Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

ISAIAH 47:2KJV
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Isaiah 47:2 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 47:2 mean?

Isaiah 47:2 describes a scene where Babylon is told to do hard, humble work—grinding meal with millstones and uncovering herself to cross rivers—symbolizing a loss of honor and forced labor. The verse uses vivid imagery to show Babylon’s coming humiliation and the stripping away of her former glory.

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah is speaking God’s message to Babylon, a powerful nation known for its pride and luxury. The commands to take the millstones and grind meal, uncover the locks, make bare the leg, and cross rivers all point to Babylon being reduced to the status of a servant or slave. This is part of a larger prophecy where Babylon, once a queen, will be brought low and made to serve, showing a dramatic reversal of fortune.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 47:2

  • "Take" (לָקַח, laqach) means to seize or take up, emphasizing that Babylon is being ordered, not invited, to do this work.
  • "Millstones" (רֵחַיִם, reḥayim) refers to the heavy stones used for grinding grain, a task usually done by the lowest servants, highlighting Babylon’s coming humiliation.
  • "Uncover" (גָּלָה, galah) and "bare" (חָשַׂף, chasaf) both point to exposure and shame, not just physical but also social and symbolic, showing Babylon’s loss of dignity.
  • "Pass over" (עָבַר, avar) and "rivers" (נָהָר, nahar) suggest forced movement or exile, hinting at Babylon’s people being driven away from their land.

Why Isaiah 47:2 matters

  • Isaiah 47:2 clears up that the language is not about literal instructions for daily life, but about Babylon’s coming disgrace and loss of status.
  • The verse emphasizes how complete Babylon’s fall will be—once proud and secure, now forced into the lowest, most exposed work.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by setting up the theme of reversal: those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and God’s justice will reach even the greatest empires.

Where else these words appear

“locks” Hebrew H6777 · used in 4 verses

  • Song of Solomon 4:1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.
  • Song of Solomon 4:3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.
  • Song of Solomon 6:7 As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.

“millstones” Hebrew H7347 · used in 5 verses

  • Exodus 11:5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
  • Numbers 11:8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.
  • Deuteronomy 24:6 No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man's life to pledge.

“grind” Hebrew H2912 · used in 8 verses

  • Exodus 32:20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
  • Deuteronomy 9:21 And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.
  • Job 31:10 Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.

“bare” Hebrew H2834 · used in 10 verses

  • Psalms 29:9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
  • Isaiah 52:10 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
  • Ezekiel 4:7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.