Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket too small to wrap around you.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap oneself in.
- KJV For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.
- NKJV For the bed is too short to stretch out on, And the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself in it.
- NASB The bed is too short on which to stretch out, And the blanket is too small to wrap oneself in.
- NLT The bed you have made is too short to lie on. The blankets are too narrow to cover you.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Their false refuge is like a bed too short and a blanket too narrow—utterly inadequate.
Overview
Isaiah pictures their security as a bed one cannot stretch out on and a covering too small to wrap up in. Every refuge apart from God leaves the soul exposed and unsatisfied. This proverb exposes the inadequacy of all human attempts at safety, driving us to the all-sufficient covering found in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Cor 1:18–31For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
- Isa 64:6Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.
- Rom 9:30–32What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
- Jer 7:8–10But look, you keep trusting in deceptive words to no avail.
- Isa 59:5–6They hatch the eggs of vipers and weave a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one open, and a viper is hatched.
- Isa 57:12–13I will expose your righteousness and your works, and they will not profit you.
- Isa 66:3–6Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man; whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood; whoever offers frankincense is like one who blesses an idol. Indeed, they have chosen their own ways and delighted in their abominations.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 28:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.