Isaiah 49 · Verse 23

Isaiah 49:23

And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
Isaiah 49:23, King James Version

Isaiah 49:23 in other translations

BSBKings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.”
WEBKings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; and those who wait for me won’t be disappointed.”
ASVAnd kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; and they that wait for me shall not be put to shame.
YLTAnd kings have been thy nursing fathers, And their princesses thy nursing mothers; Face to the earth--they bow down to thee, And the dust of thy feet they lick up, And thou hast known that I am Jehovah, That those expecting Me are not ashamed.
DARBYAnd kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and their princesses thy nursing-mothers: they shall bow down to thee with the face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet. And thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; for they shall not be ashamed who wait on me.
BBEAnd kings will take care of you, and queens will give you their milk: they will go down on their faces before you, kissing the dust of your feet; and you will be certain that I am the Lord, and that those who put their hope in me will not be shamed.
WebsterAnd kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

What does Isaiah 49:23 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
23. lick ... dust--that is, kiss thy feet in token of humble submission. for they ... not ... ashamed ... wait for me--The restoration of Israel shall be in answer to their prayerful waiting on the Lord (Is 30:18, 19; Psa 102:16, 17; Zec 12:10; 14:3).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 23 With their face toward the earth "With their faces to the earth" - It is well known that expressions of submission, homage, and reverence always have been and are still carried to a great degree of extravagance in the eastern countries. When Joseph's brethren were introduced to him, "they bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth," Gen 42:6. The kings of Persia never admitted any one to their presence without exacting this act of adoration; for that was the proper term for it. Necesse est, says the Persian courtier to Conon, si in conspectum veneris, venerari te regem; quod προσκυνειν illi vocant. "It is necessary, if thou shouldest come in sight, to venerate thee as king; which they call worshipping." - Nepos in Conone. Alexander, intoxicated with success, affected this piece of oriental pride: Itaque more Persarum Macedonas venerabundos ipsum salutare, prosternentes humi corpora. "The Macedonians after the manner of the Persians, saluted their monarch with the ceremony of prostration." - Curtius, lib. 8. The insolence of eastern monarchs to conquered princes, and the submission of the latter, is astonishing. Mr. Warmer, Observ. 2:43, gives the following instance of it from D'Herbelot: "This prince threw himself one day on the ground, and kissed the prints that his victorious enemy's horse had made there; reciting some verses in Persian, which he had composed, to this effect: - "The mark that the foot of your horse has left upon the dust, serves me now for a crown." "The ring which I wear as the badge of my slavery, is become my richest ornament." "While I shall have the happiness to kiss the dust of your feet, I shall think that fortune favors me with its tenderest caresses, and its sweetest kisses." These expressions therefore of the prophet are only general poetical images, taken from the manners of the country, to denote great respect and reverence: and such splendid poetical images, which frequently occur in the prophetical writings, were intended only as general amplifications of the subject, not as predictions to be understood and fulfilled precisely according to the letter. For the different kinds of adoration in the east, see the note on Isa 44:17.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 49:18-23

Zion is addressed as an afflicted widow, bereaved of her children. Numbers flock to her, and she is assured that they come to be a comfort to her. There are times when the church is desolate and few in number; yet its desolations shall not last for ever, and God will repair them. God can raise up friends for returning Israelites, even among Gentiles. They shall bring their children, and make them thy children. Let…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 49:18-23 →

Isaiah 49:23 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְהָי֨וּve.ha.Yuand they will beH1961
מְלָכִ֜יםme.la.KhimkingsH4428
אֹֽמְנַ֗יִךְ'o.me.Na.yikhfoster-fathers yourH539
וְשָׂרֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ve.sa.ro.tei.Hemand princesses theirH8282
מֵינִ֣יקֹתַ֔יִךְmei.Ni.ko.Ta.yikhsuckling-nurses yourH3243
אַפַּ֗יִם'a.Pa.yimfacesH639
אֶ֚רֶץ'E.retzgroundH776
יִשְׁתַּ֣חֲווּyish.Ta.cha.vuthey will bow downH7812
לָ֔ךְLakhto you
וַעֲפַ֥רva.'a.Farand [the] dust ofH6083
רַגְלַ֖יִךְrag.La.yikhfeet yourH7272
יְלַחֵ֑כוּye.la.Che.khuthey will lick upH3897
וְיָדַ֙עַתְּ֙ve.ya.Da.'atand you will knowH3045
כִּֽי\־ki-thatH3588
אֲנִ֣י'a.NiIH589
יְהוָ֔הYah.weh[am] YahwehH3068
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhomH834
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
יֵבֹ֖שׁוּye.Vo.shuthey will be ashamedH954
קוָֹֽי\׃\ \סko.Vai[those who] wait for meH6960

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 49:23

  • Isaiah 60:14

    The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

  • Isaiah 60:16

    Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

  • Isaiah 60:3

    And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

  • Micah 7:17

    They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee.

  • Isaiah 45:14

    Thus saith the Lord, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.

  • Isaiah 60:10-11

    And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

  • Romans 10:11

    For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

  • Psalms 25:3

    Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

  • Isaiah 64:4

    For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

  • Isaiah 49:7

    Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

  • Revelation 3:9

    Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

  • Psalms 34:22

    The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
kings.Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes, and other Persian monarchs, as well as Alexander the Great, and his successors, particularly Demetrius, conferred many privileges and immunities on the Jewish people, and were munificent benefactors to their temple. But the prophecy was more remarkably and fully fulfilled in the favour which Constantine the Great, and other Christian princes and princesses from his time to the present day, have shewn to the church of Christ; though it cannot be disputed, that the grand and signal accomplishment of these predictions is yet future.
7; 52:15; 60:3,10,11,16; 62:2; Ezr 1:2-4; 6:7-12; 7:11-28; Ne 2:6-10
Es 8:1-10:3; Ps 2:10-12; 68:31; 72:10,11; 138:4; Re 21:24-26
nursing fathers. Heb. nourishers.
Nu 11:12
queens. Heb. princesses. bow.
45:14; 60:14; Ge 43:26; Ps 72:9; Re 3:9
lick up.
Mic 7:17
for they.
25:9; 64:4; Ps 25:3; 34:22; 69:6; Ro 5:5; 9:33; 10:11; 1Pe 2:6

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 49:22

    Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

  • Isaiah 49:23

    And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

  • Isaiah 49:24

    Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

Read all of Isaiah 49

Isaiah 49:23 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y reyes serán tus ayos, y sus reinas tus amas de leche; el rostro inclinado á tierra te adorarán, y lamerán el polvo de tus pies: y conocerás que yo soy Jehová, que no se avergonzarán los que me esperan.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et des rois seront tes nourriciers, et leurs princesses, tes nourrices; ils se prosterneront devant toi le visage contre terre, et ils lécheront la poussière de tes pieds; et tu sauras que moi je suis l’ Éternel: ceux qui s’attendent à moi ne seront pas confus.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Könige werden deine Wärter sein, und ihre Fürstinnen deine Ammen; sie werden sich vor dir niederwerfen mit dem Antlitz zur Erde, und den Staub deiner Füße lecken. Und du wirst erkennen, daß ich Jehova bin: die auf mich harren, werden nicht beschämt werden.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et erunt reges nutritii tui, et reginæ nutrices tuæ; vultu in terram demisso adorabunt te, et pulverem pedum tuorum lingent. Et scies quia ego Dominus, super quo non confundentur qui exspectant eum.