The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.

ISAIAH 50:5KJV
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Isaiah 50:5 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 50:5 mean?

Isaiah 50:5 describes how the Lord GOD enabled the speaker to listen and obey, and as a result, the speaker did not resist or turn away from what was asked. The verse highlights a willing response to God's direction, showing an open and obedient attitude.

In this part of Isaiah, the speaker is often understood to be the servant of the LORD, who is sharing his experience of receiving God's message and mission. The context is one of trust and submission, where the servant emphasizes that he did not rebel or avoid the difficult path set before him. This verse is part of a larger section where the servant describes his relationship with God and his faithful response to God's calling.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 50:5

  • "opened" (פָּתַח, patach): This word means to open, often in a physical sense, but here it is used for opening the "ear" (אֹזֶן, ozen), meaning to make someone able to hear or understand. It suggests that the ability to listen and respond comes from God.
  • "rebellious" (מָרָה, marah): This word means to resist or disobey. The speaker emphasizes that he did not act in defiance against God's instructions, highlighting a contrast with others who might have resisted.
  • "away back" (אָחוֹר, achor): This phrase means to turn away or retreat. The servant did not shrink back from his task, showing commitment even when facing challenges.

Why Isaiah 50:5 matters

  • Isaiah 50:5 clarifies that true obedience involves both hearing and responding, not just passively receiving God's word but actively following it.
  • The verse stands out in the wider passage as part of the "Servant Songs," where the servant's faithfulness and willingness to suffer for God's purpose are central themes.
  • By focusing on the servant's open ear and non-rebellious heart, Isaiah 50:5 contrasts with the common human tendency to resist difficult callings, offering a model of trust and submission.

Where else these words appear

“away” Hebrew H5472 · used in 14 verses

  • Psalms 35:4 Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
  • Psalms 70:2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.
  • Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.

“back” Hebrew H268 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
  • Psalms 44:10 Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.
  • Isaiah 41:23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

“rebellious” Hebrew H4784 · used in 43 verses

  • Numbers 20:10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
  • 1 Kings 13:21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,
  • Psalms 107:11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

“opened” Hebrew H6605 · used in 133 verses

  • Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
  • Nehemiah 1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.
  • Isaiah 5:27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: