Isaiah 51 · Verse 23

Isaiah 51:23

But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.
Isaiah 51:23, King James Version

Isaiah 51:23 in other translations

BSBI will place it in the hands of your tormentors, who told you: ‘Lie down, so we can walk over you,’ so that you made your back like the ground, like a street to be traversed.”
WEBI will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, who have said to your soul, ‘Bow down, that we may walk over you;’ and you have laid your back as the ground, like a street to those who walk over.”
ASVand I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee, that have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over; and thou hast laid thy back as the ground, and as the street, to them that go over.
YLTAnd I have put it into the hand of those afflicting thee, Who have said to thy soul, Bow down, and we pass over, And thou makest as the earth thy body, And as the street to those passing by!'
DARBYand I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; who have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over; and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street to them that went over.
BBEAnd I will put it into the hand of your cruel masters, and of those whose yoke has been hard on you; who have said to your soul, Down on your face! so that we may go over you: and you have given your backs like the earth, even like the street, for them to go over.
WebsterBut I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; who have said to thy soul, Prostrate thyself, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.

What does Isaiah 51:23 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
23. (Is 49:26; Jr 25:15-29; Zec 12:2). Bow down that ... go over--Conquerors often literally trod on the necks of conquered kings, as Sapor of Persia did to the Roman emperor Valerian (Jos 10:24; Psa 18:40; 66:11, 12).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 23 Them that afflict thee "Them who oppress thee" - The Septuagint, Chaldee, Syriac, and Vulgate appear to have read מוניך monayich, as in Isa 40:26." - Secker. Which have said to thy soul, Bow down "Who say to thee, Bow down thy body" - A very strong and most expressive description of the insolent pride of eastern conquerors; which, though it may seem greatly exaggerated, yet hardly exceeds the strict truth. An example has already been given of it in the note to Isa 49:23. I will here add one or two more. "Joshua called for all the men of Israel; and said unto the captains of the men of war that went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings," Jos 10:24. "Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: As I have done, so hath God requited me," Jdg 1:7. The Emperor Valerianus, being through treachery taken prisoner by Sapor king of Persia, was treated by him as the basest and most abject slave: for the Persian monarch commanded the unhappy Roman to bow himself down, and offer him his back, on which he set his foot, in order to mount his chariot or horse whenever he had occasion. - Lactantius, De Mort. Persec. cap. 5. Aurel. Victor. Epitome, cap. xxxii. - L.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 51:17-23

God calls upon his people to mind the things that belong to their everlasting peace. Jerusalem had provoked God, and was made to taste the bitter fruits. Those who should have been her comforters, were their own tormentors. They have no patience by which to keep possesion of their own souls, nor any confidence in God's promise, by which to keep possession of its comfort. Thou art drunken, not as formerly, with the…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 51:17-23 →

Isaiah 51:23 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.

וְשַׂמְתִּ֙יהָ֙ve.sam.Ti.haand I will put itH7760
בְּיַד\־be.yad-in [the] hand ofH3027
מוֹגַ֔יִךְmo.Ga.yikh[those who] torment youH3013
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whoH834
אָמְר֥וּ'a.me.Ruthey saidH559
לְנַפְשֵׁ֖ךְle.naf.Shekhto self yourH5315
שְׁחִ֣יshe.Chilie downH7812
וְנַעֲבֹ֑רָהve.na.'a.Vo.rahso let us pass over [you]H5674
וַתָּשִׂ֤ימִיva.ta.Si.miand you madeH7760
כָאָ֙רֶץ֙kha.'A.retzlike the groundH776
גֵּוֵ֔ךְge.Vekhback yourH1460
וְכַח֖וּץve.kha.Chutzand like the streetH2351
לַעֹבְרִֽים\׃\ \סla.'oe.Rimfor <the> [those who] pass overH5674

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

Cross references for Isaiah 51:23

  • Joshua 10:24

    And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.

  • Zechariah 12:2

    Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

  • Revelation 17:18

    And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

  • Revelation 13:16-17

    And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

  • Proverbs 21:18

    The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.

  • Revelation 17:6-8

    And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

  • Revelation 11:2

    But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

  • Jeremiah 25:15-29

    For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. Then took I the cup at the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me: To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day; …

  • Psalms 65:11-12

    Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.

  • Isaiah 49:25-26

    But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

  • Proverbs 11:8

    The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I will.
49:25,26; Pr 11:8; 21:18; Jer 25:17-29; Zec 12:2; Re 17:6-8,18
Bow.
Jos 10:24; Ps 65:11,12; Re 11:2; 13:16,17

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

Context

  • Isaiah 51:22

    Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:

  • Isaiah 51:23

    But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.

Read all of Isaiah 51

Isaiah 51:23 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y ponerlo he en mano de tus angustiadores, que dijeron á tu alma: Encórvate, y pasaremos. Y tú pusiste tu cuerpo como tierra, y como camino, á los que pasan.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et je la mets dans la main de ceux qui t’affligent, qui ont dit à ton âme: Courbe-toi, afin que nous passions; et tu as mis ton corps comme le sol, et comme une rue pour les passants.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich gebe ihn in die Hand deiner Peiniger, die zu deiner Seele sprachen: Bücke dich, daß wir darüber hinschreiten! Und du machtest deinen Rücken der Erde gleich, und gleich einer Straße für die darüber Schreitenden.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et ponam illum in manu eorum qui te humiliaverunt, et dixerunt animæ tuæ: Incurvare, ut transeamus; et posuisti ut terram corpus tuum, et quasi viam transeuntibus.