Isaiah 49:16
New International Version
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

New Living Translation
See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.

English Standard Version
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

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

King James Bible
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

New King James Version
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.

New American Standard Bible
“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.

NASB 1995
“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.

NASB 1977
“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.

Legacy Standard Bible
Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.

Amplified Bible
“Indeed, I have inscribed [a picture of] you on the palms of My hands; Your city walls [Zion] are continually before Me.

Christian Standard Bible
Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.

American Standard Version
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Contemporary English Version
A picture of your city is drawn on my hand. You are always in my thoughts!

English Revised Version
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are always in my presence.

Good News Translation
Jerusalem, I can never forget you! I have written your name on the palms of my hands.

International Standard Version
Look! I've inscribed you on the palms of my hands, and your walls are forever before me.

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

NET Bible
Look, I have inscribed your name on my palms; your walls are constantly before me.

New Heart English Bible
Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

World English Bible
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are continually before me.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Behold, I have carved you on the palms of the hand, "" Your walls [are] continually before Me.

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, on the palms of the hand I have graven thee, Thy walls are before Me continually.

Smith's Literal Translation
Behold, upon the palms I engraved thee; thy walls before me continually.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold, I have graven thee in my hands: thy walls are always before my eyes.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Behold, I have engraved you on my hands. Your walls are always before my eyes.

New American Bible
See, upon the palms of my hands I have engraved you; your walls are ever before me.

New Revised Standard Version
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Behold, I have inscribed you upon the palms of my hands; your fortified walls are continually before me.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Behold, on the palms of my hands I have engraved you, and your walls are constantly next to me
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; Thy walls are continually before Me.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Behold, I have painted thy walls on my hands, and thou art continually before me.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
You are My Servant
15“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you! 16Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me. 17Your builders hasten back; your destroyers and wreckers depart from you.…

Cross References
John 10:28-29
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. / My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

John 6:37
Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away.

John 10:14-15
I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me, / just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep.

John 14:18
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

John 17:12
While I was with them, I protected and preserved them by Your name, the name You gave Me. Not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? / As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” / No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ...

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

Revelation 3:5
Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.

Revelation 21:27
But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Matthew 28:20
and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Psalm 139:1-18
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me. / You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. / You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways. ...

Psalm 73:23-26
Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand. / You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory. / Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You. ...

Psalm 27:10
Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

Psalm 56:8
You have taken account of my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle—are they not in Your book?

Psalm 34:15
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, I have graven you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

I have

Exodus 13:9
And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.

Song of Solomon 8:6
Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

Jeremiah 22:24
As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;

thy walls

Isaiah 26:1
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.

Isaiah 54:12
And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

Isaiah 60:18
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

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Continually Engraved Graven Hand Hands Inscribed Marked Palms Walls
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Continually Engraved Graven Hand Hands Inscribed Marked Palms Walls
Isaiah 49
1. Christ being sent to the Jews, complains of them
5. He is sent to the Gentiles with gracious promises
13. God's love is perpetual to his church
18. The ample restoration of the church
24. The powerful deliverance out of captivity














Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
This phrase signifies a deep, personal commitment and remembrance. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, inscribing or engraving was a permanent act, often used for important records or covenants. The imagery of God's hands suggests intimacy and care, indicating that the people of Israel are always in His thoughts and plans. This can be seen as a foreshadowing of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, where His hands were pierced, symbolizing His eternal commitment to humanity. The act of inscribing on the palms also reflects the covenant relationship between God and His people, emphasizing that they are never forgotten.

your walls are ever before Me.
The "walls" refer to the protective structures of Jerusalem, symbolizing the security and restoration of the city and its people. Historically, this was a promise of hope during the Babylonian exile, assuring the Israelites that their homeland would be restored. Theologically, it represents God's constant vigilance and protection over His people. This phrase connects to the vision of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21, where the city is depicted as having strong, eternal walls, symbolizing the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises and the eternal security of His people.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Isaiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah is the author of the book bearing his name. He prophesied to the Kingdom of Judah and is known for his messages of both judgment and hope.

2. Zion/Jerusalem
Often personified in Isaiah, Zion represents the people of God and the city of Jerusalem. In this context, it symbolizes God's chosen people and His covenant relationship with them.

3. God
The speaker in this verse, God reassures His people of His unwavering commitment and remembrance of them.
Teaching Points
God's Unfailing Memory
The imagery of being inscribed on God's palms signifies His constant remembrance and care for His people. This assures believers that they are never forgotten by God, even in times of distress.

Divine Protection and Security
The mention of "your walls are ever before Me" suggests God's protective oversight. Believers can find comfort in knowing that God is always watching over them, safeguarding their spiritual well-being.

Covenant Relationship
This verse highlights the intimate and personal relationship God has with His people. It serves as a reminder of the covenant promises that God faithfully upholds.

Symbolism of Inscription
The act of inscribing on the palms can be seen as a permanent mark, symbolizing the eternal bond between God and His people. This can encourage believers to trust in God's everlasting commitment.

Encouragement in Trials
In times of hardship, this verse provides hope and reassurance that God is actively involved in the lives of His people, working for their good and His glory.(16) Behold, I have graven thee . . .--The words point to the almost universal practice of tattooing. A man thus "engraved" the name of his god, or the outlines of his home, or the face of her he loved, upon his hands or arms. So, by a boldly anthropomorphic figure, Jehovah had "graven" Jerusalem on His hands. He could not open them, i.e., could not act, without being reminded of her. The "walls" may be either those of the earthly city lying in ruins, or those of the heavenly Jerusalem.

Verse 16. - Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. The prophet has passed here from the living Zion, Isabel, to their material home, Jerusalem. The metaphor which he uses is no doubt drawn from the practice, common both in ancient and in modern days, of burning or puncturing figures and other mementos upon the hand, the arm, or some other part of the body, and then rendering the figures indelible by rubbing in henna, indigo, gunpowder, or some other coloured substance. Pilgrims in the East have almost always such marks put upon them when they have accomplished their pilgrimage. English sailors are fond of them, and few are without some such mark on their breast or limbs. The meaning here is that God has the thought of Zion as constantly present with him as if her image were indelibly marked on the palms of his hands. (On the anthropomorphic representation of God as having "arms" and "hands," see the comment on Isaiah 40:10.) Thy walls. It is the city, Zion, the emblem of the people, that can alone be "graven" or "portrayed." This city has, of course, walls. God bears them in mind perpetually, since he is about to cause them to be built up (Nehemiah 3, 4.).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Behold,
הֵ֥ן (hên)
Interjection
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

I have inscribed you
חַקֹּתִ֑יךְ (ḥaq·qō·ṯîḵ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular | second person feminine singular
Strong's 2710: To hack, engrave, to enact, prescribe

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the palms of My hands;
כַּפַּ֖יִם (kap·pa·yim)
Noun - fd
Strong's 3709: Hollow or flat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot), a pan

your walls
חוֹמֹתַ֥יִךְ (ḥō·w·mō·ṯa·yiḵ)
Noun - feminine plural construct | second person feminine singular
Strong's 2346: A wall of protection

are ever
תָּמִֽיד׃ (tā·mîḏ)
Adverb
Strong's 8548: Continuance, constant, ellipt, the regular, sacrifice

before Me.
נֶגְדִּ֖י (neḡ·dî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 5048: A front, part opposite, a counterpart, mate, over against, before


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 49:16 Behold I have engraved you (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 49:15
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