But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.

ISAIAH 47:9KJV
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Isaiah 47:9 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 47:9 mean?

Isaiah 47:9 announces that Babylon will suddenly lose the people and position that made her feel secure. God addresses Babylon as a woman and warns that her many sorceries and enchantments will not keep these losses from coming.

The image of losing children and becoming a widow pictures a woman left without family support. After Babylon’s confident claim in verse 8, the warning answers her sense of safety with the prospect of sudden disaster.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 47:9

  • “perfection” — תֹּם (tom): The word can carry the sense of completeness. Here, the KJV uses “in their perfection” to picture both losses coming upon Babylon in full measure.
  • “sorceries” — כֶּשֶׁף (keshef): The word refers to practices associated with magic. The verse portrays Babylon as having many such practices, yet facing the losses announced against her.
  • “enchantments” — חֶבֶר (ḥever): The word can refer to a spell or charm. Together with “sorceries,” it points to the abundance of magical practices named in the warning.

Why Isaiah 47:9 matters

  • The warning directly challenges Babylon’s confidence in her position. In verse 8 she says, “I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children”; verse 9 names those very losses.
  • The timing is part of the shock. “In a moment in one day” presents the change as abrupt, not as a slow decline that Babylon expects.
  • Babylon’s practices are central to the charge against her. The KJV connects the coming losses with “the multitude of thy sorceries” and “the great abundance of thine enchantments.”

Where else these words appear

“children” Hebrew H7908 · used in 3 verses

  • Psalms 35:12 They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.
  • Isaiah 47:8 Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:

“abundance” Hebrew H6109 · used in 3 verses

  • Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
  • Nahum 3:9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.

“sorceries” Hebrew H3785 · used in 5 verses

  • 2 Kings 9:22 And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?
  • Isaiah 47:12 Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
  • Micah 5:12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

“enchantments” Hebrew H2267 · used in 7 verses

  • Deuteronomy 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
  • Proverbs 21:9 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.
  • Isaiah 47:12 Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.