Translations
Modern
Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand, and your offspring as numerous as its grains; their name would never be cut off or eliminated from My presence.”
Traditional
Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.
Literal
…and your seed would have been like the sand, and the offspring of your bowels like its grains. It would not have been cut off and not destroyed—His name from before Me!”
Latin
…et fuisset quasi arena semen tuum, et stirps uteri tui ut lapilli ejus; non interisset et non fuisset attritum nomen ejus a facie mea.
Original
Hebrew
English
Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand, and your offspring as numerous as its grains; their name would never be cut off or eliminated from My presence.”
Notes
Your descendants … as the sand: This fulfills God's promise to Abraham (see Genesis 22:17). In contrast, the Israelites were almost destroyed during the exile in Babylon (see Isaiah 44:26).
This final trial speech reviews the arguments of Isaiah 40–48 and presents the final conclusion.
The Lord urges Israel to abandon its long history of rebellion and pay attention to his words. In Hebrew, the word for listening often means the same as obeying or acting on what is heard.
We can draw two conclusions from the earlier evidence that the Lord alone is God:
Babylon's great pride is foolish (Isaiah 47:1–15);
Israel should listen to the word of the Lord (Isaiah 48:1–22).
Theme notes and profiles
Events
- Prophecies of Isaiahc. 759 BC