Isaiah 50:2

 Isaiah 50:2

Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.

a. NASB 2020: “Why was there no one when I came? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Is My hand so short that it cannot redeem? Or do I have no power to rescue? 

Behold, I dry up the sea with My rebuke, I turn rivers into a wilderness; Their fish stink for lack of water, And die of thirst. [NASB20] New American Standard Bible. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation; All Rights Reserved]

b. YLT: Wherefore have I come, and there is no one? I called, and there is none answering, Hath My hand been at all short of redemption? And is there not in me power to deliver? Lo, by My rebuke I dry up a sea, I make rivers a wilderness, Their fish stinketh, for there is no water, And dieth with thirst.  [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified:  Why, when I came, was there no man? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Is My hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert; their fish stink because there is no water, and they die of thirst.  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. The Milstein Edition, Later Prophets, Isaiah. With Rabbinic Commentary: Why is it that I have come and there is no man? Why is it that I have called and there is no one who answers? Is My hand too limited to grant redemption? Is there no strength in Me to rescue? Behold, by My rebuke I dry the sea: I make rivers into a desert; their fish become putrid for lack of water and die of thirst. [THE ARTSCROLL SERIES\MILSTEIN EDITION THE LATTER PROPHETS, ISAIAH Ⓒ Copyright 2013 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ltd.]

e. ESV: Why, when I came, was there no man; why, when I called, was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver?

Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert; their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst.[Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

1. “Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver?”

a. Wherefore [Strong: 4069 maddûwaʻ, mad-doo'-ah; or מַדֻּעַ madduaʻ; from H4100 and the passive participle of H3045; what (is) known?; i.e. (by implication) (adverbially) why?:—how, wherefore, why.]

b. [when I] came [Strong: 935 bôwʼ, bo; a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):—abide, apply, attain, × be, befall, besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, × certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, × doubtless again, eat, employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, have, × indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, × (well) stricken (in age), × surely, take (in), way.]

c. [there was] no [Strong: 369 ʼayin, ah'-yin; as if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not exist; a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle:—else, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without.]

d. man [Strong: 376 ʼîysh, eesh; contracted for H582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation):—also, another, any (man), a certain, champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), none, one, people, person, steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy.

e. [when I] called [Strong: 7121 qârâʼ, kaw-raw'; a primitive root (rather identical with H7122 through the idea of accosting a person met); to call out to (i.e. properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications):—bewray (self), that are bidden, call (for, forth, self, upon), cry (unto), (be) famous, guest, invite, mention, (give) name, preach, (make) proclaim(-ation), pronounce, publish, read, renowned, say.]

f. [was there] none [Strong: 369 ʼayin, ah'-yin; as if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not exist; a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle:—else, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without.]

g. [to] answer [Strong: 6030 ʻânâh, aw-naw'; a primitive root; properly, to eye or (generally) to heed, i.e. pay attention; by implication, to respond; by extension to begin to speak; specifically to sing, shout, testify, announce:—give account, afflict (by mistake for 6031), (cause to, give) answer, bring low (by mistake for 6031), cry, hear, Leannoth, lift up, say, × scholar, (give a) shout, sing (together by course), speak, testify, utter, (bear) witness.]

h. [Is my] hand [Strong: 3027 yâd, yawd; a primitive word; a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from 3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally and figuratively, both proximate and remote [as follows]:—( be) able, × about, armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, × bounty, broad, (broken-) handed, × by, charge, coast, consecrate, creditor, custody, debt, dominion, × enough, fellowship, force, × from, hand(-staves, -y work), × he, himself, × in, labour, large, ledge, (left-) handed, means, × mine, ministry, near, × of, × order, ordinance, × our, parts, pain, power, × presumptuously, service, side, sore, state, stay, draw with strength, stroke, swear, terror, × thee, × by them, × themselves, × thine own, × thou, through, × throwing, thumb, times, × to, × under, × us, × wait on, (way-) side, where, wide, × with (him, me, you), work, yield, × yourselves.]

i. shortened [Strong: 7114 qâtsar, kaw-tsar'; a primitive root; to dock off, i.e. curtail (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative); especially to harvest (grass or grain):—× at all, cut down, much discouraged, grieve, harvestman, lothe, mourn, reap(-er), (be, wax) short(-en, -er), straiten, trouble, vex.]

