Isaiah 42:22
But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.
Original Language Analysis
וְהוּא֮
H1931
וְהוּא֮
Strong's:
H1931
Word #:
1 of 18
he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demo
עַם
But this is a people
H5971
עַם
But this is a people
Strong's:
H5971
Word #:
2 of 18
a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
בַּֽחוּרִים֙
in holes
H2352
בַּֽחוּרִים֙
in holes
Strong's:
H2352
Word #:
6 of 18
the crevice of a serpent; the cell of a prison
כֻּלָּ֔ם
H3605
כֻּלָּ֔ם
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
7 of 18
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
וּבְבָתֵּ֥י
houses
H1004
וּבְבָתֵּ֥י
houses
Strong's:
H1004
Word #:
8 of 18
a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.)
הָי֤וּ
H1961
הָי֤וּ
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
11 of 18
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
וְאֵ֣ין
H369
מַצִּ֔יל
and none delivereth
H5337
מַצִּ֔יל
and none delivereth
Strong's:
H5337
Word #:
14 of 18
to snatch away, whether in a good or a bad sense
וְאֵין
H369
Cross References
Psalms 102:20To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;Jeremiah 50:17Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.Isaiah 51:23But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.Psalms 50:22Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.Isaiah 24:22And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.Isaiah 24:18And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.Isaiah 14:17That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?Isaiah 42:7To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.Isaiah 1:7Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.Isaiah 18:2That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!
Historical Context
This accurately describes the exile's reality—Israel plundered, scattered, imprisoned in foreign lands without human hope of restoration. Only God could reverse this catastrophic condition.
Questions for Reflection
- How does recognizing your helpless condition drive you to cry for divine deliverance?
- What situations in your life have no human solution, requiring God's intervention?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
Israel's condition is pitiable: 'robbed and spoiled,' trapped in holes and prisons, becoming prey without deliverance. The Hebrew 'bazaz' (spoiled/plundered) depicts total defeat. None says 'Restore'—no advocate, no hope from human sources. This desperate situation reveals the need for divine intervention.