Isaiah 26:3 KJV
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.King James Version
The same verse in modern English
You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts in you.Isaiah 26:3, World English Bible (WEB)
KJV and WEB compared
The KJV says “Thou wilt keep him” and then describes him: the one “whose mind is stayed on thee.” The WEB folds it into one phrase, “whoever’s mind is steadfast,” making plain that anyone at all is meant. The Hebrew has no separate words for on thee; the KJV supplies them, while the WEB lets the closing words, “because he trusts in you,” say where the mind rests. Both keep “perfect peace” as one phrase.
Sitting with this verse
This verse belongs to a song Judah is to sing “in that day,” celebrating a city whose walls are salvation. In Hebrew, “perfect peace” is simply the word shalom said twice: peace, peace. The KJV’s “stayed” means propped or leaning, a mind resting its weight on God the way a beam leans on a wall. Where is your mind leaning right now? Shift a little of its weight onto him.
Older words in this verse
- thee, thou
- you (one person)
- shalt, wilt
- shall, will
- -eth (trusteth)
- the old way of writing -s: maketh means makes, leadeth means leads
From Isaiah 26
A mind steadied on God is kept in deep peace. Tonight, let your longing for him be your prayer, and rest your thoughts on the everlasting Rock.
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