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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Isaiah 47:2 Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil; strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, and wade through the streams.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/isaiah/47-2.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/9/23_Isa_47_02.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Isaiah 47:2 - The Fall of Babylon Predicted" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil; strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, and wade through the streams." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/isaiah/47-2.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/isaiah/47-2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/isaiah/">Isaiah</a> > <a href="/isaiah/47.htm">Chapter 47</a> > Verse 2</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad2.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/isaiah/47-1.htm" title="Isaiah 47:1">◄</a> Isaiah 47:2 <a href="/isaiah/47-3.htm" title="Isaiah 47:3">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/isaiah/47.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/isaiah/47.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Take millstones and grind flour; take off your veil. Lift up your skirts, bare your legs, and wade through the streams.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/isaiah/47.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Take heavy millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil, and strip off your robe. Expose yourself to public view.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/isaiah/47.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Take the millstones and grind flour, put off your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/isaiah/47.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil; strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, and wade through the streams.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/isaiah/47.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/isaiah/47.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Take the millstones and grind meal. Remove your veil, Take off the skirt, Uncover the thigh, Pass through the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/isaiah/47.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />“Take the millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil, strip off the skirt, Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/isaiah/47.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220Take the millstones and grind meal. Remove your veil, strip off the skirt, Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/isaiah/47.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“Take the millstones and grind meal. Remove your veil, strip off the skirt, Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/isaiah/47.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Take the millstones and grind flour. Uncover your veil, strip off the skirt, Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/isaiah/47.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“Take millstones [as a female slave does] and grind meal; Remove your veil, strip off the skirt, Uncover the leg, cross the rivers [at the command of your captors].<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/isaiah/47.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil, strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, wade through the streams.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/isaiah/47.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Take millstones and grind meal; remove your veil, strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, wade through the streams. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/isaiah/47.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Take the millstones, and grind meal; remove thy veil, strip off the train, uncover the leg, pass through the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/isaiah/47.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Start grinding grain! Take off your veil. Strip off your fancy clothes and wade across rivers. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/isaiah/47.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Take the millstones, and grind meal: remove thy veil, strip off the train, uncover the leg, pass through the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/isaiah/47.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Take millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil. Take off your skirt. Uncover your legs, and cross the river.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/isaiah/47.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Turn the millstone! Grind the flour! Off with your veil! Strip off your fine clothes! Lift up your skirts to cross the streams! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/isaiah/47.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Take millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil, strip off your robes, bare your legs, and wade through the rivers. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/isaiah/47.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil; strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, and wade through the streams.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/isaiah/47.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Pick up millstones and grind flour! Remove your veil, strip off your skirt, expose your legs, cross the streams! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/isaiah/47.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Take the millstones, and grind meal; remove your veil, strip off the train, uncover the leg, pass through the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/isaiah/47.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/isaiah/47.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Take the millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil, lift up your skirt, uncover your legs, and wade through the rivers. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/isaiah/47.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Take millstones, and grind flour, "" Remove your veil, draw up the skirt, "" Uncover the leg, pass over the floods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/isaiah/47.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Take millstones, and grind flour, Remove thy veil, draw up the skirt, Uncover the leg, pass over the floods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/isaiah/47.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Take the two mill-stones and grind flour, and uncover thy veil; strip off the train, uncover the leg, pass through the rivers.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/isaiah/47.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Take a millstone and grind meal: uncover thy shame, strip thy shoulder, make bare thy legs, pass over the rivers. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/isaiah/47.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Take a millstone and grind meal. Uncover your shame, bare your shoulder, reveal your legs, cross the streams.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/isaiah/47.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Take the millstone and grind flour, remove your veil; Strip off your skirt, bare your legs, cross through the streams. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/isaiah/47.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Take the millstones and grind meal, remove your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/isaiah/47.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Take the millstone and grind flour; remove your veil, cut off your white hair, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/isaiah/47.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Take a millstone, grind flour, open your veil, cut your white hair, reveal your lower legs, pass over the rivers<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/isaiah/47.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Take the millstones, and grind meal; Remove thy veil, Strip off the train, uncover the leg, Pass through the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/isaiah/47.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Take a millstone, grind meal: remove thy veil, uncover thy white hairs, make bare the leg, pass through the rivers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/isaiah/47-2.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xv9bHT-nr9s?start=10476" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/isaiah/47.htm">The Fall of Babylon Predicted</a></span><br><span class="reftext">1</span>“Go down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O Daughter of Chaldea! For you will no longer be called tender or delicate. <span class="reftext">2</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3947.htm" title="3947: qə·ḥî (V-Qal-Imp-fs) -- To take. A primitive root; to take.">Take</a> <a href="/hebrew/7347.htm" title="7347: rê·ḥa·yim (N-md) -- (hand)mill. From an unused root meaning to pulverize; a mill-stone.">millstones</a> <a href="/hebrew/2912.htm" title="2912: wə·ṭa·ḥă·nî (Conj-w:: V-Qal-Imp-fs) -- To grind. A primitive root; to grind meal; hence, to be a concubine.">and grind</a> <a href="/hebrew/7058.htm" title="7058: qā·maḥ (N-ms) -- Flour, meal. From an unused root probably meaning to grind; flour.">flour;</a> <a href="/hebrew/1540.htm" title="1540: gal·lî (V-Piel-Imp-fs) -- To uncover, remove. A primitive root; to denude; by implication, to exile; figuratively, to reveal.">remove</a> <a href="/hebrew/6777.htm" title="6777: ṣam·mā·ṯêḵ (N-fsc:: 2fs) -- (woman's) veil. From an unused root meaning to fasten on; a veil.">your veil;</a> <a href="/hebrew/2834.htm" title="2834: ḥeś·pî- (V-Qal-Imp-fs) -- To strip off, strip, make bare. A primitive root; to strip off, i.e. Generally to make naked, to drain away or bail up.">strip off</a> <a href="/hebrew/7640.htm" title="7640: šō·ḇel (N-ms) -- Flowing skirt, train. From an unused root meaning to flow; a lady's train.">your skirt,</a> <a href="/hebrew/1540.htm" title="1540: gal·lî- (V-Piel-Imp-fs) -- To uncover, remove. A primitive root; to denude; by implication, to exile; figuratively, to reveal.">bare</a> <a href="/hebrew/7785.htm" title="7785: šō·wq (N-fs) -- A leg. From shuwq; the leg.">your thigh,</a> <a href="/hebrew/5674.htm" title="5674: ‘iḇ·rî (V-Qal-Imp-fs) -- To pass over, through, or by, pass on. A primitive root; to cross over; used very widely of any transition; specifically, to cover.">and wade through</a> <a href="/hebrew/5104.htm" title="5104: nə·hā·rō·wṯ (N-mp) -- A stream, river. From nahar; a stream; figuratively, prosperity.">the streams.</a> </span><span class="reftext">3</span>Your nakedness will be uncovered and your shame will be exposed. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.”…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/25-10.htm">Jeremiah 25:10</a></span><br />Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/nahum/3-5.htm">Nahum 3:5-6</a></span><br />“Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms. / I will pelt you with filth and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/lamentations/1-8.htm">Lamentations 1:8-9</a></span><br />Jerusalem has sinned greatly; therefore she has become an object of scorn. All who honored her now despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns away. / Her uncleanness stains her skirts; she did not consider her end. Her downfall was astounding; there was no one to comfort her. Look, O LORD, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/16-37.htm">Ezekiel 16:37-39</a></span><br />therefore I will surely gather all the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose you before them, and they will see you completely naked. / And I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and those who shed blood; so I will bring upon you the wrath of your bloodshed and jealousy. / Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will level your mounds and tear down your