TRV
Translation
King James Version
Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.
KJV (with Strong's)
Wherefore, when I came H935, was there no man H376? when I called H7121, was there none to answer H6030? Is my hand H3027 shortened H7114 at all H7114, that it cannot redeem H6304? or have I no power H3581 to deliver H5337? behold, at my rebuke H1606 I dry up H2717 the sea H3220, I make H7760 the rivers H5104 a wilderness H4057: their fish H1710 stinketh H887, because there is no water H4325, and dieth H4191 for thirst H6772.
Complete Jewish Bible
Why was no one here when I came? Why, when I called, did nobody answer? Is my arm too short to redeem? Have I too little power to save? With my rebuke I dry up the sea; I turn rivers into desert, their fish rot for lack of water and they die of thirst;
Berean Standard Bible
Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.
American Standard Version
Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stink, because there is no water, and die for thirst.
World English Bible Messianic
Why, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it can’t redeem? or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stink, because there is no water, and die for thirst.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Wherefore came I, and there was no man? I called, and none answered: is mine hand so shortened, that it cannot helpe? or haue I no power to deliuer? Beholde, at my rebuke I drie vp the Sea: I make the floods desert: their fish rotteth for want of water, and dieth for thirst.
Young's Literal Translation
Wherefore have I come, and there is no one? I called, and there is none answering, Hath My hand been at all short of redemption? And is there not in me power to deliver? Lo, by My rebuke I dry up a sea, I make rivers a wilderness, Their fish stinketh, for there is no water, And dieth with thirst.
In the KJVVerse 18,665 of 31,102
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Commentary on Isaiah 50 verses 1–3
1 ¶ Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.
2 Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
Those who have professed to be the people of God, and yet seem to be dealt severely with, are apt to complain of God, and to lay the fault upon him, as if he had been hard with them. But, in answer to their murmurings, we have here,
I. A challenge given them to prove, or produce any evidence, that the quarrel began on God's side, Isa 50:1. They could not say that he had done them any wrong or had acted arbitrarily. 1. He had been a husband to them; and husbands were then allowed a power to put away their wives upon any little disgust: if their wives found not favour in their eyes, they made nothing of giving them a bill of divorce, Deu 24:1; Mat 19:7. But they could not say that God had dealt so with them. It is true they were now separated from him, and had abode many days without ephod, altar, or sacrifice; but whose fault was that? They could not say that God had given their mother a bill of divorce; let them produce it if they can, for a bill of divorce was given into the hand of her that was divorced. 2. He had been a father to them; and fathers had then a power to sell their children for slaves to their creditors, in satisfaction for the debts they were not otherwise able to pay. Now it is true the Jews were sold to the Babylonians then, and afterwards to the Romans; but did God sell them for payment of his debts? No, he was not indebted to any of those to whom they were sold, or, if he had sold them, he did not increase his wealth by their price, Psa 44:12. When God chastens his children, it is neither for his pleasure (Heb 12:10) nor for his profit. All that are saved are saved by a prerogative of grace, but those that perish are cut off by an act of divine holiness and justice, not of absolute sovereignty.
II. A charge exhibited against them, showing them that they were themselves the authors of their own ruin: "Behold, for your iniquities, for the pleasure of them and the gratification of your own base lusts, you have sold yourselves, for your iniquities you are sold; not as children are sold by their parents, to pay their debts, but as malefactors are sold by the judges, to punish them for their crimes. You sold yourselves to work wickedness, and therefore God justly sold you into the hands of your enemies, Ch2 12:5, Ch2 12:8. It is for your transgressions that your mother is put away, for her whoredoms and adulteries," which were always allowed to be a just cause of divorce. The Jews were sent into Babylon for their idolatry, a sin which broke the marriage covenant, and were at last rejected for crucifying the Lord of glory; these were the iniquities for which they were sold and put away.
