Isaiah 51:19-20
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What's easily missed is that the Lord, who promises comfort, asks in utter grief and rhetorical despair, "Who will comfort you?" This highlights the overwhelming nature of the devastation and the utter lack of any human resource left to offer solace.
These two things have happened to you— who will console you?— devastation and destruction, famine and sword; who will comfort you? 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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet has just described Jerusalem in a state of utter devastation and despair, like a drunkard reeling from God's wrath, with no one to support her. This verse emphasizes the profound isolation of her suffering, highlighting the complete destruction of her land by famine and sword, leaving no one to offer comfort. The question "who will console you?" is posed not just to the city, but from God's perspective, underscoring the depth of her desolation and the seeming absence of any natural source of solace.
Imagine a scene so bleak, so utterly destroyed, that even God seems to question who could possibly offer comfort. What does this imagery tell us about the severity of judgment and the depth of sorrow?
Isaiah 51:19 paints a devastating picture. The prophet uses four intense words—desolation, destruction, famine, and sword—to convey the catastrophic state of the people.
A Compounding Catastrophe
The commentators note that these four terms can be understood as two pairs: the destruction of the land (desolation) and the destruction of its people (destruction), brought about by the causes of famine and the sword. This isn't just a minor setback; it's a total collapse of life and security.
The rhetorical questions, "who will console you?" and "by whom shall I comfort you?" underscore the unimaginable depth of this suffering. It suggests a state so profound that normal sources of comfort are utterly insufficient, and even God's intervention seems to pause, asking who is left to offer solace.
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It's striking that the question of comfort comes from God Himself. What does it mean when the source of all comfort seems to be searching for someone else to provide it?
The question "by whom shall I comfort thee?" is profound. It's not that God is incapable of comforting, but rather that the devastation is so complete that there is no one left to comfort, or no one capable of offering adequate solace.
The Limits of Human Comfort
This isn't a sign of God abandoning His people, but rather a stark portrayal of the consequences of their sin and the totality of the judgment they face. It sets the stage for God's own ultimate comfort, which will not depend on human capacity but on His divine power.
Understand the original words
shod · Hebrew Noun
The complete laying waste or desolation of a city or land as a result of divine judgment for covenant disobedience. It implies an overwhelming ruin.
ra'ab · Hebrew Noun
A severe scarcity of food, often cited in Scripture as a covenant curse or a means of divine discipline to bring a people to repentance.
chereb · Hebrew Noun
An instrument of war often used in Scripture as a symbol of divine judgment or the consequence of divine abandonment, resulting in death and slaughter.
Elohim · Hebrew Proper Noun
The God of Israel, the Creator and Judge who possesses authority over all things and interacts with humanity, especially His chosen people, through covenantal interaction and correction.
ge'arah · Hebrew Noun
The formal expression of God’s strong disapproval and judicial censure against sin. It is an act of divine discipline intended to bring the recipient to an acknowledgment of transgression.
This verse speaks directly to the devastating aftermath of the Babylonian conquest, when Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed, and the people were exiled. The prophet laments the utter desolation and the absence of anyone to offer comfort, highlighting the depth of their suffering and isolation.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Invasion of Judah
King Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah, conquering many fortified cities and laying siege to Jerusalem. This event caused widespread devastation and fear.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon conquers Judah and begins deporting skilled citizens, including nobles and royalty, to Babylon. This marked the start of Judah's decline.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
After a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, to Babylon. Jerusalem's temple is plundered.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar completely destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population to Babylon. This is a period of profound devastation and loss.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon, opening the way for the exiled Judeans to eventually return to their homeland.
c. 538 BC - 515 BC
Return from Exile and Temple Rebuilding
The first wave of exiles returns to Judah under Cyrus's decree and begins rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, facing significant hardship and opposition.
This passage echoes the utter desolation and lack of comfort described in Isaiah 51:19, questioning who could possibly pity or console such a devastated people.
Lamentations 1:2Similar to Isaiah's depiction, Lamentations vividly portrays a city stripped bare, with no one left to offer comfort amidst its profound suffering and destruction.
Ezekiel 14:21-23This passage directly links the devastating calamities of sword, famine, and plague to God's judgment, mirroring the specific punishments Isaiah lists and highlighting the profound distress they bring.
Isaiah 47:8-11This earlier prophecy against Babylon presents a stark contrast, highlighting that while its self-proclaimed security is shattered, it is still predicted that someone *will* lament for it, unlike the utter lack of comfort promised to Zion's desolation in Isaiah 51.
barnesIsaiah 51:19: "These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?"
These two things are come unto thee - Margin, 'Happened.' That is, two sources of calamity have come upon thee; to wit, famine and the sword, producing desolation and destruction; or desolation by famine, and destruction by the sword (see Lowth on Hebrew Poetry, Lect. xix.) The idea here is, that far-spread destruction had oc…
wesleyIsaiah 51:19: "These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?"
51:19 These things - Those which follow, which tho' expressed in four words, may fitly be reduced to two things, the desolation or devastation of the land, and the destruction of the people by famine and sword. So famine and sword are not named as new evils, but only as the particular ways of bringing the destruction. By whom…
What's easily missed is that the Lord, who promises comfort, asks in utter grief and rhetorical despair, "Who will comfort you?" This highlights the overwhelming nature of the devastation and the utter lack of any human resource left to offer solace.
The prophet has just described Jerusalem in a state of utter devastation and despair, like a drunkard reeling from God's wrath, with no one to support her. This verse emphasizes the profound isolation of her suffering, highlighting the complete destruction of her land by famine and sword, leaving no one to offer comfort. The question "who will console you?" is posed not just to the city, but from God's perspective, underscoring the depth of her desolation and the seeming absence of any natural source of solace.
The prophet has just described Jerusalem in a state of utter devastation and despair, like a drunkard reeling from God's wrath, with no one to support her. This verse emphasizes the profound isolation of her suffering, highlighting the complete destruction of her land by famine and sword, leaving no one to offer comfort. The question "who will console you?" is posed not just to the city, but from God's perspective, underscoring the depth of her desolation and the seeming absence of any natural source of solace.
"These two things have happened to you— who will console you?— devastation and destruction, famine and sword; who will comfort you? Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of every street like an ant…" — What's easily missed is that the Lord, who promises comfort, asks in utter grief and rhetorical despair, "Who will comfort you?" This highlights the overwhelming nature of the devastation and the u…
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Last reviewed October 2026