lofty shrines. They will strip off your clothes, take your fine jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/micah/1-11.htm">Micah 1:11</a></span><br />Depart in shameful nakedness, O dwellers of Shaphir. The dwellers of Zaanan will not come out. Beth-ezel is in mourning; its support is taken from you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/18-7.htm">Revelation 18:7-8</a></span><br />As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’ / Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/13-22.htm">Jeremiah 13:22</a></span><br />And if you ask yourself, “Why has this happened to me?” It is because of the magnitude of your iniquity that your skirts have been stripped off and your body has been exposed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/nahum/3-4.htm">Nahum 3:4-5</a></span><br />because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the seductive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft. / “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/24-15.htm">2 Kings 24:15</a></span><br />Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/50-38.htm">Jeremiah 50:38</a></span><br />A drought is upon her waters, and they will be dried up. For it is a land of graven images, and the people go mad over idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/17-16.htm">Revelation 17:16</a></span><br />And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/23-26.htm">Ezekiel 23:26-29</a></span><br />They will strip off your clothes and take your fine jewelry. / So I will put an end to your indecency and prostitution, which began in the land of Egypt, and you will not lift your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.’ / For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hands of those you hate, from whom you turned away in disgust. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/51-13.htm">Jeremiah 51:13</a></span><br />You who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is cut.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/18-22.htm">Revelation 18:22-23</a></span><br />And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never ring out in you again. Nor will any craftsmen of any trade be found in you again, nor the sound of a millstone be heard in you again. / The light of a lamp will never shine in you again, and the voices of a bride and bridegroom will never call out in you again. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/51-25.htm">Jeremiah 51:25</a></span><br />“Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who devastate the whole earth, declares the LORD. I will stretch out My hand against you; I will roll you over the cliffs and turn you into a charred mountain.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover your locks, make bore the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.</p><p class="hdg">the milestones</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/exodus/11-5.htm">Exodus 11:5</a></b></br> And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that <i>is</i> behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/judges/16-21.htm">Judges 16:21</a></b></br> But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/31-10.htm">Job 31:10</a></b></br> <i>Then</i> let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.</p><p class="hdg">make bare</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/3-17.htm">Isaiah 3:17</a></b></br> Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/20-4.htm">Isaiah 20:4</a></b></br> So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with <i>their</i> buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/13-22.htm">Jeremiah 13:22,26</a></b></br> And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, <i>and</i> thy heels made bare… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/isaiah/41-18.htm">Bare</a> <a href="/isaiah/23-12.htm">Cross</a> <a href="/isaiah/42-4.htm">Crushed</a> <a href="/isaiah/45-20.htm">Draw</a> <a href="/isaiah/28-28.htm">Flour</a> <a href="/isaiah/28-28.htm">Grind</a> <a href="/1_samuel/9-24.htm">Leg</a> <a href="/isaiah/46-7.htm">Lift</a> <a href="/isaiah/44-16.htm">Meal</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/24-6.htm">Millstones</a> <a href="/isaiah/46-7.htm">Remove</a> <a href="/isaiah/44-27.htm">Rivers</a> <a href="/isaiah/37-1.htm">Robe</a> <a href="/psalms/133-2.htm">Skirt</a> <a href="/isaiah/6-1.htm">Skirts</a> <a href="/isaiah/44-27.htm">Streams</a> <a href="/isaiah/45-1.htm">Strip</a> <a href="/songs/3-8.htm">Thigh</a> <a href="/isaiah/21-7.htm">Train</a> <a href="/isaiah/3-17.htm">Uncover</a> <a href="/isaiah/22-8.htm">Uncovered</a> <a href="/isaiah/44-18.htm">Veil</a> <a href="/psalms/68-23.htm">Wade</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/isaiah/49-9.htm">Bare</a> <a href="/isaiah/51-10.htm">Cross</a> <a href="/isaiah/53-5.htm">Crushed</a> <a href="/isaiah/48-16.htm">Draw</a> <a href="/ezekiel/16-13.htm">Flour</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-16.htm">Grind</a> <a href="/ezekiel/24-4.htm">Leg</a> <a href="/isaiah/49-18.htm">Lift</a> <a href="/isaiah/51-8.htm">Meal</a> <a href="/jeremiah/25-10.htm">Millstones</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-14.htm">Remove</a> <a href="/isaiah/50-2.htm">Rivers</a> <a href="/isaiah/50-3.htm">Robe</a> <a href="/ezekiel/16-8.htm">Skirt</a> <a href="/jeremiah/2-34.htm">Skirts</a> <a href="/jeremiah/9-18.htm">Streams</a> <a href="/jeremiah/5-10.htm">Strip</a> <a href="/jeremiah/31-19.htm">Thigh</a> <a href="/daniel/11-43.htm">Train</a> <a href="/jeremiah/13-26.htm">Uncover</a> <a href="/isaiah/47-3.htm">Uncovered</a> <a href="/lamentations/3-65.htm">Veil</a> <a href="/psalms/68-23.htm">Wade</a><div class="vheading2">Isaiah 47</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/47-1.htm">God's judgment upon Babylon and Chaldea</a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/47-6.htm">For their unmercifulness</a></span><br><span class="reftext">7. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/47-7.htm">Pride</a></span><br><span class="reftext">10. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/47-10.htm">And over-boldness</a></span><br><span class="reftext">11. