgment reaches into the core of human existence and identity, striking at what was most valuable and secure in an ancient society. The pairing of "loss of children" and "widowhood" creates a powerful rhetorical image of absolute vulnerability and abandonment. Furthermore, this prophecy stands as a stark prophetic parallel to the "Babylon the Great" described in the book of Revelation, where similar boasting of eternal reign and security is met with swift and irreversible divine judgment (Rev 18:7-8). This demonstrates a recurring biblical principle: pride and self-reliance, especially when combined with spiritual idolatry (like sorcery), always precede a sudden and devastating fall initiated by God.
Isaiah 47 9 Commentary
Isaiah 47:9 delivers a potent divine verdict against the self-assured might of Babylon. It demolishes Babylon's boast of impregnability (v.7-8) by decreeing a judgment that is both sudden ("in a moment, in one day") and complete ("loss of children and widowhood," "in their full measure"). This pairing of losses signifies not just political defeat but the utter personal devastation of family and lineage, removing all hope and support. The crucial revelation here is the utter futility of all human spiritual power—Babylon's extensive "sorceries and the great power of enchantments"—against the decree of the one true God. These occult practices, which Babylon deeply trusted, prove worthless in the face of His judgment. The verse is a powerful assertion of God's unrivaled sovereignty, demonstrating that no human magic or supposed wisdom can circumvent His holy justice, serving as a warning against reliance on anything but Him.