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Christian Standard Bible ®

Isaiah 42:14

“I have kept silent from ages past;I have been quiet and restrained myself.But now, I will groan like a woman in labor,gasping breathlessly.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - God Continued...;   Thompson Chain Reference - Travail;   Women;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Isaiah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Israel;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Birth;   Darkness;   Isaiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Election;   Micah, Book of;   Righteousness;   Servant of the Lord;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Quotations;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Reed;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Cry, Crying;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for March 24;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
I have long time held my shalom; I have been still, and refrained myself: [now] will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will gasp and pant together.
King James Version
I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.
English Standard Version
For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant.
New American Standard Bible
"I have kept silent for a long time, I have kept still and restrained Myself. Now like a woman in labor I will groan, I will both gasp and pant.
New Century Version
The Lord says, "For a long time I have said nothing; I have been quiet and held myself back. But now I will cry out and strain like a woman giving birth to a child.
Amplified Bible
"I [the LORD] have been silent for a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will moan like a woman in labor, I will both gasp and pant.
World English Bible
I have long time held my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: [now] will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will gasp and pant together.
Geneva Bible (1587)
I haue a long time holden my peace: I haue beene still and refrained my selfe: nowe will I crie like a trauailing woman: I will destroy and deuoure at once.
Legacy Standard Bible
"I have kept silent for a long time;I have kept still and restrained Myself.Now like a woman in labor I will groan;I will both gasp and pant.
Berean Standard Bible
I have kept silent from ages past; I have kept quiet and restrained. But now I will groan like a woman in labor; I will at once gasp and pant.
Contemporary English Version
For a long time, I, the Lord , have held my temper; now I will scream and groan like a woman giving birth.
Complete Jewish Bible
"For a long time I have held my peace, I have been silent, restrained myself. Now I will shriek like a woman in labor, panting and gasping for air.
Darby Translation
Long time have I holden my peace; I have been still, I have restrained myself: I will cry like a woman that travaileth; I will blow and pant at once.
Easy-to-Read Version
"For a long time I have said nothing. I have controlled myself and kept quiet. But now I will cry out like a woman giving birth. My breathing is getting faster and louder.
George Lamsa Translation
I have for a long time held my peace; I have kept silent, I have been patient like a woman in travail; I have remained speechless and completely confounded.
Good News Translation
God says, "For a long time I kept silent; I did not answer my people. But now the time to act has come; I cry out like a woman in labor.
Lexham English Bible
I have been silent for a long time; I have kept silent; I have restrained myself like one giving birth; I will moan, pant, and gasp together.
Literal Translation
I have forever kept silence; I have been quiet and refrained Myself; I will groan like a woman in travail; I will pant and gasp at once.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I haue longe holden my peace (saieth the LORDE) shulde I therfore be still, and kepe sylence for euer? I will crie like a trauelinge woman, and once wil I destroye, and deuoure.
American Standard Version
I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will gasp and pant together.
Bible in Basic English
I have long been quiet, I have kept myself in and done nothing: now I will make sounds of pain like a woman in childbirth, breathing hard and quickly.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
I have long time held My peace, I have been still, and refrained Myself; now will I cry like a travailing woman, gasping and panting at once.
King James Version (1611)
I haue long time holden my peace, I haue bene still and refrained my selfe: now wil I cry like a trauailing woman, I will destroy and deuoure at once.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
I haue long holden my peace [saith the Lorde] I haue ben styll and refrained my selfe, but now I wyll crie like a trauayling woman, and at once wyll I destroy and deuour.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I have been silent: shall I also always be silent and forbear: I have endured like a travailing woman: I will now amaze and wither at once.
English Revised Version
I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will gasp and pant together.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y was stille, euere Y helde silence; Y was pacient, Y schal speke as a womman trauelynge of child; Y schal scatere, and Y schal swolowe togidere.
Update Bible Version
I have held my peace for a long time; I have been still, and refrained myself: [now] I will cry out like a travailing woman; I will gasp and pant together.
Webster's Bible Translation
I have long time held my peace; I have been still, [and] restrained myself: [now] will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.
New English Translation
"I have been inactive for a long time; I kept quiet and held back. Like a woman in labor I groan; I pant and gasp.
New King James Version
"I have held My peace a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once.
New Living Translation
He will say, "I have long been silent; yes, I have restrained myself. But now, like a woman in labor, I will cry and groan and pant.
New Life Bible
"I have been quiet for a long time. I have been quiet and have held Myself back. Now I will cry out like a woman giving birth. I will breathe hard and fast.
New Revised Standard
For a long time I have held my peace, I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor, I will gasp and pant.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I have held my peace from age-past times, I kept still, I restrained myself, - As a travailing woman, I pant, I breathe hard and gasp, all at once!
Douay-Rheims Bible
I have always held my peace, I have kept silence, I have been patient, I will speak now as a woman in labour: I will destroy, and swallow up at once.
Revised Standard Version
For a long time I have held my peace, I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in travail, I will gasp and pant.
Young's Literal Translation
I have kept silent from of old, I keep silent, I refrain myself, As a travailing woman I cry out, I desolate and swallow up together.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"I have kept silent for a long time, I have kept still and restrained Myself. Now like a woman in labor I will groan, I will both gasp and pant.

