King James Version
Isaiah 50:3 in the King James Version says “I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.” — study this verse from Isaiah chapter 50 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.
“I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.”
Isaiah 50:3 · KJV
Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.
Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.
I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
KJV Study — Public Domain
“I clothe”
H3847properly, wrap around, i.e., (by implication) to put on a garment or clothe (oneself, or another), literally or figuratively
“the heavens”
H8064the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies r
“sackcloth”
H8242properly, a mesh (as allowing a liquid to run through), i.e., coarse loose cloth or sacking (used in mourning and for bagging); hence, a bag (for grai
“and I make”
H7760to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
This verse is found in the book of Isaiah. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Isaiah 50:3 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
Verses related to Isaiah 50:3 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge