Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Your children have fainted; they lie at every street corner, like antelope caught in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the LORD, with the rebuke of your God. New Living Translation For your children have fainted and lie in the streets, helpless as antelopes caught in a net. The LORD has poured out his fury; God has rebuked them. English Standard Version Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God. Berean Standard Bible Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of every street, like an antelope in a net. They are full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God. King James Bible Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God. New King James Version Your sons have fainted, They lie at the head of all the streets, Like an antelope in a net; They are full of the fury of the LORD, The rebuke of your God. New American Standard Bible Your sons have fainted, They lie helpless at the head of every street, Like an antelope in a net, Full of the wrath of the LORD, The rebuke of your God. NASB 1995 Your sons have fainted, They lie helpless at the head of every street, Like an antelope in a net, Full of the wrath of the LORD, The rebuke of your God. NASB 1977 Your sons have fainted, They lie helpless at the head of every street, Like an antelope in a net, Full of the wrath of the LORD, The rebuke of your God. Legacy Standard Bible Your sons have fainted; They lie helpless at the head of every street, Like an antelope in a net, Full of the wrath of Yahweh, The rebuke of your God. Amplified Bible Your sons have fainted; They lie helpless at the head of every street, Like an antelope in a net, Full [from drinking] of the wrath of the LORD, The rebuke of your God. Christian Standard Bible Your children have fainted; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a net. They are full of the LORD’s fury, the rebuke of your God. Holman Christian Standard Bible Your children have fainted; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a net. They are full of the LORD’s fury, the rebuke of your God. American Standard Version Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of Jehovah, the rebuke of thy God. Contemporary English Version The LORD your God is angry, and on every street corner your children lie helpless, like deer trapped in nets. English Revised Version Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the top of all the streets, as an antelope in a net; they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God. GOD'S WORD® Translation Your children have fainted. They lie sleeping at every street corner. They are like an antelope caught in a net. They experience the anger of the LORD, the fury of your God. Good News Translation At the corner of every street your people collapse from weakness; they are like deer caught in a hunter's net. They have felt the force of God's anger. International Standard Version Your children have fainted. They lie at the head of every street, like antelope caught in a trap, filled with the anger of the LORD and the rebuke of your God. NET Bible Your children faint; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a snare. They are left in a stupor by the LORD's anger, by the battle cry of your God. New Heart English Bible Your sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God. Webster's Bible Translation Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleYour sons have fainted; they lie at the head of every street, like an antelope in a net. They are full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God. World English Bible Your sons have fainted. They lie at the head of all the streets, like an antelope in a net. They are full of Yahweh’s wrath, the rebuke of your God. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionYour sons have been wrapped up, they have lain down, "" At the head of all out places, as an antelope [in] a dragnet, "" They are full of the fury of YHWH, "" The rebuke of Your God. Young's Literal Translation Thy sons have been wrapped up, they have lain down, At the head of all out places, as a wild ox in a net, They are full of the fury of Jehovah, The rebuke of Thy God. Smith's Literal Translation Thy sons fainted; they lay down upon the head of all the streets as an antelope in a net: being full of the wrath of Jehovah the rebuke of thy God. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThy children are cast forth, they have slept at the head of all the ways, as the wild ox that is snared: full of the indignation of the Lord, of the rebuke of thy God. Catholic Public Domain Version Your sons have been cast out. They have slept at the head of all the roads, and they have been ensnared like a gazelle. They have been filled by the indignation of the Lord, by the rebuke of your God. New American Bible Your children lie helpless at every street corner like antelopes in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God. New Revised Standard Version Your children have fainted, they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleYour sons have fainted, they lie at every street corner, they are faded like a wilted beet; they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of your God. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Your children are in shock and are lying down at the top of all of the streets as an offering of mourning, and they are full of the anger of LORD JEHOVAH, and the rebuke of your God OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, As an antelope in a net; They are full of the fury of the LORD, The rebuke of thy God. Brenton Septuagint Translation Thy sons are the perplexed ones, that sleep at the top of every street as a half-boiled beet; they that are full of the anger of the Lord, caused to faint by the Lord God. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Cup of Wrath…19These pairs have befallen you: devastation and destruction, famine and sword. Who will grieve for you? Who can comfort you? 20Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of every street, like an antelope in a net. They are full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God. 21Therefore now hear this, you afflicted one, drunken, but not with wine.… Cross References Lamentations 2:11-12 My eyes fail from weeping; I am churning within. My heart is poured out in grief over the destruction of the daughter of my people, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city. / They cry out to their mothers: “Where is the grain and wine?” as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their lives fade away in the arms of their mothers. Lamentations 2:19 Arise, cry out in the night from the first watch of the night. Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children who are fainting from hunger on the corner of every street. Lamentations 4:4 The nursing infant’s tongue clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth. Little children beg for bread, but no one gives them any. Lamentations 4:9-10 Those slain by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, who waste away, pierced with pain because the fields lack produce. / The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people. Jeremiah 14:16-18 And the people to whom they prophesy will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out their own evil upon them. / You are to speak this word to them: ‘My eyes overflow with tears; day and night they do not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people has been shattered by a crushing blow, a severely grievous wound. / If I go out to the country, I see those slain by the sword; if I enter the city, I see those ravaged by famine! For both prophet and priest travel to a land they do not know.’” Jeremiah 15:2 If they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘Those destined for death, to death; those destined for the sword, to the sword; those destined for famine, to famine; and those destined for captivity, to captivity.’ Jeremiah 18:21 Therefore, hand their children over to famine; pour out the power of the sword upon them. Let their wives become childless and widowed; let their husbands be slain by disease, their young men struck down by the sword in battle. Jeremiah 19:9 I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and distress inflicted on them by their enemies who seek their lives.’ Ezekiel 5:10 As a result, fathers among you will eat their sons, and sons will eat their fathers. I will execute judgments against you and scatter all your remnant to every wind.’ Ezekiel 7:15-16 The sword is outside; plague and famine are within. Those in the country will die by the sword, and those in the city will be devoured by famine and plague. / The survivors will escape and live in the mountains, moaning like doves of the valley, each for his own iniquity. Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children. Deuteronomy 28:53-57 Then you will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you. / The most gentle and refined man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children who have survived, / refusing to share with any of them the flesh of his children he will eat because he has nothing left in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you within all your gates. ... 2 Kings 6:28-29 Then the king asked her, “What is the matter?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him, and tomorrow we will eat my son.’ / So we boiled my son and ate him, and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ But she had hidden her son.” Matthew 24:19 How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! Luke 21:23 How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. Treasury of Scripture Your sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of your God. sons Isaiah 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: Jeremiah 14:18 If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not. Lamentations 1:15,19 The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress… a wild Isaiah 8:21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. Ezekiel 12:13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there. Ezekiel 17:20 And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. full Isaiah 51:17,21 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out… Isaiah 9:19-21 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother… Psalm 88:15,16 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted… but Isaiah 29:9 Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. Isaiah 49:26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. Ezekiel 39:19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. Jump to Previous Antelope Bull Caught Fainted Filled Full Fury Head Helpless Lie Net Oryx Overcome Ox Places Punishment Rebuke Roe Street Streets Wild Wrapt WrathJump to Next Antelope Bull Caught Fainted Filled Full Fury Head Helpless Lie Net Oryx Overcome Ox Places Punishment Rebuke Roe Street Streets Wild Wrapt WrathIsaiah 51 1. An exhortation after the pattern of Abraham, to trust in Christ3. By reason of his comfortable promises, 4. Of his righteous salvation 7. And man's mortality 9. Christ by his sanctified arm defends his from the fear of man 17. He bewails the afflictions of Jerusalem 21. And promises deliverance Your sons have fainted; This phrase indicates a state of weakness and helplessness among the people of Israel. In the biblical context, "sons" often represents the younger generation or the people of a nation. The fainting suggests a spiritual and physical exhaustion due to the consequences of sin and disobedience. Historically, this can be linked to the Babylonian exile, where the Israelites faced severe oppression and hardship. The imagery of fainting underscores their inability to stand against their adversaries without divine intervention. they lie at the head of every street, like an antelope in a net. They are full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God. Persons / Places / Events 1. Sons of ZionRefers to the people of Jerusalem or Israel, depicted as being in a state of despair and helplessness. 2. Streets of Jerusalem Symbolic of the public places where the people of Israel are seen in their distress. 3. Antelope Used metaphorically to describe the vulnerability and entrapment of the people. 4. The LORD's Wrath Represents God's righteous anger towards the sin and disobedience of His people. 5. Rebuke of God Indicates divine correction and discipline intended to bring the people back to righteousness. Teaching Points Understanding God's DisciplineGod's wrath and rebuke are not arbitrary but are responses to persistent disobedience. Understanding this helps us see the importance of aligning our lives with God's will. The Consequences of Sin Sin leads to spiritual and sometimes physical desolation. Recognizing the consequences of sin should motivate us to seek repentance and restoration. Hope in Restoration While the verse depicts a scene of despair, the broader context of Isaiah offers hope for restoration. Trust in God's promises for renewal and redemption. The Importance of Community The imagery of sons lying at the head of every street suggests communal suffering. This highlights the importance of supporting one another in times of spiritual and physical need. Vigilance Against Spiritual Entrapment Like antelope caught in a net, we must be vigilant against the snares of sin and temptation, relying on God's strength to overcome them. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Isaiah 51:20?2. How does Isaiah 51:20 illustrate the consequences of turning from God's ways? 3. What does "fainting" in Isaiah 51:20 reveal about spiritual exhaustion? 4. How can we avoid the spiritual pitfalls described in Isaiah 51:20 today? 5. What scriptural connections highlight God's call to repentance in Isaiah 51:20? 6. How can Isaiah 51:20 inspire us to seek God's strength in adversity? 7. What historical events does Isaiah 51:20 refer to regarding the destruction of Jerusalem? 8. How does Isaiah 51:20 reflect God's judgment and mercy? 9. What is the significance of "wild bull in a net" in Isaiah 51:20? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Isaiah 51? 11. Are we already condemned? 12. Mark 14:36 - If Jesus is divine, why does he plead for the cup of suffering to be taken from him, suggesting he might not have full knowledge or power over his fate? 13. In Matthew 26:36-46, why does Jesus seem conflicted about His fate if He was fully aware of His divine mission and outcome? 