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Isaiah 48:19

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 48:19 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the grains thereof: his name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before me.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the grains thereof: his name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before me.
Isaiah 48:19 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 48

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
16Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; from the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord Jehovah hath sent me, and his Spirit.
17Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am Jehovah thy God, who teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
18Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
19thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the grains thereof: his name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before me.
20Go ye forth from Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans; with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth: say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
21And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.
22There is no peace, saith Jehovah, to the wicked.
← Isaiah 48:18Isaiah 48:20 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Thy seed had also been as the sand, &c.] Upon the sea shore, as numerous as that, as was promised to Abraham, (<012217>Genesis 22:17): and the offspring of thy bowels as the gravel thereof; that is, of the sand; the little stones that are in it, which lie in great numbers on the sea shore; the same thing expressed in different words, denoting the number of their posterity, as it would have been, had they received the Messiah, his doctrines and ordinances: it may be rendered, “and the offspring”, or “those that go out of thy bowels”, that spring from thee, are born of thee, “as the bowels thereof”f962, that is, of the sea; as what is within it, particularly the fishes of it, which are…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“sand--retaining the metaphor of "the sea" (Isa 48:18). like the gravel thereof--rather, as the Hebrew, "like that (the offspring) of its (the sea's) bowels"; referring to the countless living creatures, fishes, &c., of the sea, rather than the gravel [MAURER]. JEROME, Chaldee, and Syriac support English Version. his name . . . cut off--transition from the second person, "thy," to the third "his." Israel's name was cut off "as a nation" during the Babylonish captivity; also it is so now, to which the prophecy especially looks (Rom 11:20).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Thy seed also - Instead of being reduced to a small number by the calamities incident to war, and being comparatively a small and powerless people sighing in captivity, you would have been a numerous and mighty nation. This is another of the blessings which would have followed from obedience to the commands of God; and it proves that a people who are virtuous and pious will become numerous and mighty. Vice, and the diseases, the wars, and the divine judgments consequent on vice, tend to depopulate a nation, and to make it feeble. As the sand - This is often used to denote a great and indefinite number (Genesis 22:17; Genesis 32:12; Genesis 41:49; Joshua 11:4; Jdg 7:12; 1 Samuel 13:5; 2…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“48:19 Your descendants . . . like the sands: This would fulfill God’s covenant to Abraham (Gen 22:17); by contrast, the Israelites were nearly wiped out in the Exile (see Isa 44:26).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“seed: Isa 10:22; Gen 13:16, Gen 22:17; Jer 33:22; Hos 1:10; Rom 9:27 his name: Isa 48:9, Isa 9:14, Isa 14:22; Jos 7:9; Rut 4:10; Kg1 9:7; Psa 9:5, Psa 109:13; Zep 1:4 Isaiah 48:20”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification