FocusThe LORD's saving purpose
Connection to the wholeThe movement announces comfort, challenges idols, and develops the servant passages and invitations to receive the LORD's provision.
interpretation Isaiah 47:3
KJVThy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.
Read it in context
The Humiliation of Babylon
Start reading at Isaiah 47:1 (Isaiah 47:1 to Isaiah 47:15).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
The movement announces comfort, challenges idols, and develops the servant passages and invitations to receive the LORD's provision.
- 47:1 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.
- 47:2 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.
- 47:3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.
- 47:4 As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.
- 47:5 Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.
- 47:6 I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.
- 47:7 And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.
- 47:8 Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:
- 47:9 But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.
- 47:10 For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
- 47:11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.
- 47:12 Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
- 47:13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.
- 47:14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.
- 47:15 Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Isaiah son of Amoz is the named prophet and the traditional author. The New Testament attributes passages from both earlier and later portions to Isaiah; scholars differ about the book's later composition and collection. Biblical references: Isaiah 1:1; John 12:38; John 12:39. stated in the text
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Isaiah 40:1–48:22): The LORD's people, called Jacob and Israel, are addressed with comfort, correction, and the assurance of His power over idols and empires. Babylon and its rulers are also addressed in judgment. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Judah and Jerusalem are the principal named audience, with messages also concerning Israel and other nations. Later portions address God's people in the horizon of exile, return, and restoration. Biblical references: Isaiah 1:1; Isaiah 40:1; Isaiah 48:20. stated in the text
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? The Humiliation of Babylon. Read Isaiah 47:1 through Isaiah 47:15 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? The movement announces comfort, challenges idols, and develops the servant passages and invitations to receive the LORD's provision. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The opening names the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Some passages speak toward later restoration; the time pictured in an oracle is not necessarily its composition date. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? Judah and Jerusalem are central, but the oracles address surrounding nations and distant powers as well. The named audience and location vary by oracle. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in The Humiliation of Babylon (Isaiah 47:1 to Isaiah 47:15). Start reading at Isaiah 47:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? The New Testament explicitly applies passages of Isaiah to Jesus, including the servant passage discussed in Acts 8. Use those links while preserving each oracle's immediate wording and audience. See Isaiah 53:7, Acts 8:32, Acts 8:35, Matthew 12:17. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Reject empty worship that coexists with injustice, and respond to the calls to trust and return. Preserve the named recipients and conditions of particular promises. interpretation
Cited: Isaiah 47:1, Isaiah 47:15, Isaiah 53:7, Acts 8:32, Acts 8:35, Matthew 12:17
Who wrote it, and how we know
Isaiah the prophet
Named in Scripture
What Scripture saysThe book opens with the vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz and names him throughout. The New Testament quotes both the earlier and later chapters as Isaiah's words.
Isaiah 1:1Isaiah 6:1John 12:38John 12:39
Early traditionJewish and Christian tradition holds the whole book to be Isaiah's.
What is debatedMany critical scholars propose a second and third author for chapters 40 and following, based on setting and style. John 12 quoting both sections as Isaiah is a significant argument against that view.
Related passages
- I will take Isa 34:1-8 Isa 59:17-18 Isa 63:4-6 Deut 32:35,41-43 Ps 94:1-2 Ps 137:8-9 Jer 13:22,26 Jer 50:27-28
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Isaiah 47
Isaiah's opening locates his vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem in named royal reigns. The book includes warnings, narratives, and promises addressed to different settings. Identify the immediate audience before extending a promise or judgment to later readers. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Isaiah 1:1 Isaiah 6:1 Isaiah 40:1
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Isaiah
Isaiah's opening locates his vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem in named royal reigns. The book includes warnings, narratives, and promises addressed to different settings. Identify the immediate audience before extending a promise or judgment to later readers.
Isaiah 1:1 Isaiah 6:1 Isaiah 40:1
Judah confronted and hope announced
Isaiah 1:1–12:6FocusSin, judgment, and the promised ruler
Connection to the wholeThe opening visions confront Judah's rebellion while joining judgment with promises concerning the remnant and the Davidic ruler.
interpretation Oracles concerning the nations
Isaiah 13:1–23:18FocusThe LORD's judgment beyond Judah
Connection to the wholeThe series addresses surrounding nations and powers, locating Judah's troubles within a wider scene of divine judgment.
interpretation Judgment and deliverance
Isaiah 24:1–27:13FocusThe earth, the people, and renewed worship
Connection to the wholeThe scope widens through visions of judgment, praise, and gathering, linking the LORD's rule with His people's hope.
interpretation Warnings and the way of restoration
Isaiah 28:1–35:10FocusMisplaced trust and promised renewal
Connection to the wholeWarnings against false security and accounts of judgment lead into a vision of restoration and return.
interpretation Hezekiah's crisis
Isaiah 36:1–39:8FocusAssyria, deliverance, and Babylon
Connection to the wholeThe narratives connect trust and deliverance with an announcement concerning Babylon, bridging earlier warnings and later words of comfort.
interpretation FocusThe LORD's saving purpose
Connection to the wholeThe movement announces comfort, challenges idols, and develops the servant passages and invitations to receive the LORD's provision.
interpretation The community and the final hope
Isaiah 56:1–66:24FocusRighteousness, worship, and renewal
Connection to the wholeThe closing chapters confront ongoing sin while presenting the LORD's promised renewal, maintaining both warning and hope.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.