Isaiah 49:21
New International Version
Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these—where have they come from?’”

New Living Translation
Then you will think to yourself, ‘Who has given me all these descendants? For most of my children were killed, and the rest were carried away into exile. I was left here all alone. Where did all these people come from? Who bore these children? Who raised them for me?’”

English Standard Version
Then you will say in your heart: ‘Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away, but who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; from where have these come?’”

Berean Standard Bible
Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. So who has reared them? Look, I was left all alone, so where did they come from?’ ”

King James Bible
Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

New King James Version
Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me, Since I have lost my children and am desolate, A captive, and wandering to and fro? And who has brought these up? There I was, left alone; But these, where were they?’ ”

New American Standard Bible
“Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has fathered these for me, Since I have been bereaved of my children And cannot conceive, and I am an exile, and a wanderer? And who has raised these? Behold, I was left alone; Where are these from?’”

NASB 1995
“Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me, Since I have been bereaved of my children And am barren, an exile and a wanderer? And who has reared these? Behold, I was left alone; From where did these come?’”

NASB 1977
“Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me, Since I have been bereaved of my children, And am barren, an exile and a wanderer? And who has reared these? Behold, I was left alone; From where did these come?’”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has borne these for me? Indeed, I have been bereaved of my children And am barren, an exile and a wanderer. And who has reared these? Behold, I remained alone; From where did these come?’”

Amplified Bible
“Then [Zion], you will say in your heart, ‘Who has borne me these children, Since I have been bereaved of my children And am barren, an exile and a wanderer? And who has reared these? Indeed, I was left alone; From where then did these children come?’”

Christian Standard Bible
Then you will say within yourself, ‘Who fathered these for me? I was deprived of my children and unable to conceive, exiled and wandering — but who brought them up? See, I was left by myself — but these, where did they come from? ’ ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then you will say within yourself, Who fathered these for me? I was deprived of my children and unable to conceive, exiled and wandering— but who brought them up? See, I was left by myself— but these, where did they come from?’”

American Standard Version
Then shalt thou say in thy heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And you shall say in your heart: “Who bore these to me? Behold, I am bereaved and alone, exposed and troubled! Who raised these up? Behold, if I am left alone, where are they?”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And thou shalt say in thine heart, Who has begotten me these? whereas I was childless, and a widow; but who has brought up these for me? and I was left alone; but whence came these to me?

Contemporary English Version
and Jerusalem will ask, "Am I really their mother? How could I have given birth when I was still mourning in a foreign land? Who raised these children? Where have they come from?"

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou shalt say in thy heart: Who hath begotten these? I was barren and brought not forth, led away, and captive: and who hath brought up these? I was destitute and alone: and these, where were they?

English Revised Version
Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then you will ask yourself, "Who has fathered these [children] for me? I was childless and unable to have children. I was exiled and rejected. Who raised these [children for me]? I was left alone. Where have they come from?"

Good News Translation
Then you will say to yourself, 'Who bore all these children for me? I lost my children and could have no more. I was exiled and driven away--who brought these children up? I was left all alone--where did these children come from?'"

International Standard Version
Then you'll ask in your heart, 'Who bore these children for me, although I was childless and barren, and an exile and cast aside? Who brought these up? Look! For my part I was left all alone; but as for these, where have they come from?'

JPS Tanakh 1917
Then shalt thou say in thy heart: 'Who hath begotten me these, Seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, An exile, and wandering to and fro? And who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; These, where were they?'

Literal Standard Version
And you have said in your heart: Who has begotten these for me? And I [am] bereaved and barren, | A captive, and turned aside, | And who has nourished these? Behold, I was left by myself, these—where [are] they from?”

Majority Standard Bible
Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. So who has reared them? Look, I was left all alone, so where did they come from?’”

New American Bible
You shall ask yourself: “Who has borne me these, when I was bereft and barren? Exiled and repudiated, who has reared them? I was left all alone; where then do these come from?”

NET Bible
Then you will think to yourself, 'Who bore these children for me? I was bereaved and barren, dismissed and divorced. Who raised these children? Look, I was left all alone; where did these children come from?'"

New Revised Standard Version
Then you will say in your heart, “Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away— so who has reared these? I was left all alone— where then have these come from?”

New Heart English Bible
Then you will say in your heart, 'Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought up these? Look, I was left alone; these, where were they?'"

Webster's Bible Translation
Then shalt thou say in thy heart, Who hath begotten these for me, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where have they been?

World English Bible
Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children and am alone, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought these up? Behold, I was left alone. Where were these?’”

