Isaiah 22:16
New International Version
What are you doing here and who gave you permission to cut out a grave for yourself here, hewing your grave on the height and chiseling your resting place in the rock?

New Living Translation
“Who do you think you are, and what are you doing here, building a beautiful tomb for yourself— a monument high up in the rock?

English Standard Version
What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock?

Berean Standard Bible
What are you doing here, and who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here—to chisel your tomb in the height and cut your resting place in the rock?

King James Bible
What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?

New King James Version
‘What have you here, and whom have you here, That you have hewn a sepulcher here, As he who hews himself a sepulcher on high, Who carves a tomb for himself in a rock?

New American Standard Bible
‘What right do you have here, And whom do you have here, That you have cut out a tomb for yourself here, You who cut out a tomb on the height, You who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock?

NASB 1995
‘What right do you have here, And whom do you have here, That you have hewn a tomb for yourself here, You who hew a tomb on the height, You who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock?

NASB 1977
‘What right do you have here, And whom do you have here, That you have hewn a tomb for yourself here, You who hew a tomb on the height, You who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock?

Legacy Standard Bible
‘What right do you have here, And whom do you have here, That you have hewn a tomb for yourself here, You who hew a tomb on the height, You who carve a dwelling place for yourself in the cliff?

Amplified Bible
‘What business do you have here? And whom do you have here, That you have hewn out a tomb here for yourself, You who hew a sepulcher on the height, You who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock?

Christian Standard Bible
What are you doing here? Who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here, carving your tomb on the height and cutting a resting place for yourself out of rock?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
What are you doing here? Who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here, carving your tomb on the height and cutting a crypt for yourself out of rock?

American Standard Version
What doest thou here? and whom has thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre? hewing him out a sepulchre on high, graving a habitation for himself in the rock!

Contemporary English Version
Shebna, what gives you the right to have a tomb carved out of rock in this burial place of royalty? None of your relatives are buried here.

English Revised Version
What doest thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre? hewing him out a sepulchre on high, graving an habitation for himself in the rock!

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"What are you doing here? What right do you have to dig a tomb for yourself? What right do you have to cut it out in a prominent place? What right do you have to carve out a resting place for yourself in the rock?

Good News Translation
"Who do you think you are? What right do you have to carve a tomb for yourself out of the rocky hillside?

International Standard Version
What are you doing here, and who are your relatives here that you could carve out a grave for yourself here—cutting out a tomb at the choicest location, chiseling out a resting place for yourself out of solid rock?

Majority Standard Bible
What are you doing here, and who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here—to chisel your tomb in the height and cut your resting place in the rock?

NET Bible
What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? Why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here? He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place, he carves out his tomb on a cliff.

New Heart English Bible
What are you doing here, and whom have you here, that you have dug out a tomb here?' Cutting himself out a tomb on high, chiseling a habitation for himself in the rock."

Webster's Bible Translation
What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulcher here, as he that heweth him out a sepulcher on high, and that graveth a habitation for himself in a rock?

World English Bible
‘What are you doing here? Who has you here, that you have dug out a tomb here?’ Cutting himself out a tomb on high, chiseling a habitation for himself in the rock!”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
What are you [doing] here? And who has [allowed] you here? That you have hewn out a tomb for yourself here? Hewing his tomb on high, "" Carving a dwelling for himself in a rock.

Young's Literal Translation
What -- to thee here? And who -- to thee here? That thou hast hewn out to thee here -- a sepulchre? Hewing on high his sepulchre, Graving in a rock a dwelling for himself.

Smith's Literal Translation
What to thee here, and who to thee here, that thou hewedst to thee here a tomb, he hewing from on high his tomb and cutting in a dwelling in a rock to himself?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
What dost thou here, or as if thou wert somebody here? for thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, thou hast hewed out a monument carefully in a high place, a dwelling for thyself in a rock.

Catholic Public Domain Version
“What are you here, or who are you claiming to be here? For you have hewn a sepulcher for yourself here. You have diligently hewn a memorial in a rock, as a tabernacle to yourself.

New American Bible
“What have you here? Whom have you here, that you have hewn for yourself a tomb here, Hewing a tomb on high, carving a resting place in the rock?”

