Isaiah 51:19

These two things (ch. Isaiah 47:9), i.e. two kinds of calamities; namely, devastation and destruction on land and city; famine and sword on the inhabitants.

who shall be sorry for thee Better who condoles with thee (Jeremiah 15:5; Nahum 3:7), i.e. "thou hast no sympathizers." To "condole" is in Hebr. to shake the head (cf. Jeremiah 16:5; Job 2:11; Job 42:11 &c.), a similar gesture, expressed by a different verb, denotes contempt (see on ch. Isaiah 37:22).

by whom shall I comfort thee? Rather: how (lit. who) shall I comfort thee? The idiom cannot be reproduced exactly; see Amos 7:2; Amos 7:5 and comp. Davidson's Synt.§ 8 R. 1 (where it is suggested that the peculiar use of the pronoun may be provincial or colloquial). The Ancient Versions, however, read the third person, which is far easier; "who comforts thee?"