Isaiah 59:2-13

2 But your 1iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does 2not hear.
3 For your 3hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken 4falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 5No one sues righteously and 6no one pleads honestly. They 7trust in confusion and speak lies; They 8conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.
5 They hatch adders' eggs and 9weave 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 10cover themselves with their works; Their 11works are works of iniquity, And an 12act of violence is in their hands.
7 13Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; 14Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways.
8 They do not know the 15way of peace, And there is 16no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, 17Whoever treads on them does not know peace.

A Confession of Wickedness

9 Therefore * 18justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us; We 19hope for light, but behold, darkness, For brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 We 20grope along the wall like blind men, We grope like those who have no eyes; We 21stumble at midday as in the twilight, Among those who are vigorous we are 22like dead men.
11 All of us growl like bears, And 23moan sadly like doves; We hope for 24justice, but there is none, For salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our 25transgressions are multiplied before You, And our 26sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And we know our iniquities:
13 Transgressing and 27denying the LORD, And turning away from our God, Speaking 28oppression and revolt, Conceiving in and 29uttering from the heart lying words.

Isaiah 59:2-13 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 29

  • 1. Isaiah 1:15; Isaiah 50:1
  • 2. Isaiah 58:4
  • 3. Isaiah 1:15, 21; Jeremiah 2:30, 34; Ezekiel 7:23; Hosea 4:2
  • 4. Isaiah 28:15; Isaiah 30:9; Isaiah 59:13
  • 5. Isaiah 5:7; Isaiah 59:14
  • 6. Isaiah 59:14, 15
  • 7. Isaiah 30:12; Jeremiah 7:4, 8
  • 8. Job 15:35; Psalms 7:14; Isaiah 33:11
  • 9. Job 8:14
  • 10. Isaiah 28:20
  • 11. Isaiah 57:12; Jeremiah 6:7
  • 12. Isaiah 58:4; Ezekiel 7:11
  • 13. Proverbs 1:16; Proverbs 6:17; Romans 3:15-17
  • 14. Isaiah 65:2; Isaiah 66:18; Mark 7:21, 22
  • 15. Luke 1:79
  • 16. Isaiah 59:9, 11; Hosea 4:1
  • 17. Isaiah 57:20, 21
  • 18. Isaiah 59:14
  • 19. Isaiah 5:30; Isaiah 8:21, 22
  • 20. Deuteronomy 28:29; Job 5:14
  • 21. Isaiah 8:14, 15; Isaiah 28:13
  • 22. Lamentations 3:6
  • 23. Isaiah 38:14; Ezekiel 7:16
  • 24. Isaiah 59:9, 14
  • 25. Ezra 9:6; Isaiah 58:1
  • 26. Isaiah 3:9; Jeremiah 14:7; Hosea 5:5
  • 27. Joshua 24:27; Proverbs 30:9; Matthew 10:33; Titus 1:16
  • 28. Isaiah 5:7; Isaiah 30:12; Jeremiah 9:3, 4
  • 29. Isaiah 59:3, 4; Mark 7:21, 22

Footnotes 6

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