The Meaning of Isaiah 51:13 Explained

Isaiah 51:13

KJV: And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

YLT: And thou dost forget Jehovah thy maker, Who is stretching out the heavens, and founding earth, And thou dost fear continually all the day, Because of the fury of the oppressor, As he hath prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor?

Darby: and forgettest Jehovah thy Maker, who hath stretched out the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and thou art afraid continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he prepareth to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?

ASV: and hast forgotten Jehovah thy Maker, that stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and fearest continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he maketh ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And forgettest  the LORD  thy maker,  that hath stretched forth  the heavens,  and laid the foundations  of the earth;  and hast feared  continually  every day  because  of the fury  of the oppressor,  as if  he were ready  to destroy?  and where [is] the fury  of the oppressor? 

What does Isaiah 51:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Israelites had forgotten the type of person Yahweh-their Maker, the Creator-was, or they would not have been afraid.
". . . to live in fear of humans is to have effectively forgotten God.... It is easy to say certain theologically correct things, such as that he is both the world"s and our maker, that he is the one who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth, while giving the lie to those fine words by our continually living as though he can do nothing to prevent humans from doing ultimate harm to us [1].... Yes, oppressors may hurt us, even kill us, but they do not have the power to make us fear them or hate them." [2]

Context Summary

Isaiah 51:12-23 - "the Captive Exile Shall Be Loosed"
During the Sepoy mutiny in India, when a number of English men and women were shut up in a quarter of Cawnpore, expecting a terrible death by assault or slow starvation, a torn page of the Bible, containing this passage, was found on the street pavement and was of unspeakable comfort. Oh, the blessedness of appropriating Isaiah 51:16! See Isaiah 49:7.
We are too apt to forget that God pleads the cause of His people, even when they have sinned and have reduced themselves to sore straits, Isaiah 51:17 and Isaiah 51:22. We think more of the earth than of the over-arching skies; of the fading grass than of the tree of Life; of man than of God. The near obscures the distant, and the flaring earth lights, the shine of the stars! Root yourself in God! Think of Him who sits at the right hand of the throne, the seat of resistless, ceaseless energy! Believe that God has placed Himself between you and all enemies and circumstances which threaten. To fear all day is impossible in face of these paragraphs. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 51

1  An exhortation after the pattern of Abraham, to trust in Christ
3  By reason of his comfortable promises,
4  Of his righteous salvation
7  And man's mortality
9  Christ by his sanctified arm defends his from the fear of man
17  He bewails the afflictions of Jerusalem
21  And promises deliverance

What do the individual words in Isaiah 51:13 mean?

And you forget Yahweh your Maker who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth and You have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor when [he has] prepared to destroy and where [is] the fury of the oppressor
וַתִּשְׁכַּ֞ח יְהוָ֣ה עֹשֶׂ֗ךָ נוֹטֶ֣ה שָׁמַיִם֮ וְיֹסֵ֣ד אָרֶץ֒ וַתְּפַחֵ֨ד תָּמִ֜יד כָּל־ הַיּ֗וֹם מִפְּנֵי֙ חֲמַ֣ת הַמֵּצִ֔יק כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר כּוֹנֵ֖ן ؟ לְהַשְׁחִ֑ית וְאַיֵּ֖ה חֲמַ֥ת ؟ הַמֵּצִֽיק

וַתִּשְׁכַּ֞ח  And  you  forget 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: כָּשַׁח 
Sense: to forget, ignore, wither.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עֹשֶׂ֗ךָ  your  Maker 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
נוֹטֶ֣ה  who  stretched  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָטָה 
Sense: to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow.
שָׁמַיִם֮  the  heavens 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וְיֹסֵ֣ד  and  laid  the  foundations 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָסַד 
Sense: to found, fix, establish, lay foundation.
אָרֶץ֒  of  the  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וַתְּפַחֵ֨ד  and  You  have  feared 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: פָּחַד  
Sense: to fear, tremble, revere, dread, be in awe or dread.
תָּמִ֜יד  continually 
Parse: Adverb
Root: תָּמִיד  
Sense: continuity, perpetuity, to stretch.
כָּל־  every 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַיּ֗וֹם  day 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
מִפְּנֵי֙  because 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
חֲמַ֣ת  of  the  fury 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: חֵמָא 
Sense: heat, rage, hot displeasure, indignation, anger, wrath, poison, bottles.
הַמֵּצִ֔יק  of  the  oppressor 
Parse: Article, Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: צוּק  
Sense: (Hiphil) to constrain, press, bring into straits, straiten, oppress.
כּוֹנֵ֖ן  [he  has]  prepared 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כּוּן 
Sense: to be firm, be stable, be established.
؟ לְהַשְׁחִ֑ית  to  destroy 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁחַת  
Sense: to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay.
וְאַיֵּ֖ה  and  where  [is] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interrogative
Root: אַיֵּה  
Sense: where?.
חֲמַ֥ת  the  fury 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: חֵמָא 
Sense: heat, rage, hot displeasure, indignation, anger, wrath, poison, bottles.
؟ הַמֵּצִֽיק  of  the  oppressor 
Parse: Article, Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: צוּק  
Sense: (Hiphil) to constrain, press, bring into straits, straiten, oppress.