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Isaiah 47

Isaiah 47

The big picture

Isaiah 47 opens in verse 1 with “Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 8 with “Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly…”, and closes in verse 15 with “Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy…” Repeated or prominent terms include daughter, didst, heart, know, multitude. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.

Scripture beside the summary

Isaiah · King James Version · 15

Isaiah 47:1-8

1–8: Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the…

Isaiah 47:1–8 opens with “Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no…” and reaches “Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Isaiah 47 develops its own movement around daughter, didst, heart, know, multitude, with particular weight carried by daughter, didst, Chaldeans.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no…” By verse 4, the text has turned to “As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.” It lands on “Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 2 verses with a speech marker, 1 verse naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.

Accusation, warning, invitation to return, judgment, and hope each do different work. The prophet’s first audience anchors later questions about fulfillment. Words such as daughter, didst, Chaldeans, heart, lady, uncover tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Isaiah 47 develops its own movement around daughter, didst, heart, know, multitude,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.

Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Chaldeans, Babylon, Come, Holy, Israel, One. Its number language includes one. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 8: “Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none…” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: daughter, didst, Chaldeans, heart, lady, uncover

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Isaiah 47:1

    “Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the…” Naming Babylon and Chaldeans keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  2. Isaiah 47:2

    “Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.” Naming Take keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  3. Isaiah 47:3

    “Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

  4. Isaiah 47:4

    “As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.” The number one makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.

  5. Isaiah 47:5

    “Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady…” Naming Chaldeans and Sit keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  6. Isaiah 47:6

    “I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no…” The line’s distinctive content terms include ancient, didst, hand. Its relationship to verses 5 and 7 shows what work it does in this passage.

  7. Isaiah 47:7

    “And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

  8. Isaiah 47:8

    “Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.

Isaiah 47:1-8

King James Version

1Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.

2Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

3Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

4As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.

5Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.

6I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.

7And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.

8Therefore 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 47:9-15

9–15: These two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of…

Isaiah 47:9–15 opens with “But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and…” and reaches “Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Isaiah 47 develops its own movement around daughter, didst, heart, know, multitude, with particular weight carried by multitude, able, enchantments.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and…” By verse 12, the text has turned to “Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou…” It lands on “Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 verse with a speech marker, 1 stated contrast. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.

Accusation, warning, invitation to return, judgment, and hope each do different work. The prophet’s first audience anchors later questions about fulfillment. Words such as multitude, able, enchantments, fire, know, laboured tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Isaiah 47 develops its own movement around daughter, didst, heart, know, multitude,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.

Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include None, Stand, Thou, Thy. Its number language includes two, one. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 11: “Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not…” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: multitude, able, enchantments, fire, know, laboured

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Isaiah 47:9

    “But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

  2. Isaiah 47:10

    “For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.

  3. Isaiah 47:11

    “Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.

  4. Isaiah 47:12

    “Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth…” Naming Stand keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  5. Isaiah 47:13

    “Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

  6. Isaiah 47:14

    “Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

  7. Isaiah 47:15

    “Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

Isaiah 47:9-15

King James Version

9But 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.

10For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.

11Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.

12Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.

13Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.

14Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.

15Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.

Questions to keep in mind while reading

  1. Identify the historical crisis, covenant failure, warning, and promised hope.
  2. Distinguish the prophet’s immediate audience from later biblical connections.
  3. Do not turn present-day headlines into confident fulfillment claims without textual evidence.

Text first

Where readers differ

The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.

The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.

Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.

Questions beneath the surface

  1. What account of God, human freedom, responsibility, and the good life emerges from Isaiah 47?
  2. Which tension does the chapter refuse to resolve quickly?
  3. What changes when the chapter is read as part of the whole canon rather than as an isolated moral story?
  4. Where might a sincere reader confuse a familiar tradition with something the text states directly?

Questions for serious personal contemplation

These open-ended questions make room for tension, honest response, prayer, and conclusions that remain accountable to the chapter.

Observe without rushing

  1. What part of Isaiah 47 makes you stop, feel unsettled, or feel surprised, and why?

  2. Which detail in the passage would be easiest to overlook? How does that detail change your understanding?

  3. Where do you see tension between what happens and this focus: Isaiah 47 develops its own movement around daughter, didst, heart, know, multitude?

  4. What important question does the passage leave open instead of resolving quickly?

Examine your inner life honestly

  1. Which person, response, fear, or desire in the passage feels most like your own life right now?

  2. What assumption about God, other people, or yourself does this text challenge?

  3. Which part would you rather soften, avoid, or explain away too quickly? What might that reaction reveal?

  4. If this Scripture could ask you one direct question, what do you think it would ask?

Respond with wisdom and courage

  1. What do you need to remember, confess, grieve, thank God for, or trust after reading this passage?

  2. How might another faithful person read this situation differently without ignoring the text?

  3. What obedient response would be costly, uncomfortable, or slow, yet still faithful to Scripture?

  4. What question will you carry into prayer this week, and which verses will you keep in front of you?