Bible Strands
Isaiah 47:15
This is what they are to you—those with whom you have labored and traded from youth—each one strays in his own direction; not one of them can save you.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet addresses the personified city of Babylon, declaring that her long-standing advisors and merchants will fail her. This declaration follows a warning that her allies will be consumed like stubble and cannot rescue her from judgment.
The words — The Hebrew יָגָ֑עַתְּ (ya.Ga.'at) literally means "you have labored," marking the sustained effort invested in these alliances. The phrase לְ/עֶבְר/וֹ֙ (le./'ev.R/o) translates to "to his side," indicating each associate ultimately abandons the collective to follow his own path.
The thread — This pattern of abandoned allies runs through Isaiah 56:11, where leaders turn to their own way, and Jeremiah 51:6, which commands escape from Babylon to avoid shared ruin. Ezekiel 27:12 similarly records how foreign merchants once profited from her wealth but will not intervene in her collapse.
Why it lands — The text states that human networks of labor and trade cannot deliver from divine judgment. It requires the reader to acknowledge the functional limits of earthly alliances and cease depending on them for rescue.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 56:11 Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:
- Jeremiah 51:6 Flee from Babylon! Escape with your lives! Do not be destroyed in her punishment. For this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; He will pay her what she deserves.
- Ezekiel 27:12 Tarshish was your merchant because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your wares.
- Revelation 18:11 And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo—