Isaiah 59:11 kjv
We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
Isaiah 59:11 nkjv
We all growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We look for justice, but there is none; For salvation, but it is far from us.
Isaiah 59:11 niv
We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.
Isaiah 59:11 esv
We all growl like bears; we moan and moan like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us.
Isaiah 59:11 nlt
We growl like hungry bears;
we moan like mournful doves.
We look for justice, but it never comes.
We look for rescue, but it is far away from us.
Isaiah 59 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 59:11 | We groan all like bears, and mourn sore like doves; we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. | Isaiah 59:10 (Prior Verse) |
| Isaiah 59:9 | Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. | Isaiah 59:10 (Echoes) |
| Jeremiah 8:15 | We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, but behold fright. | Jeremiah 8:15 (Similarity) |
| Psalm 79:8 | Oh remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low. | Psalm 79:8 (Lament) |
| Lamentations 3:44 | Thou hast covered with a cloud the sky, that our prayer should not pass through. | Lamentations 3:44 (Suffering) |
| Psalm 38:11 | My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my stroke; and my kinsmen stand afar off. | Psalm 38:11 (Isolation) |
| Amos 5:24 | But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. | Amos 5:24 (Desired Justice) |
| Micah 7:9 | I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. | Micah 7:9 (Hope in God) |
| Luke 18:7-8 | And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Though when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? | Luke 18:7-8 (Seeking Justice) |
| Romans 3:10-18 | As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are all together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one... | Romans 3:10-18 (Total Sin) |
| Galatians 3:22 | But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. | Galatians 3:22 (Under Sin) |
| 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 | For if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. | 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (Spiritual Blindness) |
| Matthew 5:6 | Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. | Matthew 5:6 (Desire for Righteousness) |
| Psalm 42:1-2 | As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? | Psalm 42:1-2 (Thirst for God) |
| Isaiah 42:16 | And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. | Isaiah 42:16 (God's Light) |
| Isaiah 59:12 | For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them. | Isaiah 59:12 (Confession) |
| 1 John 1:9 | If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. | 1 John 1:9 (Confession) |
| James 5:16 | Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. | James 5:16 (Confession/Prayer) |
| Matthew 24:12 | And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. | Matthew 24:12 (Consequence) |
| Romans 11:32 | For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. | Romans 11:32 (God's Plan) |
Isaiah 59 verses
Isaiah 59 11 Meaning
The prophet Isaiah laments a pervasive sinfulness and its dire consequences, expressing the people's widespread moral corruption, their association with injustice, and their lack of repentance. This leads to a state where justice is perverted, and righteousness is unattainable. The people recognize their transgressions but see no improvement, only continued darkness and despair.
Isaiah 59 11 Context
This verse appears in Isaiah chapter 59, a section dealing with the spiritual and moral state of Israel. The preceding verses (59:1-8) describe their pervasive sinfulness, their abandonment of God, and the resulting social and moral chaos. This verse specifically reflects the collective anguish and desperation of a people suffering under the consequences of their iniquities, recognizing their yearning for divine intervention, justice, and salvation, which seem absent due to their persistent sin. Historically, this could reflect periods of national distress, exile, or significant spiritual decline in Israel.
Isaiah 59 11 Word Analysis
- "we groan": (Hebrew: ne'e'geh, נֶאֱגֶה) - To sigh, moan, lament. This expresses deep internal suffering and pain. It signifies a sound of distress arising from hardship and anguish, indicating a painful awareness of their predicament.
- "all": (Hebrew: kol, כָּל) - Wholeness, entirety. Emphasizes the universal nature of their distress within the community, not isolated individuals.
- "like bears": (Hebrew: ke'd'uvim, כַּדֻּבִּים) - Bears are powerful, formidable creatures. Their groan would be deep, rumbling, and resonant with strength yet brought low. This imagery suggests a strength or former might now subdued by sorrow.
- "and mourn sore": (Hebrew: we'nehem-qol, וְנֶאֱנַח-קוֹל) - To sigh heavily, to groan deeply with a strong sound. "Nahem" implies a deeper, more continuous sound of distress than "egeh". "Qol" (voice, sound) emphasizes the audible expression of their grief.
- "like doves": (Hebrew: ke'yonim, כַּיּוֹנִים) - Doves are known for their gentle nature and their mournful cooing. This imagery contrasts with the bear, representing a delicate, helpless, and continuous expression of sorrow, lacking power.
- "we look for judgment": (Hebrew: neqaweh-mis'pat, נְקַוֶּה-מִשְׁפָּט) - To wait for, to hope for, to expect justice. The active waiting signifies a desire and anticipation for God's righteous intervention and vindication.
- "but there is none": (Hebrew: welo-mis'pat, וְלֹא-מִשְׁפָּט) - And not judgment. A direct statement of absence and futility in their expectation of justice.
- "for salvation": (Hebrew: li'leshu'ah, לִישׁוּעָה) - For deliverance, rescue, preservation. Similar to judgment, it points to a need for God's saving action.
- "but it is far from us": (Hebrew: welo-teshi'qeh-lanu, וְלֹא-תְשׁוּקֶה-לָנוּ) - And not it draws near to us, or is present with us. This signifies an apparent withdrawal or inaccessibility of divine help and deliverance.
Isaiah 59 11 Bonus Section
The contrast between the "bear's" deep, powerful groan and the "dove's" mournful coo illustrates a complex internal state: a longing for restored strength and order (bear) coupled with a realization of vulnerability and helplessness (dove). This reflects a society grappling with a loss of God's favor and experiencing the bitter fruit of sin, where their attempts to find justice and salvation are met with emptiness. It underscores the Isaiahic theme that true justice and salvation are contingent upon righteousness and a turning back to God. The inability to "find" salvation or see "judgment" is directly linked to the sins previously detailed in the chapter, suggesting a cause-and-effect relationship between unrighteousness and divine absence.
Isaiah 59 11 Commentary
This verse vividly portrays a deep national or communal despair. The "groan" like bears suggests a suppressed power or former status that now suffers indignity. The mourning "like doves" points to a more fragile, persistent lament, indicative of helplessness. Their "looking for judgment" and "salvation" highlights their recognition of sin's consequences and their passive waiting for divine intervention, which they perceive as absent or too distant. This reflects a spiritual malaise where sin has created a gulf, preventing God's active presence and deliverance. Their awareness of sin (as stated in the following verse) leads to this lament, an acknowledgment of their desperate need.