The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.
Parallel translations
- WEB The captive exile will speedily be freed; and he will not die and go down into the pit, and his bread will not fail.
- BSB The captive will soon be freed; he will not die in the dungeon, and his bread will not be lacking.
- NKJV The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed, That he should not die in the pit, And that his bread should not fail.
- NASB The exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon, nor will his bread be lacking.
- NLT Soon all you captives will be released! Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not be your fate!
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
The cowering captive will soon be set free, not dying in the pit nor lacking bread.
Overview
God promises swift release to the bowed-down prisoner, who will live and be sustained rather than perish in the dungeon. The imagery assures the exiles of imminent deliverance. It anticipates the fuller liberation Christ brings, releasing captives from sin and death and providing the bread of life (Luke 4:18; John 6:35).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Isa 48:20Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
- Zech 9:11As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.
- Isa 52:2Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
- Acts 12:7–8And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
- Isa 49:10They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
- Jer 38:6–13Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.
- Ezra 1:5Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.
- Jer 37:16When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;
- Lam 3:53–54They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 51:14 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.