The Meaning of Isaiah 47:5 Explained

Isaiah 47:5

KJV: Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.

YLT: Sit silent, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, For no more do they cry to thee, 'Mistress of kingdoms.'

Darby: Sit silent, and get thee into darkness, daughter of the Chaldeans; for thou shalt no more be called, Mistress of kingdoms.

ASV: Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for thou shalt no more be called The mistress of kingdoms.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Sit  thou silent,  and get  thee into darkness,  O daughter  of the Chaldeans:  for thou shalt no more  be called,  The lady  of kingdoms. 

What does Isaiah 47:5 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Babylon would no longer be the queen of the nations, having many other kingdoms under her authority. Rather than enjoying the public activity and prominence that go with being a leader, Babylon would find herself sitting in silence and darkness.
"From the blare of world publicity and the glare of the palace lights to the silence of obscurity ( Isaiah 47:5)!" [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 47:5 mean?

Sit in silence and go into darkness daughter of the Chaldeans for no longer shall be called you the Lady of Kingdoms
שְׁבִ֥י דוּמָ֛ם וּבֹ֥אִי בַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ בַּת־ כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים כִּ֣י לֹ֤א תוֹסִ֙יפִי֙ יִקְרְאוּ־ לָ֔ךְ גְּבֶ֖רֶת מַמְלָכֽוֹת

שְׁבִ֥י  Sit 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
דוּמָ֛ם  in  silence 
Parse: Adverb
Root: דּוּמָם  
Sense: silence adv.
וּבֹ֥אִי  and  go 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ  into  darkness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹשֶׁךְ  
Sense: darkness, obscurity.
בַּת־  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים  of  the  Chaldeans 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: כַּשְׂדִּים  
Sense: a territory in lower Mesopotamia bordering on the Persian Gulf.
לֹ֤א  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תוֹסִ֙יפִי֙  longer 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: יָסַף 
Sense: to add, increase, do again.
יִקְרְאוּ־  shall  be  called 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
גְּבֶ֖רֶת  the  Lady 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: גְּבֶרֶת  
Sense: lady, queen.
מַמְלָכֽוֹת  of  Kingdoms 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: מַמְלָכָה  
Sense: kingdom, dominion, reign, sovereignty.