The Meaning of Isaiah 49:17 Explained

Isaiah 49:17

KJV: Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

YLT: Hastened have those building thee, Those destroying thee, and laying thee waste, go out from thee.

Darby: Thy sons shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that laid thee waste shall go forth from thee.

ASV: Thy children make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth from thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thy children  shall make haste;  thy destroyers  and they that made thee waste  shall go forth  of thee. 

What does Isaiah 49:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Isaiah saw the builders of Jerusalem"s breached walls hurrying to rebuild them after their destroyers had departed. In other words, Jerusalem would not be in a vulnerable condition for very long, relatively speaking. The builders were the sons that Zion thought had been denied her. The Hebrew word translated "builders," bonayik, is almost identical to the word translated "sons," banayik, and may have been deliberately ambiguous to communicate both ideas. Originally only the consonants, which are identical, appeared in the text.

Context Summary

Isaiah 49:14-26 - The Lord Cannot Forget His Own
These assurances were given to the chosen race on the eve of their return from Babylon. They were timid and reluctant to quit the familiar scenes of their captivity; they dreaded the dangers and privations of their way home, and questioned whether the great empire of their captors would ever let them go or allow their city to rise from its ruins. Therefore the Lord's voice takes on a tone of unusual persuasiveness. Let us ponder His assurances of compassion and comfort, Isaiah 49:13; Isaiah 49:15-16.
He will lead us with a shepherd's care, Isaiah 49:10. He will make obstacles subserve His purpose, Isaiah 49:11. His love is more than motherhood, Isaiah 49:15. He treasures the remembrance of His own, Isaiah 49:16. Zion thinks herself cast away as a derelict, Isaiah 49:14, but such is not the case. Even her broken walls are ever before God, with a view to their rebuilding, Isaiah 49:19, etc. God's love is stronger than our strongest enemies, Isaiah 49:25, etc. Let us hide in it, standing above the fears that compose the cloudland of our soul, in the upper peaks of a strong faith. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 49

1  Christ being sent to the Jews, complains of them
5  He is sent to the Gentiles with gracious promises
13  God's love is perpetual to his church
18  The ample restoration of the church
24  The powerful deliverance out of captivity

What do the individual words in Isaiah 49:17 mean?

Shall make haste Your sons Your destroyers and those who laid you waste from you shall go away
מִֽהֲר֖וּ בָּנָ֑יִךְ מְהָֽרְסַ֥יִךְ וּמַחֲרִבַ֖יִךְ מִמֵּ֥ךְ יֵצֵֽאוּ

מִֽהֲר֖וּ  Shall  make  haste 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מָהַר  
Sense: (Qal) to hasten.
בָּנָ֑יִךְ  Your  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
מְהָֽרְסַ֥יִךְ  Your  destroyers 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: הָרַס  
Sense: to tear down, break down, overthrow, beat down, break, break through, destroy, pluck down, pull down, throw down, ruined, destroyer, utterly.
וּמַחֲרִבַ֖יִךְ  and  those  who  laid  you  waste 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: חָרֵב 
Sense: to be waste, lay waste, make desolate, be desolate, be in ruins.
מִמֵּ֥ךְ  from  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
יֵצֵֽאוּ  shall  go  away 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.