King James Version

Isaiah 49:21

Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

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Hebrew

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וְאָמַ֣רְתְּveamarteand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “and say”, a completed action in a sequenceH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…בִּלְבָבֵ֗ךְbilvavekhein breastלֵבָבpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “in breast”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3824the heart (as the most interior organ);[phrase] bethink themselves, breast, comfortably, courage, ((faint), (tender-) heart(-ed), midst, mind, [idiom] unawares, understanding.מִ֤יmiwhoמִיparticle, interrogative — “who”H4310who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffixany (man), [idiom] he, [idiom] him, [phrase] O that! what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), [phrase] would to God.יָֽלַדyaladbearיָלַדverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “bear”, a completed actionH3205to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineagebear, beget, birth(-day), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (wom…לִי֙litoלִי֙preposition, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “to”toאֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).אֵ֔לֶּהelehtheseאֵלֶּהpronoun, demonstrative, common, plural — “these”H428these or thosean-(the) other; one sort, so, some, such, them, these (same), they, this, those, thus, which, who(-m).וַאֲנִ֥יvaaniand mineאֲנִיconjunction, pronoun, personal, 1st person, common, singular — “and mine”H589II, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, [idiom] which, [idiom] who.שְׁכוּלָ֖הshekhulahbereaveשָׁכֹלadjective, adjective, feminine, singular, absolute — “bereave”, the ordinary formH7921properly, to miscarry, i.e. suffer abortion; by analogy, to bereave (literally or figuratively)bereave (of children), barren, cast calf (fruit, young), be (make) childless, deprive, destroy, [idiom] expect, lose children, miscarry, rob of children, spoil.וְגַלְמוּדָ֑הvegalmudahand desolateגַּלְמוּדconjunction, adjective, adjective, feminine, singular, absolute — “and desolate”, the ordinary formH1565sterile (as wrapped up too hard); figuratively, desolatedesolate, solitary.גֹּלָ֣הgolahexileגָּלָהverb, qal, participle, absolute — “exile”, a verb used as a describing wordH1540to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense); by implication, to exile (captives being usually stripped); figuratively, to reveal[phrase] advertise, appear, bewray, bring, (carry, lead, go) captive (into captivity), depart, disclose, discover, exile, be gone, open, [idiom] plainly, publish, remove, reveal, [idiom] shamelessly, shew, [idiom] surely, tell, uncover.וְסוּרָ֗הvesurahand turnסוּרconjunction, adjective, adjective, feminine, singular, absolute — “and turn”, the ordinary formH5493to turn off (literal or figurative)be(-head), bring, call back, decline, depart, eschew, get (you), go (aside), [idiom] grievous, lay away (by), leave undone, be past, pluck away, put (away, down), rebel, remove (to and fro), revolt, [idiom] be sour, take (away, off), turn…וְאֵ֨לֶּה֙veelehand theseאֵלֶּהconjunction, pronoun, demonstrative, common, plural — “and these”H428these or thosean-(the) other; one sort, so, some, such, them, these (same), they, this, those, thus, which, who(-m).מִ֣יmiwhoמִיparticle, interrogative — “who”H4310who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffixany (man), [idiom] he, [idiom] him, [phrase] O that! what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), [phrase] would to God.גִדֵּ֔לgidelbeגָּדַלverb, piel, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “be”, a completed actionH1431to be (causatively make) large (in various senses, as in body, mind, estate or honor, also in pride)advance, boast, bring up, exceed, excellent, be(-come, do, give, make, wax), great(-er, come to... estate, [phrase] things), grow(up), increase, lift up, magnify(-ifical), be much set by, nourish (up), pass, promote, proudly (spoken), towe…הֵ֤ןhenifהֵןparticle, demonstrative — “if”H2005lo!; also (as expressing surprise) ifbehold, if, lo, though.אֲנִי֙animineאֲנִיpronoun, personal, 1st person, common, singular — “mine”H589II, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, [idiom] which, [idiom] who.נִשְׁאַ֣רְתִּיnishartileaveשָׁאַרverb, niphal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “leave”, a completed actionH7604properly, to swell up, i.e. be (causatively, make) redundantleave, (be) left, let, remain, remnant, reserve, the rest.לְבַדִּ֔יlevadito apartבַּדpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “to apart”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH905properly, separation; by implication, a part of the body, branch of atree, bar forcarrying; figuratively, chief of a city; especially (with prepositional prefix) as an adverb, apart, only, besidesalone, apart, bar, besides, branch, by self, of each alike, except, only, part, staff, strength.אֵ֖לֶּהelehtheseאֵלֶּהpronoun, demonstrative, common, plural — “these”H428these or thosean-(the) other; one sort, so, some, such, them, these (same), they, this, those, thus, which, who(-m).אֵיפֹ֥הeyfowhat mannerאֵיפֹהparticle, interrogative — “what manner”H375what place?; also (of time) when?; or (of means) how?what manner, where.הֵֽםhemtheyהֵםpronoun, personal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “they”H1992they (only used when emphatic)it, like, [idiom] (how, so) many (soever, more as) they (be), (the) same, [idiom] so, [idiom] such, their, them, these, they, those, which, who, whom, withal, ye.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Then shalt thou say in thy heart: 'Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? And who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Then shalt thou say in thy heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?

Young’s Literal Translation

And thou hast said in thy heart: 'Who hath begotten for me — these? And I bereaved and gloomy, A captive, and turned aside, And these — who hath nourished? Lo, I — I was left by myself, these — whence [are] they?

World English Bible

Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children and am alone, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought these up? Behold, I was left alone. Where were these?’”

Darby Translation

And thou shalt say in thy heart, Who hath borne me these, seeing I had lost my children and was desolate, an exile, and driven about? and who hath brought up these? behold, I was left alone; these, where were they?

Douay-Rheims

And thou shalt-say in thy heart: Who hath begotten these? I was barren and brought not forth, led away, and captive: and who hath brought up these? I was destitute and alone: and these, where were they?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And thou shalt say in thine heart, Who has begotten me these? whereas I was childless, and a widow; but who has brought up these for me? and I was left alone; but whence came these to me?

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ἐρεῖς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, τίς ἐγέννησέ μοι τούτους; ἐγὼ δὲ ἄτεκνος καὶ χήρα, τούτους δὲ τίς ἐξέθρεψέ μοι; ἐγὼ δὲ κατελείφθην μόνη, οὗτοι δέ μοι ποῦ ἦσαν;