Isaiah 59:1-11

Separation from God

1 Behold, 1the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; 2Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.
2 But your 3iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does 4not hear.
3 For your 5hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken 6falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 7No one sues righteously and 8no one pleads honestly. They 9trust in confusion and speak lies; They 10conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.
5 They hatch adders' eggs and 11weave the spider's web; He who eats of their eggs dies, And from that which is crushed a snake breaks forth.
6 Their webs will not become clothing, Nor will they 12cover themselves with their works; Their 13works are works of iniquity, And an 14act of violence is in their hands.
7 15Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; 16Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways.
8 They do not know the 17way of peace, And there is 18no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, 19Whoever treads on them does not know peace.

A Confession of Wickedness

9 Therefore * 20justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us; We 21hope for light, but behold, darkness, For brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 We 22grope along the wall like blind men, We grope like those who have no eyes; We 23stumble at midday as in the twilight, Among those who are vigorous we are 24like dead men.
11 All of us growl like bears, And 25moan sadly like doves; We hope for 26justice, but there is none, For salvation, but it is far from us.

Isaiah 59:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 59

As the former chapter declares the hypocrisy and formality of professors of religion; this expresses the errors and heresies, immorality and profaneness, which shall prevail before the spiritual reign of Christ, or the latter day glory begins; which is so fully described in the next chapter. Reasons are given of God's withdrawing his presence from a professing people, which were not want of power and readiness in him, but their own sins and transgressions, Isa 59:1,2 which are enumerated, such as murder, rapine, lies Isa 59:3-8 for which the judgments of God were upon them, darkness, distress, and misery, of which they were sensible, Isa 59:9-11 and confess their sins and transgressions, Isa 59:12,13 and lament their wretched state and condition, which was displeasing to God, Isa 59:14,15 who is represented as appearing for their salvation; moved to it by their want of help, and the oppression of their enemies, in which he shows his power, justice, zeal, grace, and goodness, Isa 59:16-18 the consequence of which shall be the conversion and salvation of many, owing to the efficacy of the divine Spirit, and to the spiritual coming of the Redeemer, Isa 59:19,20, and the chapter is closed with a promise of the continuance of the Spirit of God, and the Gospel of Christ in his church, unto the end of the world, Isa 59:21.

Cross References 26

  • 1. Numbers 11:23; Isaiah 50:2; Jeremiah 32:17
  • 2. Isaiah 58:9; Isaiah 65:24; Ezekiel 8:18
  • 3. Isaiah 1:15; Isaiah 50:1
  • 4. Isaiah 58:4
  • 5. Isaiah 1:15, 21; Jeremiah 2:30, 34; Ezekiel 7:23; Hosea 4:2
  • 6. Isaiah 28:15; Isaiah 30:9; Isaiah 59:13
  • 7. Isaiah 5:7; Isaiah 59:14
  • 8. Isaiah 59:14, 15
  • 9. Isaiah 30:12; Jeremiah 7:4, 8
  • 10. Job 15:35; Psalms 7:14; Isaiah 33:11
  • 11. Job 8:14
  • 12. Isaiah 28:20
  • 13. Isaiah 57:12; Jeremiah 6:7
  • 14. Isaiah 58:4; Ezekiel 7:11
  • 15. Proverbs 1:16; Proverbs 6:17; Romans 3:15-17
  • 16. Isaiah 65:2; Isaiah 66:18; Mark 7:21, 22
  • 17. Luke 1:79
  • 18. Isaiah 59:9, 11; Hosea 4:1
  • 19. Isaiah 57:20, 21
  • 20. Isaiah 59:14
  • 21. Isaiah 5:30; Isaiah 8:21, 22
  • 22. Deuteronomy 28:29; Job 5:14
  • 23. Isaiah 8:14, 15; Isaiah 28:13
  • 24. Lamentations 3:6
  • 25. Isaiah 38:14; Ezekiel 7:16
  • 26. Isaiah 59:9, 14

Footnotes 4

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.