Contextual Overview

13The Lord advances like a warrior;he stirs up his zeal like a soldier.He shouts, he roars aloud,he prevails over his enemies. 14“I have kept silent from ages past;I have been quiet and restrained myself.But now, I will groan like a woman in labor,gasping breathlessly.15I will lay waste mountains and hillsand dry up all their vegetation.I will turn rivers into islandsand dry up marshes. 16I will lead the blind by a way they did not know;I will guide them on paths they have not known.I will turn darkness to light in front of themand rough places into level ground.This is what I will do for them,and I will not abandon them. 17They will be turned back and utterly ashamed—those who trust in an idoland say to a cast image,‘You are our gods!’

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

long time: Job 32:18, Job 32:20, Psalms 50:2, Psalms 83:1, Psalms 83:2, Ecclesiastes 8:11, Ecclesiastes 8:12, Jeremiah 15:6, Jeremiah 44:22, Luke 18:7, 2 Peter 3:9, 2 Peter 3:10, 2 Peter 3:15

devour: Heb. swallow, or sup up

Reciprocal: Genesis 43:31 - refrained Genesis 45:1 - could not Psalms 9:19 - Arise Psalms 50:3 - keep Psalms 68:1 - God arise Psalms 78:65 - and like Psalms 80:2 - stir up Psalms 109:1 - Hold Psalms 119:126 - time Isaiah 33:10 - Now will I rise Isaiah 64:12 - General Isaiah 65:6 - I will Obadiah 1:16 - swallow down Zephaniah 3:8 - rise Zechariah 8:2 - I was jealous

Cross-References

Genesis 42:9
Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies. You have come to see the weakness of the land.”
Genesis 42:11
“We are all sons of one man. We are honest; your servants are not spies.”
Genesis 42:21
Then they said to each other, “Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us.”
Genesis 42:28
He said to his brothers, “My silver has been returned! It’s here in my bag.” Their hearts sank. Trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”
Job 13:24
Why do you hide your faceand consider me your enemy?
Job 19:11
His anger burns against me,and he regards me as one of his enemies.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I have long time holden my peace,.... For many hundred years the Lord suffered the Gentile world to walk in their own ways, to worship their idols, and took no notice of them; he winked at and overlooked their times of ignorance, and did not bring down his vengeance upon them, nor stir up all his wrath; nor indeed did he send any among them, to reprove and convince them of their errors, and threaten them with "ruin", in case of their continuance in them:

I have been still, and refrained myself; had been silent, and said nothing against them in a providential way, but curbed and kept in his wrath and displeasure at their idolatry, as a woman in travail "holds in" y her breath as long as she can; to which the allusion is, as appears by what follows:

now will I cry like a travailing woman; when sharp pains are upon her, and just going to be delivered; and that so loud as to be heard all over the house. This may be taken in a good sense; the ministers of the Gospel travail in birth, and Christ in them, until he is formed in the hearts of men by regenerating and converting grace, Galatians 4:19 and in an ill sense; for swift and sudden destruction, which should come on his enemies, as travail on a woman with child. So the Targum,

"as pains on a woman with child, my judgment shall be revealed (or exposed) upon them.''

I will destroy and devour at once; all enemies that should oppose him in the spread of the Gospel, in the destruction of Paganism, and establishment of Christianity in the Roman empire, who are described in the next verse.

y אתאפק "continebam me", Pagninus, Montanus; "continui me", Junius Tremellius, Vitringa "diu [continui] iram meam sicut halitum foeminae parturientis", Grotius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I have long time holden my peace - This is the language of Yahweh, and it means that he had for a long time been patient and forbearing; but that now he would go forth as a warrior to overpower and destroy his foes.

I will destroy - The word used here (from נשׁם nâsham) denotes properly to breathe hard, to pant, as a woman in travail; and then to breathe hard in any manner. It here denotes the hard breathing which is indicative of anger, or a purpose to execute vengeance.

And devour at once - Margin, ‘Swallow,’ or ‘Sup up.’ The word שׁאף sha'aph means rather “to breathe hard, to pant, to blow, as in anger, or in the haste of pursuit.” The idea in the verse is, that Yahweh had for a long time restrained his anger against his foes, and had refrained from executing vengeance on them. But now he would rouse his righteous indignation, and go forth to accomplish his purposes in their destruction. All this language is descriptive of a hero or warrior; and is, of course, not to be regarded as applicable literally to God. He often uses the language of people, and speaks of his purposes under the image of human passions. But we are not to infer that the language is literally applicable to him, nor is it to be interpreted too strictly. It means, in general, that God would go forth with a fixed and settled purpose to destroy his foes.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 42:14. I have been still - "Shall I keep silence for ever"] After מעולם meolam, in the copy which the Septuagint had before them, followed the word הלעולם, heleolam, εσιωπησα απ' αιωνος· Μη και αει σιωπησομαι· according to MSS. Pachom. and I. D. II. and Edit. Complut., which word, הלעולם haleolam, has been omitted in the text by an easy mistake of a transcriber, because of the similitude of the word preceding. Shall I always keep silence? like that of Juvenal: Semper ego auditor tantum? Shall I always be a hearer only?


 
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