They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.

ISAIAH 65:23KJV
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Isaiah 65:23 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 65:23 mean?

Isaiah 65:23 promises that God’s people will not work for nothing or have children only to face disaster; instead, they and their descendants will be recognized as those blessed by the LORD. The verse describes a future where the efforts and families of God’s people are secure and fruitful, not wasted or marked by hardship.

The prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Israel, describing a time of restoration and blessing after suffering and exile. This verse is part of a larger promise that God will create new heavens and a new earth, where sorrow and futility are replaced by lasting joy and security for those who belong to Him.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 65:23

  • "labour" (יָגַע, yāgaʿ): This word means to toil or work hard, often with the sense of weariness. Here, it emphasizes that the people’s hard work will not be pointless or end in disappointment.
  • "vain" (רִיק, rîq): This word means emptiness or nothingness. The verse assures that the people’s efforts will not be empty or wasted.
  • "trouble" (בֶּהָלָה, behālāh): This word carries the idea of terror, calamity, or sudden trouble. The verse promises that children will not be born only to face disaster or misfortune.
  • "seed" (זֶרַע, zeraʿ): Often used for descendants or offspring, this word highlights the ongoing blessing for future generations, not just the current one.
  • "blessed" (בָּרוּךְ, bārûkh): This word means to be favored or endowed with God’s goodness. The verse stresses that the people and their offspring are marked by God’s favor.

Why Isaiah 65:23 matters

  • Isaiah 65:23 corrects the idea that God’s people are doomed to endless struggle or loss, showing instead that their work and families are under God’s care.
  • The verse highlights a key theme in Isaiah’s message: God’s blessing is not just for individuals but for their descendants, pointing to a lasting, generational hope.
  • In the context of the chapter, this verse helps paint a picture of the new creation God promises—a world where futility and disaster no longer define life for those who belong to Him.

Where else these words appear

“trouble” Hebrew H928 · used in 4 verses

  • Leviticus 26:16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
  • Psalms 78:33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
  • Jeremiah 15:8 Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city.

“offspring” Hebrew H6631 · used in 11 verses

  • Job 5:25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
  • Job 31:8 Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.
  • Isaiah 42:5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

“vain” Hebrew H7385 · used in 12 verses

  • Leviticus 26:16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
  • Psalms 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
  • Isaiah 49:4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.

“labour” Hebrew H3021 · used in 25 verses

  • Joshua 7:3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.
  • Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
  • Isaiah 49:4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.