What does Isaiah 49:15-16 mean?

Isaiah 49:15-16 (KJV) reads: "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." It sits in Isaiah chapter 49, a piece of prophetic vision of judgement and Messianic hope from the Old Testament, and is most often read as a verse about adoption. The meaning sharpens when you read the verses immediately around it and notice how Isaiah as a whole is arguing its case.

What is the context of Isaiah 49:15-16 in Isaiah?

Isaiah 49:15-16 belongs to Isaiah 49, which fits inside Isaiah's wider message as prophetic vision of judgement and Messianic hope. Before applying the verse, read at least the paragraph it appears in so you can see who is speaking, who is being addressed, and what situation prompted the words.

Is Isaiah 49:15-16 from the Old or New Testament?

Isaiah 49:15-16 is from the Old Testament — specifically the book of Isaiah, chapter 49. That matters because Old Testament verses are usually addressed first to ancient Israel under the Mosaic covenant, and Christians read them through the lens of Christ's fulfilment.

What translation of Isaiah 49:15-16 is used here?

Every verse on Bible Sundays is quoted from the King James Version (KJV), the public-domain English translation first published in 1611. We use the KJV consistently so the wording you memorise on one page matches the wording on every other page of the site.

How can I memorise Isaiah 49:15-16?

Read Isaiah 49:15-16 aloud three times, write it out by hand once, then try to recite it from memory. Repeat morning and evening for a week. Pair it with the theme of adoption so your mind has a natural retrieval cue. Reviewing on day 1, day 3, day 7 and day 30 locks it in for the long term.

How should I apply Isaiah 49:15-16 today?

Identify one specific situation in the next 24 hours — a conversation, a decision, a fear, a temptation around adoption — where Isaiah 49:15-16 should change your response. Pray the verse back to God for that situation, then act on it. Application is what turns reading into obedience.

Adoption Card Verse

Isaiah 49:15-16 for Adoption Cards

A free, printable, share-ready KJV card verse. Pick a theme, download as a high-resolution image, or copy the text for handwritten cards.

For Adoption

“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”

Isaiah 49:15-16

King James Versionbiblesundays.com

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Why Isaiah 49:15-16 works for adoption cards

A powerful promise for adopted children — they are engraved on God's hands, never forgotten.

"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands."

Read Isaiah 49 (KJV) →

How to use this adoption card

Pick a theme above that matches the recipient's taste — botanical for weddings and showers, midnight for solemn occasions, kraft for rustic.
Download the PNG at 1200×1500 — Pinterest-optimized and high enough resolution for printing on standard 5×7 cardstock.
Send digitally via text, email, or social, or print and pair with a handwritten note inside.
Reference the chapter — readers often want to look up the surrounding context. Tap the link above to read Isaiah 49 in the KJV.

More Adoption card verses

Ephesians 1:5

"Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will."

Romans 8:15

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

Galatians 4:5

"To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

Psalm 68:6

"God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains into prosperity."

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

Psalm 27:10

"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up."

James 1:27

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction."

1 John 3:1

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God."

See all 14 adoption card verses →