For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

ISAIAH 61:7KJV
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Isaiah 61:7 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 61:7 mean?

Isaiah 61:7 promises that those who have suffered shame and confusion will receive a double portion of blessing and joy instead. The verse says that, in their own land, these people will possess twice as much as before and experience everlasting joy.

The prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Israel, who have endured disgrace and hardship, likely because of exile and oppression. Isaiah assures them that God will not only restore what was lost but will give them even more, turning their humiliation into lasting celebration and abundance.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 61:7

  • "shame" (בֹּשֶׁת, boshet): This word points to deep humiliation or disgrace, not just embarrassment. The verse promises that this deep shame will be replaced.
  • "double" (מִשְׁנֶה, mishneh): This means "double" or "twice as much." The idea is not just restoration, but an abundant, overflowing compensation.
  • "confusion" (כְּלִמָּה, kelimmah): This word refers to dishonor or insult, adding to the sense of public disgrace Israel experienced.
  • "portion" (חֵלֶק, cheleq): This means a share or inheritance, highlighting that the blessings are not random but a rightful possession in their land.
  • "everlasting" (עוֹלָם, olam): This word means "forever" or "perpetual," emphasizing that the joy promised is not temporary but enduring.

Why Isaiah 61:7 matters

  • Isaiah 61:7 clarifies that God's restoration is generous and goes beyond mere repair; it is abundant and overflowing, not just a return to the status quo.
  • The verse highlights a reversal of fortunes: shame and confusion are not the end, but are replaced by joy and honor, which would have been especially meaningful to people who had lost everything.
  • This promise ties into the larger theme of Isaiah 61, where God’s servant brings good news, healing, and freedom, showing that God’s ultimate plan is one of hope and renewal for His people.

Where else these words appear

“shame” Hebrew H1322 · used in 29 verses

  • 1 Samuel 20:30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
  • Psalms 109:29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
  • Jeremiah 7:19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?

“confusion” Hebrew H3639 · used in 29 verses

  • Job 20:3 I have heard the check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.
  • Isaiah 30:3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.
  • Ezekiel 32:24 There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.

“double” Hebrew H4932 · used in 34 verses

  • Genesis 41:43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
  • 1 Samuel 23:17 And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.
  • 2 Chronicles 35:24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

“rejoice” Hebrew H7442 · used in 52 verses

  • Leviticus 9:24 And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.
  • Psalms 81:1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
  • Isaiah 16:10 And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.