New Revised Standard Version
What right do you have here? Who are your relatives here, that you have cut out a tomb here for yourself, cutting a tomb on the height, and carving a habitation for yourself in the rock?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
What do you here? And what have you here, that you have hewn a tomb for yourself, as he who hews for himself a tomb on high and carves a habitation for himself in a rock?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
‘What are you doing here, and what do you have here, that you have cut out a tomb for yourself here? He cuts out his grave in a high place, also he fashions his dwelling in stone
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
What hast thou here, and whom hast thou here, That thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre, Thou that hewest thee out a sepulchre on high, And gravest a habitation for thyself in the rock?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and what hast thou to do here, that thou hast here hewn thyself a sepulchre, and madest thyself a sepulchre on high, and hast graven for thyself a dwelling in the rock?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Message for Shebna
15This is what the Lord GOD of Hosts says: “Go, say to Shebna, the steward in charge of the palace: 16What are you doing here, and who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here— to chisel your tomb in the height and cut your resting place in the rock? 17Look, O mighty man! The LORD is about to shake you violently. He will take hold of you,…

Cross References
Matthew 23:27-28
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. / In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Luke 11:47-48
Woe to you! For you build tombs for the prophets, but it was your fathers who killed them. / So you are witnesses consenting to the deeds of your fathers: They killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.

Ezekiel 28:2-10
“Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god. / Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you! / By your wisdom and understanding you have gained your wealth and amassed gold and silver for your treasuries. ...

Jeremiah 22:13-17
“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages, / who says, ‘I will build myself a great palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ So he cuts windows in it, panels it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion. / Does it make you a king to excel in cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He administered justice and righteousness, and so it went well with him. ...

Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. / But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. / For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke 12:16-21
Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. / So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ / Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. ...

Job 3:14-15
with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins, / or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.

1 Timothy 6:17-19
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. / Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, / treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Ezekiel 37:12-14
Therefore prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O My people, I will open your graves and bring you up from them, and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. / Then you, My people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. / I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.’”

Amos 6:1-6
Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes. / Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to the great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours? / You dismiss the day of calamity and bring near a reign of violence. ...

James 5:1-3
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. / Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. / Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.

1 Kings 21:1-16
Some time after these events, Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. / So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place—or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.” / But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” ...

Revelation 18:11-17
And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo— / cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; / of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of bodies and souls of slaves. ...

Psalm 49:11-14
Their graves are their eternal homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their lands were their namesakes. / But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish. / This is the fate of the foolish and their followers who endorse their sayings. Selah ...

Micah 2:1-5
Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands. / They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance. / Therefore this is what the LORD says: “I am planning against this nation a disaster from which you cannot free your necks. Then you will not walk so proudly, for it will be a time of calamity. ...


Treasury of Scripture

What have you here? and whom have you here, that you have hewed you out a sepulcher here, as he that hews him out a sepulcher on high, and that engraves an habitation for himself in a rock?

what hast

Isaiah 52:5
Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.

Micah 2:10
Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.

hewed.

Isaiah 14:18
All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.

2 Samuel 18:18
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absalom's place.

2 Chronicles 16:14
And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art: and they made a very great burning for him.

as he.

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Cut Cutting Dug Dwelling Graving Habitation Height Hew Hewed Heweth Hewn High Permission Resting Resting-Place Right Rock Sepulcher Sepulchre Thee Thou Thyself Tomb
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Cut Cutting Dug Dwelling Graving Habitation Height Hew Hewed Heweth Hewn High Permission Resting Resting-Place Right Rock Sepulcher Sepulchre Thee Thou Thyself Tomb
Isaiah 22
1. The prophet laments the invasion of Jerusalem
8. He reproves their human wisdom and worldly joy
15. He prophesies Shebna's deprivation
20. And the substitution of Eliakim, prefiguring the kingdom of Christ.














