The Meaning of Isaiah 48:10 Explained

Isaiah 48:10

KJV: Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

YLT: Lo, I have refined thee, and not with silver, I have chosen thee in a furnace of affliction.

Darby: Behold, I have refined thee, but not as silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

ASV: Behold, I have refined thee, but not as silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold, I have refined  thee, but not with silver;  I have chosen  thee in the furnace  of affliction. 

What does Isaiah 48:10 Mean?

Verse Meaning

By allowing the Babylonian exile, God was not casting off His people, but disciplining them so they would come to their senses, and follow Him more faithfully thereafter. The difficult times Israel had been through were fires of refining, not fires of destruction. Fire was one of Isaiah"s favorite figures for judgment, and often it was God"s people whom he described as in the fire. Unfortunately many readers think only of hell when they read of judgment fire in Scripture. In refining silver, the craftsman burns away all the dross. If God had refined Israel that way, there would have been nothing left of the nation. Affliction is a sign that God has chosen and loves His people; it is not a sign that He has not chosen and does not love them (cf. Hebrews 12:3-13).

Context Summary

Isaiah 48:1-16 - The Obstinate And Insincere Rebuked
We are meant to be for God's praise and glory; but we may delay the realization of His high purpose. Our neck iron, our brow brass, we trust in idols and refuse to open our ear. It is necessary, therefore, to send us to Babylon, where, as in a furnace for silver, the dross and alloy are purged away. Many of us are in furnaces which have been rendered needful through our evil ways.
Notwithstanding our sins, God comes to the furnace mouth and chooses us there. For His own sake, His own sake, He does it that His name may not be polluted. He cannot give His glory to another. You cannot account for God's grace to you personally. He must have known all, from the first. Then dare to believe that the reason that prompted Him at the first will suffice to the end. He is not "the son of man that He should repent." He who was the first will be the last. Jesus is Omega as well as Alpha; the end as well as the beginning! Fear not! Revelation 1:17. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 48

1  God, to convince the people of their foreknown obstinance, revealed his prophecies
9  He saves them for his own sake
12  He exhorts them to obedience, because of his power and providence
16  He laments their backwardness
20  He powerfully delivers his people out of Babylon

What do the individual words in Isaiah 48:10 mean?

Behold I have refined you but not as silver I have tested you in the furnace of affliction
הִנֵּ֥ה צְרַפְתִּ֖יךָ וְלֹ֣א בְכָ֑סֶף בְּחַרְתִּ֖יךָ בְּכ֥וּר עֹֽנִי

הִנֵּ֥ה  Behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
צְרַפְתִּ֖יךָ  I  have  refined  you 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: צָרַף  
Sense: to smelt, refine, test.
וְלֹ֣א  but  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
בְכָ֑סֶף  as  silver 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֶּסֶף  
Sense: silver, money.
בְּחַרְתִּ֖יךָ  I  have  tested  you 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: בָּחוּר 
Sense: to choose, elect, decide for.
בְּכ֥וּר  in  the  furnace 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כּוּר  
Sense: furnace, forge, smelting furnace or pot v.
עֹֽנִי  of  affliction 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֳנִי  
Sense: affliction, poverty, misery.