III. The confirmation of this challenge and this charge. 1. It is plain that it was owing to themselves that they were cast off; for God came and offered them his favour, offered them his helping hand, either to prevent their trouble or to deliver them out of it, but they slighted him and all the tenders of his grace. "Do you lay it upon me?" (says God); "tell me, then, wherefore, when I came, was there no man to meet me, when I called, was there none to answer me?" Isa 50:2. God came to them by his servants the prophets, demanding the fruits of his vineyard (Mat 21:34); he sent them his messengers, rising up betimes and sending them (Jer 35:15); he called to them to leave their sins, and so prevent their own ruin: but was there no man, or next to none, that had any regard to the warnings which the prophets gave them, none that answered the calls of God, or complied with the messages he sent them; and this was it for which they were sold and put away. Because they mocked the messengers of the Lord, therefore, God brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans, Ch2 36:16, Ch2 36:17. Last of all he sent unto them his Son. He came to his own, but his own received him not; he called them to himself, but there were none that answered; he would have gathered Jerusalem's children together, but they would not; they knew not, because they would not know, the things that belonged to their peace, nor the day of their visitation, and for that transgression it was that they were put away and their house was left desolate, Mat 21:41; Mat 23:37, Mat 23:38; Luk 19:41, Luk 19:42. When God calls men to happiness, and they will not answer, they are justly left to be miserable. 2. It is plain that it was not owing to a want of power in God, for he is almighty, and could have recovered them from so great a death; nor was it owing to a want of power in Christ, for he is able to save to the uttermost. The unbelieving Jews in Babylon thought they were not delivered because their God was not able to deliver them; and those in Christ's time were ready to ask, in scorn, Can this man save us? For himself he cannot save. "But" (says God) "is my hand shortened at all, or is it weakened?" Can any limits be set to Omnipotence? Cannot he redeem who is the great Redeemer? Has he no power to deliver whose all power is? To put to silence, and for ever to put to shame, their doubts concerning his power, he here gives unquestionable proofs of it. (1.) He can, when he pleases, dry up the seas, and make the rivers a wilderness. He did so for Israel when he redeemed them out of Egypt, and he can do so again for their redemption out of Babylon. It is done at his rebuke, as easily as with a word's speaking. He can so dry up the rivers as to leave the fish to die for want of water, and to putrefy. When God turned the waters of Egypt into blood he slew the fish, Psa 105:29. The expression our Saviour sometimes used concerning the power of faith, that it will remove mountains and plant sycamores in the sea, is not unlike this; if their faith could do that, no doubt their faith would save them, and therefore they were inexcusable if they perished in unbelief. (2.) He can, when he pleases, eclipse the lights of heaven, clothe then with blackness, and make sackcloth their covering (Isa 50:3) by thick and dark clouds interposing, which he balances, Job 36:32; Job 37:16.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–3. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Isaiah
(Verse 2.) Has my hand been shortened and become small, that I cannot redeem? Or is there no power in me to deliver? Indeed, I will make the sea a desert, I will dry up the rivers. The fish will rot without water and die of thirst. I will clothe the heavens in darkness and make sackcloth their covering. LXX: Can my hand not save, or is it not strong enough to deliver? Behold, by my threat I will make the sea a desert, and I will dry up the rivers, and their fish will wither away because there is no water, and they will die of thirst. And I will clothe the sky in darkness, and I will make its covering like sackcloth. Against those who believed that the Lord could not deliver his people from captivity, he sets forth overwhelming proof and most abundant examples. He made the Red Sea passable for his people (Exod. XIV), he dried up the flowing waters of the Jordan, and as the rivers in Egypt dried up, he turned their fish into rot. (Exod. VII). And He who made the darkness in Egypt palpable for three days, so that the sky appeared covered as if with a sack and with darkness, certainly could also deliver His people from danger. Whether because He had said before, 'I came, and there was no man; I called, and there was none to hear,' we can say this: He who is the performer of such great signs, who makes the sky, the earth, and the seas serve His will, could also escape the cross himself, saying in the Gospel, 'Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?' (Matthew 26:53) According to the anagoge, the sea becomes a desert through the rebuke of the Lord, when all the bitterness of this world is dried up, and the rivers are desolated, about which the spiritual dragon said in Egypt: 'The rivers are mine, and I have made them' (Ezek. XXIX, 9). And about which we read in another place: 'What have you to do with the ways of the Assyrians, to drink the waters of the rivers?' (Jer. II, 18). Also, the fish that are thrown into the sea with nets rot, having been separated from the good fish. And what follows: I will clothe the heavens in darkness, and its covering will be like sackcloth; or everything that is above us, let us understand as heaven, just as those flying creatures that are in the air are called celestial; and the opposing powers are said to be celestial, which move between heaven and earth. Or certainly, the heavens are clothed in darkness when they are covered with clouds. According to what is written: Who covers the heavens with clouds, and gives rain to the earth (Psalm 147:8). And in the threat of drought, God says: I will make the sky bronze and the earth iron (Deut. XXVIII, 23). Not that the nature of the elements is changed, but that the magnitude of the punishment is shown through bronze and iron. Philosophers say that clouds are lifted no more than ten stadia above the earth and hide the brightness of the sun. Therefore, the sky is not wrapped in a sack, but the air beneath, with the light of the sky blocked, is darkened by the darkness of the clouds. We can interpret that the heavens are covered with darkness, and being covered with a sack, in such a way that we say all are under sin, and even the holy ones need the mercy of God.