What are you doing here
This phrase is a direct challenge, questioning the actions and presence of the individual being addressed. In the Hebrew context, it reflects a confrontation with someone who is acting outside of their rightful place or authority. The prophet Isaiah is speaking to Shebna, a high-ranking official in King Hezekiah's court, who is accused of self-aggrandizement. This question implies a divine scrutiny over human actions, reminding us that God observes and evaluates our motives and deeds.

and who authorized you
The question of authority is central to this phrase. In ancient Israel, authority was derived from God, and any actions taken without divine or kingly sanction were considered presumptuous. This phrase underscores the importance of recognizing and respecting the established order and divine will. It serves as a reminder that human authority is limited and should align with God's purposes.

to carve out a tomb for yourself here
Tombs in ancient Israel were significant, often reflecting one's status and legacy. The act of carving out a tomb for oneself suggests a preoccupation with personal legacy and honor. In the historical context, Shebna's actions are seen as an attempt to secure his own glory and remembrance, contrary to the humility expected of a servant of God. This phrase challenges us to consider where we place our priorities and how we seek to be remembered.

to chisel your tomb in the rock
Chiseling a tomb in the rock was a practice reserved for the wealthy and powerful, indicating permanence and prestige. The Hebrew word for "chisel" implies a deliberate and laborious effort to create something lasting. This phrase highlights the futility of human efforts to secure eternal significance through earthly means. It serves as a metaphor for the spiritual truth that true legacy is found not in earthly monuments, but in alignment with God's eternal purposes.

(16) What hast thou here? . . .--The prophet's indignation is roused by Shebna's last act of arrogance. He had no "sepulchre of his fathers" to deck with fresh stateliness, and, like the kings and great ones of the earth (the kings of Sidon, the Pharaohs of Egypt, the kings of Assyria), had built one for himself, hollowed out of the wells (probably on one of the hills of Jerusalem), to be his own everlasting "habitation," his domus ?terna. So in Ecclesiastes 12:5, the grave is the "long home" of man. Rock-hewn sepulchres of this type are found on the slopes of all the hills in the neighbourhood of the holy city.

Verse 16. - What hast thou here? i.e. what business, or what right? It seems, certainly, to be implied that Shebna was wholly unconnected with Jerusalem. Whom hast thou here? i.e. what relations? what family? To be justified in hewing out a large tomb, Shebna should have had a numerous family for whom graves would be needed. Otherwise, his excavation of a grand sepulcher was merely selfish and ostentatious. As he that heweth him out a sepulcher on high. Jewish tombs of any pretension were generally excavations in the solid rock, on the side of some hill or mountain, and had often a very elevated position. Tombs exist on the slopes of all the hills about Jerusalem, but are most numerous on the eastern side of the temple mount, which slopes steeply to the Kedron valley. A square-topped doorway leads into a chamber, generally square, from which recesses, six or seven feet long, two broad, and three high, are carried into the rock horizontally, either on a level with the floor, or with a platform, or shelf, halfway up one of the walls. These recesses have been called loculi. After a body had been placed in one, it was commonly closed by a stone, which fitted into the end, and thus shut off the body from the chamber. Chambers had sometimes twelve such loculi. An habitation (comp. Ecclesiastes 12:5). We must not suppose, however, that the Jews, like the Egyptians and Etruscans, regarded the soul as inhabiting the tomb. The soul descended into sheol; the grave was the "habitation" of the body only.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
What
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

are you doing here,
פֹה֙ (p̄ōh)
Adverb
Strong's 6311: This place, here

and who
וּמִ֣י (ū·mî)
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

authorized you
לְךָ֣ (lə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

to carve out
חָצַ֧בְתָּ (ḥā·ṣaḇ·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 2672: To cut, carve, to hew, split, square, quarry, engrave

a tomb
קָ֑בֶר (qā·ḇer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6913: A grave, sepulcher

for yourself
פֹ֔ה (p̄ōh)
Adverb
Strong's 6311: This place, here

here,
פֹּ֖ה (pōh)
Adverb
Strong's 6311: This place, here

to chisel
חֹצְבִ֤י (ḥō·ṣə·ḇî)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2672: To cut, carve, to hew, split, square, quarry, engrave

your tomb
קִבְר֔וֹ (qiḇ·rōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6913: A grave, sepulcher

in the height
מָרוֹם֙ (mā·rō·wm)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4791: Altitude

and cut
חֹקְקִ֥י (ḥō·qə·qî)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2710: To hack, engrave, to enact, prescribe

your resting place
מִשְׁכָּ֥ן (miš·kān)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4908: A residence, the Tabernacle

in the rock?
בַסֶּ֖לַע (ḇas·se·la‘)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5553: A craggy rock


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 22:16 What are you doing here? Who has (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 22:15
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