Isaiah 49:21 nasb — "Then you will say in your heart, 'Who has begotten these for me, Since I have been bereaved of my children And am barr…

NASB

""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?'""

— Isaiah 49:21, NASB

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Isaiah 49:21 in Other Translations

7 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?”

  • 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?”

Isaiah 49 — Context

18

"Lift up your eyes and look around; All of them gather together, they come to you. As I live," declares the LORD, "You will surely put on all of them as jewels and bind them on as a bride.

19

"For your waste and desolate places and your destroyed land-- Surely now you will be too cramped for the inhabitants, And those who swallowed you will be far away.

20

"The children of whom you were bereaved will yet say in your ears, 'The place is too cramped for me; Make room for me that I may live here.'

21

"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?'"

22

Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations And set up My standard to the peoples; And they will bring your sons in their bosom, And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.

23

"Kings will be your guardians, And their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth And lick the dust of your feet; And you will know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame.

24

"Can the prey be taken from the mighty man, Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?"

Isaiah 49:21 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does Isaiah 49:21 say?
Isaiah 49:21 in the NASB reads: “"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?'"”
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 (NASB): “"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?'"” 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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