Isaiah 49:21 kjva — Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a capt…

King James Version with Apocrypha

"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?"

— Isaiah 49:21, King James Version with Apocrypha

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Isaiah 49:21 in Other Translations

6 versions All translations
  • KJV

    “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?”

  • ASV

    “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? ”

  • WEB

    “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? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?'"”

  • NET

    “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?’””

  • DRB

    “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?”

  • BBE

    “Then you will say in your heart, Who has given me all these children? when my children had been taken from me, and I was no longer able to have others, who took care of these? when I was by myself, where then were these?”

Isaiah 49 — Context

18

Lift 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.

19

For 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.

20

The 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.

21

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?

22

Thus 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.

23

And 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.

24

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

Isaiah 49:21 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does Isaiah 49:21 say?
Isaiah 49:21 in the King James Version with Apocrypha reads: “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?”
Where is Isaiah 49:21 in the Bible?
Isaiah 49:21 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Isaiah, chapter 49, verse 21.
Who wrote Isaiah?
Isaiah is traditionally attributed to Isaiah son of Amoz. Many critical scholars propose multiple authors ("Deutero-" and "Trito-Isaiah") for chapters 40–66; conservative scholarship holds to single Isaianic authorship. It was written c. 740–680 BC.
What is the book of Isaiah about?
Isaiah is the most quoted prophet in the New Testament — a sweeping vision of God's holiness, Judah's sin, coming judgment, and a promised Servant who would bear the iniquity of many. From "Holy, holy, holy" to "by his stripes we are healed," Isaiah speaks the gospel before the gospel.
What are the major themes of Isaiah?
Isaiah explores themes including Holiness, Judgment, Servant of the LORD, Hope, Salvation, Restoration. These themes shape the meaning and context of Isaiah 49:21.
What translation should I read Isaiah 49:21 in?
Isaiah 49:21 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize Isaiah 49:21?
Isaiah 49:21 reads (KJVA): “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?” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
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