JeromeAD 420
COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 13:26
So that you might know that your mother was not rejected by me but deserted of her own will, after many benefits I put on human flesh and not through any prophets but actually present myself I spoke forth: “I have come, and there was not a man” or a person. For all people, abandoning the image of humans, adopted the images of beasts and serpents. Thus it was said to Herod on account of his wickedness, “Go and tell that fox,” or to the Pharisees, “brood of vipers.” … I have called them as if they were rational animals.… We can say that although he is the accomplisher of such great signs and he makes the sky and earth and sea to serve his uses, even he could not avoid the cross.
Cyril of AlexandriaAD 444
COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:4.50:1-3
God never sends away anyone who makes his home with him, and he rejects none of those who walk uprightly. He allows them to be forever associated and firmly joined to him as a way of obtaining help. However, everyone who opposes or fights against his divine teaching falls completely away from the glory of God and shows that he is a lover of pleasure rather than a lover of God. Therefore, like one who lived with the mother of the Jews God says, “What kind of bill of divorce did your mother have when I sent her away?” For no one could prove that I hated her and despised her. Instead, he would rather have to accuse her of deserting me.… It says, “I came,” that is, I took human form and appeared to those in Israel, and there was no man among them, that is, no one with a heart who was able to recognize the season of redemption. “I called, but no one listened.” … For he was in a form like ours, and yet he was God the Word, having become man by taking on flesh born of a woman. But those who knew this and were not ignorant of the depth of the mystery of his divinity knew that he was able to do all things because he was God by nature and suitable for the redemption of everyone under heaven.
Cyril of AlexandriaAD 444
COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:4.50:1
No one who views things correctly thinks God possesses a physical body. It is only that the holy Scriptures speak in a human fashion about him. For those of us in simple and crass bodies can think in no other way, except that these things are adapted for us by a range of metaphors, so that in the perception of visible things we are able to know in part about the divine and higher being, which is higher than all bodily imaginings. Observe how in these words the message is adapted to human understanding.
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 16:50.1
Then he recalls for them what he has accomplished: “Behold, by my rebuke I will dry up the sea and make rivers a wilderness; and their fish shall be dried up because there is no water and shall die for thirst.” Symmachus has rendered this passage as if it concerns events already accomplished: “Behold that at my rebuke I have dried up the sea, that I have made the rivers a desert and that their fish have been putrified for lack of water.” Thus, the God of the universe accomplished this at the time he delivered them from the bondage of the Egyptians: it was then that he parted the Red Sea, divided the Jordan in two and revealed that the fish in its bed were dead from deprivation of its nourishing waters. If, however, one likewise understands this passage [to relate] to the future, as the Septuagint desires [to do], one will do no violence to the senses. It indicates from great miracles that he will also be able to accomplish small things: if it was easy for me to dry up the sea, he says, and to interrupt the course of rivers, it would have been much easier to annihilate an army that was marching against you.
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 16:50.2
I have many times endured your belief in idols and the infinite number of iniquities that you have perpetrated, but what you have dared now is not susceptible to any pardon: it is an evil that is irremediable and incurable. For I am no longer acting through the prophets as intermediaries, but I have assumed the form of a servant, and I have lived among you as a man; and in spite of the frequency of my appeals and my exhortations, I have not persuaded you. This, in turn, is confirmed by the recital of the divine Gospels in these terms: “Jesus cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink,’ and elsewhere: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The divine Evangelists have let us know still many other declarations of this kind. In this way, then, the prophetic text has taught us that the total destruction that they undergo in the last place has been obtained for them by their folly against the Master. Then, in interrogative form again [he declares]: “Is not my hand strong to redeem? Or do I not have the strength to protect you [from danger]?” Do you think, he says, that the adversaries have conquered me because of my weakness? Is it not possible for anyone to see how easy and convenient it is for me to make you appear superior to everyone?