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/47-11.htm">Shall be irresistible</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/isaiah/47.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/isaiah/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/isaiah/47.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Take millstones and grind flour;</b><br>This phrase signifies a call to labor and servitude, reflecting the reversal of fortunes for Babylon. In ancient times, grinding flour was a task for servants or captives, indicating a loss of status and power. The imagery of millstones connects to the daily, menial labor that was often assigned to women or slaves, highlighting the humbling of Babylon. This can be seen as a fulfillment of the prophecy against Babylon, where the once proud city is brought low (<a href="/isaiah/13-19.htm">Isaiah 13:19</a>). The use of millstones also recalls the judgment against Babylon in <a href="/revelation/18-21.htm">Revelation 18:21</a>, where a mighty angel casts a stone into the sea, symbolizing Babylon's downfall.<p><b>remove your veil;</b><br>The removal of the veil signifies exposure and shame. In ancient Near Eastern culture, a veil was a symbol of modesty and protection, often worn by women of status. Removing it indicates vulnerability and humiliation. This act can be seen as a metaphor for the uncovering of Babylon's sins and the stripping away of its false pretenses. The veil's removal is akin to the exposure of hidden sins, as seen in other biblical passages like <a href="/ezekiel/16-37.htm">Ezekiel 16:37</a>, where God exposes the sins of Jerusalem.<p><b>strip off your skirt,</b><br>Stripping off the skirt further emphasizes the theme of humiliation and disgrace. In biblical times, clothing was a sign of dignity and identity. To strip off one's garments was to be laid bare and dishonored. This imagery is used to depict the complete abasement of Babylon, once a city of great power and influence. The act of stripping is also symbolic of judgment, as seen in <a href="/lamentations/1-8.htm">Lamentations 1:8</a>, where Jerusalem is described as naked and exposed due to her sins.<p><b>bare your thigh,</b><br>Baring the thigh is another symbol of shame and exposure. In the cultural context of the ancient Near East, modesty was highly valued, and exposing the body was considered disgraceful. This phrase underscores the totality of Babylon's humiliation. The exposure of the thigh can also be seen as a metaphor for vulnerability to attack and defeat, as Babylon is left defenseless before its enemies. This connects to the broader theme of divine judgment against nations that oppose God, as seen in <a href="/nahum/3-5.htm">Nahum 3:5</a>.<p><b>and wade through the streams.</b><br>Wading through streams suggests a forced journey or exile, often associated with captivity and displacement. In the context of Babylon, this imagery may allude to the city's impending conquest and the subsequent exile of its people. Streams or rivers were often barriers or boundaries, and crossing them symbolized a transition from freedom to captivity. This phrase can be linked to the broader biblical narrative of exile and return, as seen in the Babylonian captivity of Judah and the eventual return to Jerusalem (<a href="/2_kings/25-11.htm">2 Kings 25:11</a>, <a href="/ezra/1.htm">Ezra 1:1-4</a>). The act of wading through streams also evokes the idea of purification and judgment, as water is often a symbol of cleansing in scripture.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/b/babylon.htm">Babylon</a></b><br>A significant city and empire in ancient Mesopotamia, often symbolizing pride and idolatry in the Bible. In <a href="/bsb/isaiah/47.htm">Isaiah 47</a>, Babylon is personified as a woman who will face humiliation and judgment.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/d/daughter_of_the_chaldeans.htm">Daughter of the Chaldeans</a></b><br>This phrase refers to the inhabitants of Babylon, specifically highlighting their cultural and spiritual identity. The Chaldeans were known for their wisdom and astrology, which often led them away from the true God.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/i/isaiah.htm">Isaiah</a></b><br>A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah conveyed God's messages of judgment and redemption to the people of Israel and surrounding nations, including Babylon.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/h/humility_before_god.htm">Humility Before God</a></b><br>The passage serves as a reminder of the importance of humility. Babylon's pride led to its downfall, teaching us to remain humble before God and acknowledge His sovereignty.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/c/consequences_of_idolatry.htm">Consequences of Idolatry</a></b><br>Babylon's reliance on false gods and practices resulted in judgment. We are called to examine our lives for any idols that may take precedence over our relationship with God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty_over_nations.htm">God's Sovereignty Over Nations</a></b><br><a href="/isaiah/47-2.htm">Isaiah 47:2</a> illustrates that no nation or power is beyond God's control. This reassures believers that God is actively involved in the affairs of the world and will bring about His justice.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/r/repentance_and_redemption.htm">Repentance and Redemption</a></b><br>While the passage focuses on judgment, it also implicitly calls for repentance. Recognizing our sins and turning back to God can lead to redemption and restoration.<a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/isaiah/47.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(2) <span class= "bld">Take the millstones.</span>--Always the most servile form of female labour (<a href="/exodus/11-5.htm" title="And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.">Exodus 11:5</a>; <a href="/job/31-10.htm" title="Then let my wife grind to another, and let others bow down on her.">Job 31:10</a>; <a href="/matthew/24-41.htm" title="Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.">Matthew 24:41</a>).