Isaiah 54:6 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 54:6 mean?

Isaiah 54:6 portrays the LORD calling his people back after a period of separation and sorrow. God addresses them through the picture of a woman abandoned by her husband, giving their experience the emotional weight of a broken marriage.

The phrase “a wife of youth” pictures a marriage that began when the wife was young. In the surrounding passage, the woman represents Jerusalem and its people; the words “saith thy God” identify the speaker’s relationship to them.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 54:6

• “called” — קָרָא (qara): This word can mean to call out to someone or summon them. Here the LORD takes the initiative in addressing the woman who has been left alone.
• “grieved” — עָצַב (ʿatsav): This word can carry the sense of being pained or deeply distressed. Paired with “in spirit,” it describes inward anguish rather than a physical injury.
• “refused” — מָאַס (maʾas): This word can mean rejected or spurned. It gives the picture of a wife treated as unwanted by her husband.

Why Isaiah 54:6 matters

• The marriage image gives a personal shape to the people’s loss. “Forsaken” and “refused” describe rejection, while “grieved in spirit” gives voice to its emotional cost.
• The verse places the separation within a longer relationship. “A wife of youth” recalls an earlier bond, while the surrounding passage speaks of a time of abandonment followed by renewed compassion (verses 7–8).
• The call is presented as God’s own speech. The closing words, “saith thy God,” make the announcement a direct address to the people pictured as the abandoned wife.