Isaiah 51 · Verse 16

Isaiah 51:16

And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
Isaiah 51:16, King James Version

Isaiah 51:16 in other translations

BSBI have put My words in your mouth, and covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
WEBI have put my words in your mouth and have covered you in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and tell Zion, ‘You are my people.’”
ASVAnd I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
YLTAnd I put My words in thy mouth, And with the shadow of My hand have covered thee, To plant the heavens, and to found earth, And to say to Zion, ‘My people art thou.'
DARBYAnd I have put my words in thy mouth, and covered thee with the shadow of my hand, to plant the heavens, and to lay the foundations of the earth, and to say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
BBEAnd I have put my words in your mouth, covering you with the shade of my hand, stretching out the heavens, and placing the earth on its base, and saying to Zion, You are my people.
WebsterAnd I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shade of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, Thou art my people.

What does Isaiah 51:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
16. Addressed to Israel, embodied in "the servant of Jehovah" (Is 42:1), Messiah, its ideal and representative Head, through whom the elect remnant is to be restored. put my words in thy mouth--true of Israel, the depository of true religion, but fully realized only in Israel's Head and antitype, Messiah (Is 49:2; 50:4, 5; 59:21; De 18:18; Joh 3:34). covered ... in ... shadow of ... hand--protected thee (see on Is 49:2). plant--rather, "fix" as a tabernacle; so it ought to be rendered (Da 11:45). The "new creation," now going on in the spiritual world by the Gospel (Ep 2:10), and hereafter to be extended to the visible world, is meant (Is 65:17; 66:22; compare Is 13:13; 2Pe 3:10-13). Zion--Its restoration is a leading part in the new creation to come (Is 65:17, 19).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 16 That I may plant the heavens "To stretch out the heavens" - In the present text it is לנתע lintoa, "to plant the heavens:" the phrase is certainly very obscure, and in all probability is a mistake for לנטות lintoth. This latter is the word used in Isa 51:13 just before, in the very same sentence; and this phrase occurs very frequently in Isaiah, Isa 40:22, Isa 42:5, Isa 44:24, Isa 45:12; the former in no other place. It is also very remarkable, that in the Samaritan text, Num 24:6, these two words are twice changed by mistake, one for the other, in the same verse.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 51:9-16

The people whom Christ has redeemed with his blood, as well as by his power, will obtain joyful deliverance from every enemy. He that designs such joy for us at last, will he not work such deliverance in the mean time, as our cases require? In this world of changes, it is a short step from joy to sorrow, but in that world, sorrow shall never come in view. They prayed for the display of God's power; he answers them…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 51:9-16 →

Isaiah 51:16 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.

וָאָשִׂ֤יםva.'a.Simand I have putH7760
דְּבָרַי֙de.va.Raiwords myH1697
בְּפִ֔יךָbe.Fi.khain mouth yourH6310
וּבְצֵ֥לu.ve.Tzeland with [the] shadow ofH6738
יָדִ֖יya.Dihand myH3027
כִּסִּיתִ֑יךָki.si.Ti.khaI have covered youH3680
לִנְטֹ֤עַlin.To.a'to plantH5193
שָׁמַ֙יִם֙sha.Ma.yim[the] heavensH8064
וְלִיסֹ֣דve.li.Sodand to foundH3245
אָ֔רֶץ'A.retz[the] earthH776
וְלֵאמֹ֥רve.le.Morand to sayH559
לְצִיּ֖וֹןle.tzi.Yonto ZionH6726
עַמִּי\־'a.mi-[are] people myH5971
אָֽתָּה\׃\ \ס'A.tahyouH859

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

Cross references for Isaiah 51:16

  • Isaiah 59:21

    As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

  • Isaiah 49:2

    And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

  • John 17:8

    For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

  • Deuteronomy 18:18

    I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

  • Jeremiah 31:33

    But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

  • Isaiah 66:22

    For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.

  • Isaiah 50:4

    The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.

  • John 8:38-40

    I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

  • Zechariah 13:9

    And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

  • Isaiah 48:13

    Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.

  • Isaiah 65:17

    For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

  • 2 Peter 3:13

    Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I have put.
50:4; 59:21; De 18:18; Joh 3:34; 8:38-40; 17:8; Re 1:1
I have covered.
49:2; De 33:27
plant.
45:18; 60:21; 61:3; 65:17; 66:22; Ps 92:13; 2Pe 3:13
and lay.
48:13; 49:8; Ps 75:3
Thou art.
60:14,15; Jer 31:33; 32:38; Zec 8:8; 13:9; Heb 8:10

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

Context

  • Isaiah 51:15

    But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The Lord of hosts is his name.

  • Isaiah 51:16

    And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.

  • Isaiah 51:17

    Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.

Read all of Isaiah 51

Isaiah 51:16 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y en tu boca he puesto mis palabras, y con la sombra de mi mano te cubrí, para que plantase los cielos y fundase la tierra, y que dijese á Sión: Pueblo mío eres tú.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et j’ai mis mes paroles dans ta bouche, et je t’ai couvert de l’ombre de ma main, pour établir les cieux, et pour fonder la terre, et pour dire à Sion: Tu es mon peuple!
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und ich habe meine Worte in deinen Mund gelegt und dich bedeckt mit dem Schatten meiner Hand, um die Himmel aufzuschlagen und die Erde zu gründen, und zu Zion zu sagen: Du bist mein Volk!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Posui verba mea in ore tuo, et in umbra manus meæ protexi te, ut plantes cælos, et fundes terram, et dicas ad Sion: Populus meus es tu.