Isaiah 42:14 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

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.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

I have kept quiet for a long time; I have been silent and held myself back. Now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will destroy and consume everything at once.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

God is saying that after holding back His judgment for a long time, He will now act with sudden and powerful force, like the intense cries of a woman giving birth.

📚 Historical Context

This verse comes from Isaiah's prophecy during a time when God's people had been unfaithful and were facing judgment. God had been patient with their disobedience, but His patience was reaching its limit. The imagery of a woman in labor suggests both the intensity of God's coming action and the idea that something new would be born from this difficult time.

Explore Similar Verses

Isaiah 30:30

And the LORD will make His powerful voice heard, and will show His mighty arm coming down with fierce anger, like a destroying fire that consumes everything, along with scattering winds, storms, and hailstones.

Jeremiah 8:13

I will completely destroy them, says the LORD: there will be no grapes on the grapevines, no figs on the fig trees, and the leaves will wither and die. Everything I have given them will be taken away from them.

Jeremiah 12:12

Destroyers have come to all the hills throughout the desert land. The LORD's sword will consume everything from one end of the country to the other—no living thing will find peace.

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📚 Historical Context

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