Log inSign up

Isaiah 54 · a question people ask

"For a small moment I have forsaken you" (54:7). Did the LORD really forsake her?

In the text

The LORD says so himself, and he says how long: "For a small moment I have forsaken you, but I will gather you with great mercies" (54:7) (tap forsaken). The verse before says he has called her "as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit" (54:6), and the verse after names his anger: "In overflowing wrath I hid my face from you for a moment" (54:8). In the same verses he says what comes after the moment: "great mercies" (54:7), "everlasting loving kindness" (54:8), and an oath, "so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke you" (54:9). The chapter doesn't say why the moment came. These notes say no more than the verses say.

The verses

“For the LORD has called you as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off,” says your God. “For a small moment I have forsaken you, but I will gather you with great mercies. In overflowing wrath I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting loving kindness I will have mercy on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer. “For this is like the waters of Noah to me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah will no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.”
Isaiah 54:6-9 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Isaiah 54

Isaiah 54: Sing, barren

Isaiah has the Hebrew word for barren only once, to open chapter 54, and the woman "who didn’t give birth" is told to enlarge her tent (54:1-2). The LORD calls his forsaking "a small moment" and his loving kindness "everlasting" (54:7-8), and swears it as he swore of Noah's waters (54:9). Jesus said, "They will all be taught by God" (John 6:45).

In Favor, questions like this come up right where they arise as you read, with the Hebrew and Greek behind the words and how the chapter leads to Jesus.

Start your free weekIsaiah 54 Bible study

First week free, then $10 a month per person

More questions about Isaiah 54

All questions about Isaiah →

The best way to learn the Bible

Favor opens up every chapter as you read.

Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.

  • Every chapter explains itself

    As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.

  • The Hebrew and Greek behind it

    Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.

  • Every page leads to Jesus

    Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.

  • Better together

    Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.

  1. 1

    Start your free week

    Sign up in a minute with your email.

  2. 2

    Read a few minutes a day

    Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.

  3. 3

    Bring your people, if you like

    Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person

Questions like this, in every chapter

The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.

There's a seat for you at the table.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions