Isaia 1:16

16 Lavatevi, nettatevi, rimovete la malvagità delle opere vostre d’innanzi agli occhi miei.

Isaia 1:16 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 1:16

Wash ye, make you clean, &c.
] These two words are to be regarded as one, since they intend the same thing, and suppose the persons spoken to to be unclean, as they were, notwithstanding their legal sacrifices and ceremonial ablutions; and are designed to convince them of it, to bring them to a sense of their inability to cleanse themselves, to lead them to inquire after the proper means of it, and so to the fountain of Christ's blood to wash in, which only cleanses from it: put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes;
the exhortation is not barely to put away their doings, but the evil of them, and that not from themselves, but from before the eyes of God, from the eyes of his vindictive justice, which is only done by the sacrifice of Christ; and the use of this exhortation is to show the necessity of putting away sin to salvation, and the insufficiency of the blood of bulls and goats to do it, since, notwithstanding these, it remains untaken away; and to direct to the sacrifice of Christ, which effectually does it. Cease to do evil;
either from ceremonial works done with a wicked mind, or from outward immoralities, such as shedding innocent blood, oppressing the fatherless and widow, things mentioned in the context; it denotes a cessation from a series and course of sinning, otherwise there is no ceasing from sin in this life.

Isaia 1:16 In-Context

14 L’anima mio odia le vostre calendi, e le vostre solennità; mi son di gravezza; io sono stanco di portarle.

15 Perciò, quando voi spiegherete le palme delle mani, io nasconderò gli occhi miei da voi; eziandio, quando moltiplicherete le orazioni, io non le esaudirò; le vostre mani son piene di sangue.

16 Lavatevi, nettatevi, rimovete la malvagità delle opere vostre d’innanzi agli occhi miei.

17 Restate di far male; imparate a far bene; cercate la dirittura, ridirizzate l’oppressato, fate ragione all’orfano, mantenete il diritto della vedova.

18 Venite pur ora, dice il Signore, e litighiamo insieme. Quando i vostri peccati fossero come lo scarlatto, saranno imbiancati come la neve; quando fosser rossi come la grana, diventeranno come la lana.