Isaiah 49:14–16
Zion says God has forgotten her; he answers that he will not forget her, and has engraved her on his palms
Study it word by word14And Zion said, “YHWH has abandoned me, and Adonai has forgotten me.”
15“Can a woman forget her nursing child, so as not to have compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
16Look, on the palms of my hands I have engraved you; your walls are before me continually.
In its context
12Look, these will come from afar; and look, these from the north and from the sea, and these from the land of Sinim.”
13Shout for joy, heavens, and rejoice, earth; break forth, mountains, into joyful shouting; for YHWH has comforted his people, and on his afflicted ones he will have compassion.
…
17Your children hurry; those who tear you down and those who lay you waste will go out from you.
18Lift up your eyes all around and see: all of them gather, they come to you. As I live, declares YHWH, surely you will clothe yourself with all of them as with an ornament, and bind them on like a bride.
Its words in the original
- תֹּאמֶרtomer· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- צִיּוֹןtsiyon· Zion
Zion: the fortified hill of Jerusalem that David took from the Jebusites; later the name is used for all Jerusalem and for the temple mount.
- עֲזָבַazava· leave, forsake
Leave, forsake, abandon; also let go, leave behind for someone.
- יְהוָהyehva· 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.
- אדֹנָdona· Adonai, Lord
"Adonai": "my Lord", said only to God. It is a title of respect that acknowledges his authority. It is not another god besides YHWH: often it goes with his name, "Adonai YHWH", Lord YHWH.
- שְׁכֵחָshecheach· forget
Forget.
- אִשָּׁהisha· woman, wife
Woman; with a possessive ("his woman"), wife. In Hebrew it is "ishah", which sounds like "ish", man.
- עוּלָula· nursing child
A nursing child, an infant at the breast.
- רַחֵםrachem· have compassion
Have compassion: feel tenderness for someone, as a mother for her child, and treat him with mercy.
- בֶּןben· son
Son. In the plural it can include sons and daughters, and also grandsons and descendants. "Son of..." also says what group someone belongs to ("sons of Israel" = Israelites).
- בִּטְנָbitna· womb, belly
Belly; the mother's womb; the inner part of a person.
- כַּפַּיִםkapayim· palm, sole
The palm of the hand or the sole of the foot; also a pan or small bowl.
- חַקֹּתִיchakoti· inscribe, decree; ruler's staff
Engrave, inscribe; decree, lay down laws. The participle means lawgiver, or the ruler's staff, the rod of the one who gives laws.
- חוֹמֹתַיִchomotayi· wall
Wall, city wall.
- נֶגְדִּnegdi· in front of, counterpart
In front of, opposite, before. The full phrase "as in front of him" means someone who corresponds to him, a counterpart.
- תָּמִידtamid· continually
Continually, always; what is done regularly and without interruption. As a noun, the regular daily offering.