Isaiah 6 11

Isaiah 6:11 kjv

Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,

Isaiah 6:11 nkjv

Then I said, "Lord, how long?" And He answered: "Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate,

Isaiah 6:11 niv

Then I said, "For how long, Lord?" And he answered: "Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged,

Isaiah 6:11 esv

Then I said, "How long, O Lord?" And he said: "Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste,

Isaiah 6:11 nlt

Then I said, "Lord, how long will this go on?" And he replied, "Until their towns are empty,
their houses are deserted,
and the whole country is a wasteland;

Isaiah 6 verses

Isaiah 6 11 Meaning

Then I said, "Lord, how long?" And he said, "Until the cities lie waste without inhabitant, so that there are no houses, and the land is desolate without people."

Isaiah 6 11 Context

In Isaiah chapter 6, Isaiah receives a powerful vision of God's holiness in the temple. He is cleansed and then commissioned to preach a message of impending judgment. This message is so severe that most people will not understand or respond, leading to a period of devastation for the land and its people. Verse 11 articulates the devastating consequence of this rejection: prolonged desolation of the cities and the land until its inhabitants are gone. This speaks to the consequences of Israel's spiritual blindness and God’s sovereign decree of judgment.

Isaiah 6 11 Word Analysis

• Until (ad 'ad): This preposition signifies duration, marking a limit or extent in time. It points to a period that will elapse before a change occurs.
• The cities (meqoroth): Though the word qar: qir relates to "wall," here it likely implies walled cities, centers of habitation and culture. The plural suggests widespread destruction, affecting urban centers.
• Lie waste (yerachash): This verb carries the sense of being empty, barren, or desolate. It evokes a scene of abandonment and ruin, devoid of life.
• Without inhabitant (beli yosheb): "Beli" means "without" or "lacking." "Yosheb" is a participle from "yashab," meaning "to sit," "to dwell," or "to inhabit." This phrase emphasizes the complete absence of people.
• So that (ve-'ad-ken): This phrase indicates purpose or consequence, linking the desolation of the cities to the reason for their emptiness.
• There are no houses (ein battim): "Ein" means "there is not" or "are none." "Battim" is the plural of "bayith," meaning "house" or "dwelling." This highlights the destruction of structures, leaving nothing for habitation.
• And the land (ve-ha'arets): "Ve-" is the conjunction "and." "Ha'arets" means "the land" or "the earth." This broadens the scope of desolation beyond the cities to the entire territory.
• Is desolate (shammamah): This adjective describes something that is astonished, devastated, or utterly ruined. It reinforces the severity of the destruction.
• Without people (belie 'adam): Similar to "beli yosheb," this phrase stresses the absence of humanity, using "adam" which refers to mankind. It emphasizes the thoroughness of the judgment.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Until the cities lie waste without inhabitant": This phrase paints a grim picture of depopulation and destruction, indicating a severe judgment that will render urban centers uninhabitable and empty.
• "so that there are no houses": This reinforces the preceding phrase by explicitly stating the obliteration of dwellings, signifying a complete breakdown of infrastructure and societal living.
• "and the land is desolate without people": This extends the judgment to the wider territory, emphasizing its emptiness and ruin, signifying the total loss of its inhabitants and the abandonment of the land itself.

Isaiah 6 11 Bonus Section

The prophecy spoken by Isaiah, and reinforced by Jesus in the New Testament (Matthew 13:14-15, Acts 28:26-27), describes a judicial hardening of the people. Their ears and eyes are metaphorically closed because their hearts have become dull. This spiritual insensitivity renders them incapable of understanding, repenting, and being healed by God's word. The prolonged desolation foretold in Isaiah 6:11 is a direct consequence of this divine abandonment to their own chosen path of spiritual blindness. This extended period of judgment serves a dual purpose: to punish unfaithfulness and to preserve a remnant for a future time of renewal, echoing the patterns of discipline and preservation seen throughout biblical history.

Isaiah 6 11 Commentary

Isaiah's commission includes a divine prognosis of prolonged desolation for Judah. This is not a minor setback but a total disruption of life and dwelling places. The repetitive emphasis on emptiness—cities without inhabitants, no houses, land desolate without people—underscores the comprehensive nature of God's judgment due to persistent unbelief and disobedience. The "until" implies a specific, albeit extended, period before restoration can begin. This serves as a stark warning of the severe consequences of hardening one's heart against God's prophetic word.