14. How can eternal punishment be just for finite sins? What Does Isaiah 51:20 Mean Your sons have fainted“Your sons have fainted” (Isaiah 51:20a) pictures Judah’s young men—those expected to be strongest—collapsing in utter weakness. • Siege, starvation, and terror had drained every reserve (Lamentations 2:11–12; Jeremiah 4:31). • Even the best human strength fails when cut off from God’s sustaining hand (Isaiah 40:30–31; Psalm 107:4–5). • The literal exhaustion points to a deeper spiritual fainting: the people had trusted political alliances and idols, not the LORD, so their courage evaporated when judgment came (Isaiah 30:1–3). They lie at the head of every street Bodies sprawled “at the head of every street” (v. 20b) show how widespread the calamity was. • No neighborhood escaped; devastation was on public display (Lamentations 2:19; Nahum 3:10). • The scene echoes covenant warnings that disobedience would bring disaster “in all your towns” (Deuteronomy 28:52). • Streets that once hosted bustling markets now showcase defeat—sin always reverses God’s intended flourishing. Like an antelope in a net The fainting sons are “like an antelope in a net” (v. 20c). • An antelope is swift and agile, yet the net robs it of freedom and strength—just as Babylon’s armies trapped Judah (2 Kings 25:1–4). • Helpless struggling heightens the tragedy: what once bounded freely now lies hopeless (Proverbs 6:5 images the same animal caught). • God’s people were meant to run in His paths (Psalm 119:32). Sin ensnared them instead (Jeremiah 50:24). They are full of the wrath of the LORD Why this misery? “They are full of the wrath of the LORD” (v. 20d). • Earlier, Isaiah pictured Jerusalem drinking the “cup of His wrath” until staggering (Isaiah 51:17). The verse shows the effect on the next generation. • Wrath here is not random anger; it is God’s settled, holy response to covenant rebellion (Psalm 90:7–9; Jeremiah 10:25). • The same wrath was ultimately poured on Christ for our redemption (Romans 5:9), proving both God’s justice and saving love. The rebuke of your God The final phrase calls it “the rebuke of your God” (v. 20e). • Rebuke means disciplined correction, not annihilation. He is still “your God”: relationship remains (Isaiah 54:7–8). • Scripture links God’s rebuke with His fatherly love (Hebrews 12:5–6; Revelation 3:19). • Judah’s suffering therefore carried hope—after rebuke comes restoration (Isaiah 51:22–23). summary Isaiah 51:20 paints a vivid, literal snapshot of Jerusalem’s sons collapsed in every street, helpless as netted antelopes, overwhelmed by the LORD’s wrathful rebuke. The scene exposes the high cost of sin, the certainty of divine judgment, and the tenderness of a God who disciplines in order to restore. For every reader, the verse is both a warning against stubborn rebellion and an invitation to seek refuge in the One who bore the cup of wrath on our behalf. (20) As a wild bull . . .--Better, as an antelope. The picture explains that of Isaiah 51:17. The sons cannot help the mother, for they, too, have drunk of the same cup of fury, and lie like corpses in the open places of the city. (Comp. Lamentations 2:12.)Verse 20. - Thy sons have fainted, they lie; rather, thy sons fainted; they lay. The prophet describes the siege and capture of Jerusalem as past, because his standpoint is the time of the Captivity. He depicts the inhabitants of Jerusalem as "faint" through famine, and so weak that they lie prostrate about the streets. As a wild bull in a net; rather, like a gazelle in a net - panting, exhausted, incapable of the hast resistance. They are full of the fury of the Lord; i.e. the fury of the Lord has been fully poured out upon them.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Your sonsבָּנַ֜יִךְ (bā·na·yiḵ) Noun - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular Strong's 1121: A son have fainted; עֻלְּפ֥וּ (‘ul·lə·p̄ū) Verb - Pual - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 5968: To veil, cover, to be languid they lie שָׁכְב֛וּ (šā·ḵə·ḇū) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 7901: To lie down at the head בְּרֹ֥אשׁ (bə·rōš) Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 7218: The head of every כָּל־ (kāl-) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every street, חוּצ֖וֹת (ḥū·ṣō·wṯ) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 2351: Separate by a, wall, outside, outdoors like an antelope כְּת֣וֹא (kə·ṯō·w) Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 8377: A species of antelope in a net. מִכְמָ֑ר (miḵ·mār) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4364: A net, snare They are full הַֽמְלֵאִ֥ים (ham·lê·’îm) Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Strong's 4390: To fill, be full of of the wrath חֲמַת־ (ḥă·maṯ-) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 2534: Heat, anger, poison of the LORD, יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel the rebuke גַּעֲרַ֥ת (ga·‘ă·raṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 1606: A chiding of your God. אֱלֹהָֽיִךְ׃ (’ĕ·lō·hā·yiḵ) Noun - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative Links Isaiah 51:20 NIVIsaiah 51:20 NLT Isaiah 51:20 ESV Isaiah 51:20 NASB Isaiah 51:20 KJV Isaiah 51:20 BibleApps.com Isaiah 51:20 Biblia Paralela Isaiah 51:20 Chinese Bible Isaiah 51:20 French Bible Isaiah 51:20 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Isaiah 51:20 Your sons have fainted they lie at (Isa Isi Is) |
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