Isaiah 49:18

16 Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.

17 Your builders hasten back; your destroyers and wreckers depart from you.

Lift up your eyes and look around. They all gather together; they come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “you will wear them all as jewelry and put them on like a bride.

19 For your ruined and desolate places and your ravaged land will now indeed be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.

20 Yet the children of your bereavement will say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; make room for us to live here.’

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
Lift up your eyes and look around. They all gather together; they come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “you will wear them all as jewelry and put them on like a bride.
KJV
Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.
WEB
Lift up your eyes all around, and see: all these gather themselves together, and come to you. As I live,” says the LORD, “you shall surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament, and dress yourself with them, like a bride.
ASV
Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith Jehovah, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and gird thyself with them, like a bride.
DARBY
Lift up thine eyes round about and behold: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee. As I live, saith Jehovah, thou shalt indeed clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and bind them on as a bride doth.
BLB
Lift up your eyes round about, and see: All of them have gathered together, [and] come to you! [By] the life of Me,” says YHWH, “Surely, you will wear all of them as an ornament, and bind them on like a bride.
ÅB
Løft dine øyne og se deg omkring! De samler seg alle sammen, de kommer til deg. Så sant jeg lever, sier Herren, du skal iføre deg dem alle sammen som en prydelse og binde dem om deg lik bruden;
OTB
Løft dine øyne og se deg omkring; alle dine barn samler seg og kommer til deg. Så sant jeg lever,” sier Herren, “du skal bære dem alle som smykker; du skal pryde deg med dem, som en brud.
B1930
Løft dine øine og se dig omkring! De samler sig alle sammen, de kommer til dig. Så sant jeg lever, sier Herren, du skal iføre dig dem alle sammen som en prydelse og binde dem om dig lik bruden;

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Isaiah 54:1–3

    “Shout for joy, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth in song and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the LORD.

    Read in context
  • Isaiah 61:10

    I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

    Read in context
  • Isaiah 66:12–13

    For this is what the LORD says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flowing stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm, and bounced upon her knees.

    Read in context
  • Isaiah 54:9

    “For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.

    Read in context
  • Isaiah 54:7

    “For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring you back.

    Read in context
  • Isaiah 43:5–6

    Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west.

    Read in context
  • Isaiah 66:20

    And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as a gift to the LORD on horses and chariots and wagons, on mules and camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “just as the Israelites bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD.”

    Read in context
  • Jeremiah 2:32

    Does a maiden forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding sash? Yet My people have forgotten Me for days without number.

    Read in context