The Meaning of Isaiah 47:10 Explained

Isaiah 47:10

KJV: 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.

YLT: And thou art confident in thy wickedness, Thou hast said, 'There is none seeing me,' Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, It is turning thee back, And thou sayest in thy heart, 'I am, and none else.'

Darby: For thou hast confided in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath seduced thee; and thou hast said in thy heart, It is I, and there is none but me.

ASV: 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 thy heart, I am, and there is none else besides me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Isaiah 47:10 Mean?

Study Notes

trusted
trust
Trust is the characteristic O.T. word for the N.T. "faith," "believe." It occurs 152 times in the O.T., and is the rendering of Heb. words signifying to take refuge (e.g. Ruth 2:12 "to lean on" (e.g.) Psalms 56:3 "to roll on" (e.g.) Psalms 22:8 "to stay upon" (e.g.) Job 35:14 .

Verse Meaning

Babylon felt secure in mistreating people because her great learning and wisdom in the magical arts had led her to conclude that she was superior and invulnerable. Knowledge puffs up, and one of the delusions it spawns is that people who know more are as morally and ethically responsible as everyone else, since they are not. A corollary is that if I can get away with something, it"s all right. Such thinking forgets that there is a sovereign and righteous God in heaven to whom we are responsible.
"Chaldean Babylon ... combined the practical atheism of the freethinker with astrology, necromancy, and crass superstition." [1]

Context Summary

Isaiah 47:1-15 - The Penalty Of Trusting In Wickedness
Babylon dwelt in careless security. She was given to pleasures, Isaiah 47:8; and said in her heart that her vast crowd of astrologers, magicians, and priests, would certainly warn her of impending evil and deliver her. But nothing could be more absolute than her fall. For centuries she has been buried under mounds of desolation, while the Hebrew people, whom she so cruelly oppressed, are the monument of God's preserving mercy. The fact is that Babylon exceeded her duty. She was used as Jehovah's chastising rod upon the Hebrews, but she was merciless in the extreme in her behavior and for this excess she suffered. Compare Isaiah 47:6 with Zechariah 1:15.
Notice Isaiah 47:4. The prophet turns from the overthrow of the proud city to remind his people that Babylon's tribulation is due to the redeeming arm of God; and we must never forget that in the midst of her overthrow there was a thread of golden mercy. The loved that brooded over Nineveh must have been there. See Jonah 4:10-11. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 47

1  God's judgment upon Babylon and Chaldea
6  For their unmercifulness
7  Pride
10  And over-boldness
11  Shall be irresistible

What do the individual words in Isaiah 47:10 mean?

For you have trusted in your wickedness You have said No one sees me Your wisdom and your knowledge it has warped you and you have said in your heart I [am] and [there is] none [besides me] else
וַתִּבְטְחִ֣י בְרָעָתֵ֗ךְ אָמַרְתְּ֙ אֵ֣ין רֹאָ֔נִי חָכְמָתֵ֥ךְ וְדַעְתֵּ֖ךְ הִ֣יא שׁוֹבְבָ֑תֶךְ וַתֹּאמְרִ֣י בְלִבֵּ֔ךְ אֲנִ֖י וְאַפְסִ֥י עֽוֹד

וַתִּבְטְחִ֣י  For  you  have  trusted 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: בָּטוּחַ 
Sense: to trust.
בְרָעָתֵ֗ךְ  in  your  wickedness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
אָמַרְתְּ֙  You  have  said 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵ֣ין  No  one 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
רֹאָ֔נִי  sees  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
חָכְמָתֵ֥ךְ  Your  wisdom 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: חָכְמָה  
Sense: wisdom.
וְדַעְתֵּ֖ךְ  and  your  knowledge 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: דַּעַת 
Sense: knowledge.
שׁוֹבְבָ֑תֶךְ  has  warped  you 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person feminine singular, second person feminine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
וַתֹּאמְרִ֣י  and  you  have  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בְלִבֵּ֔ךְ  in  your  heart 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
אֲנִ֖י  I  [am] 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
וְאַפְסִ֥י  and  [there  is]  none  [besides  me] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, first person common singular
Root: אֶפֶס 
Sense: ceasing, end, finality.
עֽוֹד  else 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.