Israel

Isaiah 49:14-26

Isaiah · ~700 BC · Status: Future · Confidence: 60%
“But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”
King James Version · the opening — all 13 verses are below
More of Isaiah 49 on this siteIsaiah 49:1-13 · Isaiah 49:6 · Isaiah 49:7 · Isaiah 49:8

The acceptable time of salvation declared, quoted by Paul as the 'now' of the gospel age beginning with Christ.

Read the whole passage — all 13 verses (KJV)

49:14But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

49:15Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

49:16Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

49:17Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

49:18Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.

49:19For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

49:20The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.

49:21Then 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?

49:22Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

49:23And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

49:24Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

49:25But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.

49:26And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

Fulfillment References

John 20:25 Luke 23:33 2 Corinthians 6:2

How Traditions Read This Prophecy

Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalWhen Zion says, 'The LORD hath forsaken me,' God answers with the tenderest of promises: 'Can a woman forget her sucking child...? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands' (vv. 15-16). The God who cannot forget His people bears their names on His hands — and on the cross the Lord Jesus was graven, His palms pierced for us. Israel's Redeemer and the crucified Christ are the one God.
JewishGod's unforgettable, motherly love for Zion — more constant than a mother's; the assurance of restoration to the forsaken city.
CatholicGod's maternal tenderness toward His people; the Fathers heard the 'graven on the palms' of Christ's pierced hands.
ProtestantGod's covenant love that never forgets; many see the pierced palms of Christ foreshadowed in 'graven upon the palms.'
AcademicA consolation oracle answering Zion's complaint; the maternal imagery for God and the 'engraved' name are notable.
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Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.