The Meaning of Isaiah 47:11 Explained

Isaiah 47:11

KJV: 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.

YLT: And come in on thee hath evil, Thou knowest not its rising, And fall on thee doth mischief, Thou art not able to pacify it, And come on thee suddenly doth desolation, Thou knowest not.

Darby: But evil shall come upon thee thou shalt not know from whence it riseth; and mischief shall fall upon thee, which thou shalt not be able to ward off; and desolation that thou suspectest not shall come upon thee suddenly.

ASV: Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know the dawning thereof: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it away: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou knowest not.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Isaiah 47:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

In spite of how the Babylonians thought, God would bring judgment on them suddenly that incantations would not affect, sacrifices could not deflect, and magic could not anticipate. Daniel 5 describes Belshazzar"s feast, which took place on the night Babylon fell. Cyrus took the Babylonian king and his city completely by surprise, and the empire fell suddenly.
"Cyrus took Babylon effortlessly, and by morning every citizen of the empire was not a Babylonian but a Persian." [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 47:11 mean?

Therefore shall come upon you evil not You shall know from where it arises and shall fall upon you trouble You will be able to put it off and shall come suddenly desolation [Which] you shall know
וּבָ֧א עָלַ֣יִךְ רָעָ֗ה לֹ֤א תֵדְעִי֙ שַׁחְרָ֔הּ וְתִפֹּ֤ל עָלַ֙יִךְ֙ הֹוָ֔ה תוּכְלִ֖י כַּפְּרָ֑הּ וְתָבֹ֨א פִּתְאֹ֛ם שׁוֹאָ֖ה תֵדָֽעִי

וּבָ֧א  Therefore  shall  come 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
עָלַ֣יִךְ  upon  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רָעָ֗ה  evil 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
תֵדְעִי֙  You  shall  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
שַׁחְרָ֔הּ  from  where  it  arises 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct, third person feminine singular
Root: שַׁחַר  
Sense: dawn.
וְתִפֹּ֤ל  and  shall  fall 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
עָלַ֙יִךְ֙  upon  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הֹוָ֔ה  trouble 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: הֹוָה  
Sense: ruin, disaster.
תוּכְלִ֖י  You  will  be  able 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: יָכֹל  
Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
כַּפְּרָ֑הּ  to  put  it  off 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct, third person feminine singular
Root: כָּפַר 
Sense: to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch.
וְתָבֹ֨א  and  shall  come 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
פִּתְאֹ֛ם  suddenly 
Parse: Adverb
Root: פִּתְאֹם  
Sense: suddenly, surprisingly subst.
שׁוֹאָ֖ה  desolation 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שֹׁוא 
Sense: ravage.
תֵדָֽעִי  [Which]  you  shall  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.