Isaiah 49:23

“And kings will be your foster fathers, and their princesses your nursing mothers; with their faces to the ground they will bow down to you, and the dust of your feet they will lick; and you will know that I am YHWH, that those who wait for me will not be ashamed.””

Isaiah 49:23 · direct translation from the Hebrew
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With the Hebrew beneath

23

Isaiah 49:23, word by word

kingsמְלָכִיםmelachim

king

A king who rules a people.

Where else “melachim” appears
will beהָיוּhayu

be

To be: "I will be their Elohim".

Where else “hayu” appears
your foster fathersאֹמְנַיִomnayi

nurse

To care for, raise a child.

Where else “omnayi” appears
and their princessesשָׂרוֹתֵיsarote

princess, noble lady

Princess, noblewoman. Of the same family as "prince" and as the name "Sarah."

Where else “sarote” appears
your nursing mothersמֵינִיקֹתַיִmenikotayi

nurse

To give a baby the breast, the mother or the woman who nurses him.

Where else “menikotayi” appears
with their facesאַפַּיִםapayim

face

A person's face: it is bowed to the ground to honor, and "before someone" is in front of his face.

Where else “apayim” appears
to the groundאֶרֶץerets

ground

What is underfoot: bowing down to touch it.

Where else “erets” appears
they will bow downיִשְׁתַּחֲווּyishtachavu

bow down

To bow to the ground before someone in respect.

Where else “yishtachavu” appears
and the dustעֲפַרafar

dust

Dry, loose earth, fine as dust; God formed man from it.

Where else “afar” appears
of your feetרַגְלַיִraglayi

foot

The part of the body that supports and makes one walk.

Where else “raglayi” appears
they will lickיְלַחֵכוּyelachechu

lick up

Lick, pass the tongue over. In Numbers 22:4, to devour everything as an ox eats the grass.

Where else “yelachechu” appears
and you will knowיָדַעַתְּyadaat

acknowledge

To acknowledge YHWH: admit that he is God.

Where else “yadaat” appears
YHWHיְהוָהyehva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yehva” appears
those who wait for meקוָֹkvoa

wait

To long and look for, above all YHWH.

Where else “kvoa” appears
be ashamedיֵבֹשׁוּyevoshu

be disappointed

To be disgraced because what one trusted in failed.

Where else “yevoshu” appears

The context

22Thus says Adonai YHWH: “Look, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and to the peoples I will raise my banner; and they will bring your sons in the bosom, and your daughters will be carried on the shoulder.

23 · This verse (above)

24Can the prey be taken from the mighty one, or the captives of the righteous be rescued?

Read all of Isaiah 49

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