And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:
Parallel translations
- WEB Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers won’t be hidden any more, but your eyes will see your teachers;
- BSB The Lord will give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, but your Teacher will no longer hide Himself—with your own eyes you will see Him.
- NKJV And though the Lord gives you The bread of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, But your eyes shall see your teachers.
- NASB Although the Lord has given you bread of deprivation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher, will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will see your Teacher.
- NLT Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
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
Though God gives bread of adversity and water of affliction, He will no longer hide their teachers from them. It matters because even in hardship God provides faithful guidance.
Overview
God acknowledges seasons of hardship—'bread of adversity'—yet promises that His teachers will be visible and accessible, no longer hidden. Affliction will not cut His people off from instruction. This reflects God's commitment to lead His people through trials, ultimately giving the great Teacher and the indwelling Spirit who guides into all truth.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- 1 Kgs 22:27And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.
- Ps 80:5Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
- Amos 8:11–12Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
- Ps 127:2It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
- Acts 14:22Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
- Ps 74:9We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.
- Ps 102:9For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
- Deut 16:3Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
- Ps 30:5For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
- Eph 4:11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
- Ezek 4:13–17And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.
- Ezek 24:22–23And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
- 2 Chr 18:26And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.
- Matt 9:38Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
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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 30:20 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.