<p><span class= "bld">Uncover thy locks.</span>--The picture of suffering is heightened by the fact that the female slave has to wade unveiled, and bare-legged, all sense of shame outraged, to the scene of her labours. The picture is, of course, to be taken symbolically, not literally.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/isaiah/47.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 2.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Take the millstones, and grind meal</span>. Do the hard work commonly allotted to female slaves. Turn the heavy upper millstone all day long upon the nether one (comp. <a href="/exodus/11-5.htm">Exodus 11:5</a>). Babylon having been personified as a <span class="accented">female</span> captive, the details have to be in unison. Uncover thy locks. Babylonian women are represented in the Assyrian sculptures as wearing closefitting caps upon their heads (see 'Ancient Monarchies,' vol. 2, p. 500). <span class="cmt_word">Make bare the leg... pass over the rivers</span>. On the way from their own city to the land of their captivity, they would have to wade through streams, and in so doing to expose parts of their persons which delicacy required to be concealed. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/isaiah/47-2.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Take</span><br /><span class="heb">קְחִ֥י</span> <span class="translit">(qə·ḥî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3947.htm">Strong's 3947: </a> </span><span class="str2">To take</span><br /><br /><span class="word">millstones</span><br /><span class="heb">רֵחַ֖יִם</span> <span class="translit">(rê·ḥa·yim)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - md<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7347.htm">Strong's 7347: </a> </span><span class="str2">A mill-stone</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and grind</span><br /><span class="heb">וְטַ֣חֲנִי</span> <span class="translit">(wə·ṭa·ḥă·nî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2912.htm">Strong's 2912: </a> </span><span class="str2">To grind meal, to be a, concubine</span><br /><br /><span class="word">flour;</span><br /><span class="heb">קָ֑מַח</span> <span class="translit">(qā·maḥ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7058.htm">Strong's 7058: </a> </span><span class="str2">Flour, meal</span><br /><br /><span class="word">remove</span><br /><span class="heb">גַּלִּ֨י</span> <span class="translit">(gal·lî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Piel - Imperative - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1540.htm">Strong's 1540: </a> </span><span class="str2">To denude, to exile, to reveal</span><br /><br /><span class="word">your veil,</span><br /><span class="heb">צַמָּתֵ֧ךְ</span> <span class="translit">(ṣam·mā·ṯêḵ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct | second person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6777.htm">Strong's 6777: </a> </span><span class="str2">(woman's) veil</span><br /><br /><span class="word">strip off</span><br /><span class="heb">חֶשְׂפִּי־</span> <span class="translit">(ḥeś·pî-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2834.htm">Strong's 2834: </a> </span><span class="str2">To strip off, to make naked, to drain away, bail up</span><br /><br /><span class="word">your skirt,</span><br /><span class="heb">שֹׁ֛בֶל</span> <span class="translit">(šō·ḇel)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7640.htm">Strong's 7640: </a> </span><span class="str2">Flowing skirt, train</span><br /><br /><span class="word">bare</span><br /><span class="heb">גַּלִּי־</span> <span class="translit">(gal·lî-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Piel - Imperative - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1540.htm">Strong's 1540: </a> </span><span class="str2">To denude, to exile, to reveal</span><br /><br /><span class="word">your thigh,</span><br /><span class="heb">שׁ֖וֹק</span> <span class="translit">(šō·wq)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7785.htm">Strong's 7785: </a> </span><span class="str2">The, leg</span><br /><br /><span class="word">wade through</span><br /><span class="heb">עִבְרִ֥י</span> <span class="translit">(‘iḇ·rî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5674.htm">Strong's 5674: </a> </span><span class="str2">To pass over, through, or by, pass on</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the streams.</span><br /><span class="heb">נְהָרֽוֹת׃</span> <span class="translit">(nə·hā·rō·wṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5104.htm">Strong's 5104: </a> </span><span class="str2">A stream, prosperity</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/isaiah/47-2.htm">Isaiah 47:2 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/isaiah/47-2.htm">Isaiah 47:2 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/isaiah/47-2.htm">Isaiah 47:2 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/isaiah/47-2.htm">Isaiah 47:2 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/isaiah/47-2.htm">Isaiah 47:2 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/isaiah/47-2.htm">Isaiah 47:2 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/isaiah/47-2.htm">Isaiah 47:2 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/isaiah/47-2.htm">Isaiah 47:2 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/isaiah/47-2.htm">Isaiah 47:2 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/isaiah/47-2.htm">Isaiah 47:2 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/isaiah/47-2.htm">OT Prophets: Isaiah 47:2 Take the millstones and grind meal (Isa Isi Is)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/isaiah/47-1.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Isaiah 47:1"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Isaiah 47:1" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/isaiah/47-3.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Isaiah 47:3"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Isaiah 47:3" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>