j. [at] all [Strong: 7114 qâtsar, kaw-tsar'; a primitive root; to dock off, i.e. curtail (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative); especially to harvest (grass or grain):—× at all, cut down, much discouraged, grieve, harvestman, lothe, mourn, reap(-er), (be, wax) short(-en, -er), straiten, trouble, vex.]

k. [that it cannot] redeem [Strong: 6304 pᵉdûwth, ped-ooth'; or פְּדֻת pᵉduth; from [H6299]1; distinction; also deliverance:—division, redeem, redemption.]

l. or [Strong: 518 ʼim, eem; a primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not:—(and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), + but, either, + except, + more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, + save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, + surely (no more, none, not), though, + of a truth, + unless, + verily, when, whereas, whether, while, + yet.]

m. [have I] no [Strong: 369 ʼayin, ah'-yin; as if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not exist; a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle:—else, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without.]

n. power [Strong: 3581 kôach, ko'-akh; or (Daniel 11:6) כּוֹחַ kôwach; from an unused root meaning to be firm; vigor, literally (force, in a good or a bad sense) or figuratively (capacity, means, produce); also (from its hardiness) a large lizard:—ability, able, chameleon, force, fruits, might, power(-ful), strength, substance, wealth.]

o. [to] deliver [Strong: 5337 nâtsal, naw-tsal'; a primitive root; to snatch away, whether in a good or a bad sense:—× at all, defend, deliver (self), escape, × without fail, part, pluck, preserve, recover, rescue, rid, save, spoil, strip, × surely, take (out).]

2.  “...Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.

  

a. Behold [Strong: 2005 hên, hane; a primitive particle; lo!; also (as expressing surprise) if:—behold, if, lo, though.]

b. [at my] rebuke [Strong: 1606 gᵉʻârâh, gheh-aw-raw'; from H1605; a chiding:—rebuke(-ing), reproof.]

c. [I] dry up [Strong: 2717 chârab, khaw-rab'; or חֲרֵב chărêb; a primitive root; to parch (through drought) i.e. (by analogy,) to desolate, destroy, kill:—decay, (be) desolate, destroy(-er), (be) dry (up), slay, × surely, (lay, lie, make) waste.]

d. [the] sea [Strong: 3220 yâm, yawm; from an unused root meaning to roar; a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the article), the Mediterranean Sea; sometimes a large river, or an artifical basin; locally, the west, or (rarely) the south:—sea (× -faring man, (-shore)), south, west (-ern, side, -ward).]

e. [I] make [Strong: 7760 sûwm, soom; or שִׂים sîym; a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically):—× any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, name, × on, ordain, order, paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, stedfastly, take, × tell, tread down, (over-)turn, × wholly, work.]

f. [the] rivers [Strong: 5104 nâhâr, naw-hawr'; from H5102; a stream (including the sea; expectation the Nile, Euphrates, etc.); figuratively, prosperity:—flood, river.]

g. [a] wilderness [Strong: 4057 midbâr, mid-bawr'; from H1696 in the sense of driving; a pasture (i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication, a desert; also speech (including its organs):—desert, south, speech, wilderness.]

h. [their] fish [Strong: 1710 dâgâh, daw-gaw'; feminine of H1709, and meaning the same:—fish.]

i. because [Strong: 887 bâʼash, baw-ash'; a primitive root; to smell bad; figuratively, to be offensive morally:—(make to) be abhorred (had in abomination, loathsome, odious), (cause a, make to) stink(-ing savour), × utterly.]

j. [there is] no [Strong: 369 ʼayin, ah'-yin; as if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not exist; a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle:—else, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without.]

k. water [Strong: 4325 mayim, mah'-yim; dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense); water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen:— piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).]

l. [and] dieth [Strong: 4191 mûwth, mooth; a primitive root; to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill:—× at all, × crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), × must needs, slay, × surely, × very suddenly, × in (no) wise.]

m. [for] thirst [Strong: 6772 tsâmâʼ, tsaw-maw'; from H6770; thirst (literally or figuratively):—thirst(-y).]

1). In Isaiah 50:1 God declares that it is because of their own sin that they are separated from God, it is for their own sin that Israel has been put away. In Isaiah 50:2, 3 God declares that because He is the Omnipotent God He is more than able to deliver Israel.