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Isaiah 50:2 presents a profound divine interrogation, where the Lord challenges the unresponsiveness and doubt of His people, likely in the context of their Babylonian exile or impending judgment. Through a series of rhetorical questions, God underscores His unwavering power and infinite capacity to redeem and deliver, contrasting human faithlessness with His demonstrated historical might. He references the miraculous drying of the sea and rivers as irrefutable proof of His omnipotence, serving as both a lament over Israel's spiritual apathy and a powerful affirmation of God's undiminished sovereignty and redemptive capability.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Isaiah 50:2 employs several potent Literary Devices to convey its message. The most prominent is Rhetorical Question, used three times ("was there no man?", "was there none to answer?", "Is my hand shortened at all... or have I no power to deliver?"). These questions are not posed to elicit information but to make an emphatic point, highlighting God's lament over Israel's unresponsiveness and powerfully asserting His undiminished omnipotence. This creates a sense of divine exasperation and challenges the audience's assumptions. Allusion is central to the latter part of the verse, with the drying of the sea and making rivers a wilderness directly referencing the Exodus narrative and the parting of the Red Sea. This serves as a powerful reminder of God's past, undeniable acts of deliverance, grounding His present claims of power in historical precedent. Anthropomorphism is present in the phrase "my hand," attributing a human body part to God to represent His power and agency, making His might more relatable and tangible to the audience. Finally, Vivid Imagery is employed with the description of "their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst," creating a stark and memorable picture of desolation and the complete, devastating effect of God's command over nature.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 50:2 profoundly underscores the consistent tension between God's boundless power and His people's persistent unfaithfulness. Theologically, it reaffirms God's absolute sovereignty and omnipotence, demonstrating that His capacity to redeem and deliver is never diminished, regardless of the severity of the circumstances or the depth of human sin. It highlights the divine initiative in salvation history, where God continually calls and acts on behalf of humanity, even when met with apathy or doubt. This verse serves as a powerful reminder that our perception of God's limitations often stems from our own limited faith, rather than any actual deficiency in His divine attributes. It challenges believers to move beyond doubt and to trust in the God who, by His mere "rebuke," can alter the very fabric of creation.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 50:2 offers profound lessons for contemporary believers, urging us to examine our own responsiveness to God's ongoing call and our trust in His unfailing power. In a world often marked by despair, doubt, and seemingly insurmountable challenges, this verse serves as a powerful anchor, reminding us that God's "hand" is never "shortened." We are prone to limit God in our minds, projecting our own weaknesses and limitations onto His infinite capacity. This passage calls us to remember His past faithfulness, both in biblical history and in our personal lives, as a foundation for present trust. It challenges us to actively listen for His voice and respond with faith and obedience, rather than allowing apathy or fear to render us unresponsive. When faced with trials, whether personal or collective, we are invited to lean into the assurance that the God who dried up the sea is still fully capable of making a way where there seems to be none, delivering us from bondage, and bringing about redemption. Our faith is not in our own strength or circumstances, but in the limitless power of the Almighty.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the primary message of Isaiah 50:2?
Answer: The primary message of Isaiah 50:2 is a dual one: it expresses God's lament over the unresponsiveness and lack of faith among His people, while simultaneously asserting His undiminished, infinite power to redeem and deliver. God challenges their doubts by reminding them of His historical acts of omnipotence, particularly His control over creation, as seen in the Exodus narrative. It's a call to trust in His unchanging might despite their current circumstances or their own spiritual apathy.
How does this verse relate to the "Servant Songs" in Isaiah?
Answer: While Isaiah 50:2 features God speaking directly, it sets the stage for the subsequent "Servant Song" in Isaiah 50:4-9. The people's unresponsiveness and doubt, highlighted in verse 2, provide a stark contrast to the perfect obedience and unwavering trust of the Suffering Servant described later in the chapter. The Servant's willingness to listen and respond (e.g., Isaiah 50:4) stands in direct opposition to the people's failure to answer God's call, emphasizing the Servant as the ideal embodiment of what Israel was meant to be.
What does "Is my hand shortened?" mean in this context?
Answer: The phrase "Is my hand shortened?" is a powerful Hebrew idiom that means "Is my power limited or diminished?" It is a rhetorical question posed by God, emphatically denying any reduction in His strength, ability, or capacity to act. It assures the audience that God's omnipotence is absolute and unchanging, and He remains fully capable of performing mighty acts of redemption and deliverance, just as He did in the past (e.g., Numbers 11:23).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 50:2, with its divine lament over human unresponsiveness and its powerful affirmation of God's undiminished power to redeem, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The "coming" and "calling" of God, to which Israel failed to answer, culminated in the incarnation of the Son of God, who "came to his own, and his own did not receive him" (John 1:11). Jesus perfectly embodies the divine initiative, being God's ultimate word and presence among humanity. Furthermore, the rhetorical question, "Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver?" is answered definitively in Christ's redemptive work. Far from being shortened, God's hand of power was fully extended in the cross, where Christ, the Lamb of God, delivered humanity from the bondage of sin and death, demonstrating God's ultimate power to save (Romans 5:8). His resurrection is the supreme proof that God's power to deliver is limitless, triumphing over the grave itself (Ephesians 1:19-20). Thus, Jesus is both the perfectly responsive "man" whom God called, and the embodiment of God's unshortened hand, through whom all redemption and deliverance are accomplished.