Isaiah 47:7
“And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Babylon's pride lies in thinking power will endure forever, refusing to contemplate its end.
Context
The oracle reveals Babylon's mental state: she believes in her own permanence. The phrase 'lay to heart' means to consider seriously, to internalize. Babylon refuses to do the math on her own mortality.
What Does Isaiah 47:7 Mean?
Babylon has committed herself to a lie: that her power will endure forever. She repeats it because doubt has crept in. She will not lay these things to her heart: the memory of other empires that have fallen, the logic that all human power is temporary, the small voice that whispers of endings. To remember the latter end is to be honest about mortality. Babylon will not afford herself that honesty.
We know this voice. It is our own when we say: 'My career will always be stable.' 'My family will never break.' 'I will never grow old or lose what I love.' These are forms of prayer, but they are prayers spoken to the false god of permanence. Jesus invites us to remember the latter end not in despair but in freedom. Because this world is not forever, we are freed to invest in what is eternal.
In the Original Language
acharon (אחרון), 'latter end' - what comes at the end, the final outcome; often used of judgment day.
Application
A sober acknowledgment of life's impermanence is not depressing but liberating. It teaches us where to invest our hopes.