Young's Literal Translation
And thou hast said in thy heart: 'Who hath begotten for me -- these? And I bereaved and gloomy, A captive, and turned aside, And these -- who hath nourished? Lo, I -- I was left by myself, these -- whence are they?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
You are My Servant
20Yet the children of your bereavement will say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; make room for us to live here.’ 21Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. So who has reared them? Look, I was left all alone, so where did they come from?’” 22This is what the Lord GOD says: “Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, and raise My banner to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.…

Cross References
Isaiah 1:8
And the Daughter of Zion is abandoned like a shelter in a vineyard, like a shack in a cucumber field, like a city besieged.

Isaiah 5:13
Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.

Isaiah 27:10
For the fortified city lies deserted--a homestead abandoned, a wilderness forsaken. There the calves graze, and there they lie down; they strip its branches bare.

Isaiah 29:23
For when he sees his children around him, the work of My hands, they will honor My name, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and they will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

Isaiah 51:18
Among all the sons she bore, there is no one to guide her; among all the sons she brought up, there is no one to take her hand.

Isaiah 54:6
For the LORD has called you back, like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, like the rejected wife of one's youth," says your God.

Isaiah 54:7
"For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring you back.


Treasury of Scripture

Then shall you say in your heart, Who has begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

seeing

Jeremiah 31:15-17
Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not…

Romans 11:11-17,24
I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy…

Galatians 3:29
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

am desolate

Isaiah 3:26
And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.

Isaiah 51:17-20
Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out…

Isaiah 52:2
Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

Jump to Previous
Able Alone Barren Begotten Bereaved Bore Borne Captive Care Children Conceived Desolate Driven Exile Exiled Forth Fro Gloomy Heart Lost Nourished Others Reared Rejected Removing Solitary Turned Wanderer Wandering Whence Who
Jump to Next
Able Alone Barren Begotten Bereaved Bore Borne Captive Care Children Conceived Desolate Driven Exile Exiled Forth Fro Gloomy Heart Lost Nourished Others Reared Rejected Removing Solitary Turned Wanderer Wandering Whence Who
Isaiah 49
1. Christ being sent to the Jews, complains of them
5. He is sent to the Gentiles with gracious promises
13. God's love is perpetual to his church
18. The ample restoration of the church
24. The powerful deliverance out of captivity














(21) Who hath begotten me these . . .?--Better, who hath borne . . .? The widowed daughter of Zion cannot believe that these crowding children are her own, and asks, Who then is their mother? She, the widowed one, the prisoner, dragged hither and thither, could not claim them.

Verse 21. - Who hath begotten me these? The Jewish Church is astounded at the influx of the Gentiles, and asks, "Where did they come from? Who has made them my children? Who has trained them?" That they are not her natural children she is sure, since she knows that she has been for a long time "bereaved and unfruitful" (Cheyne) - a captive, and a "wanderer" (Kay). It is certain that the Jewish Church did not at first altogether welcome the incoming of the Gentiles (Acts 11:1-3; Acts 15:1-11; Galatians 2:11-14, etc.). But the guidance of the Holy Spirit surmounted the difficulty (Acts 15:28).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then you will say
וְאָמַ֣רְתְּ (wə·’ā·mart)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person feminine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

in your heart,
בִּלְבָבֵ֗ךְ (bil·ḇā·ḇêḵ)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person feminine singular
Strong's 3824: Inner man, mind, will, heart

‘Who
מִ֤י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

has begotten
יָֽלַד־ (yā·laḏ-)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

these for me?
אֵ֔לֶּה (’êl·leh)
Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

I
וַאֲנִ֥י (wa·’ă·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

was bereaved
שְׁכוּלָ֖ה (šə·ḵū·lāh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7921: To miscarry, suffer abortion, to bereave

and barren;
וְגַלְמוּדָ֑ה (wə·ḡal·mū·ḏāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 1565: Sterile, desolate

I was exiled
גֹּלָ֣ה ׀ (gō·lāh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 1473: Exile, exiles

and rejected.
וְסוּרָ֗ה (wə·sū·rāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 5493: To turn aside

So who
מִ֣י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

has reared them?
גִדֵּ֔ל (ḡid·dêl)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1431: To grow up, become great

Look,
הֵ֤ן (hên)
Interjection
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

I
אֲנִי֙ (’ă·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

was left
נִשְׁאַ֣רְתִּי (niš·’ar·tî)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7604: To swell up, be, redundant

all alone,
לְבַדִּ֔י (lə·ḇad·dî)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 905: Separation, a part of the body, branch of a, tree, bar for, carrying, chief of

so
אֵ֖לֶּה (’êl·leh)
Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

where
אֵיפֹ֥ה (’ê·p̄ōh)
Interrogative
Strong's 375: What place?, when?, how?

did they come from?’”
הֵֽם׃ (hêm)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 49:21 Then you will say in your heart (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 49:20
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