Isaiah 59:7

7 1Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; 2Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways.

Isaiah 59:7 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 59:7

Their feet run to evil
Make haste to commit all manner of sin, and particularly that which follows, with great eagerness and swiftness, taking delight and pleasure therein, and continuing in it; it is their course of life. The words seem to be taken out of ( Proverbs 1:16 ) and are quoted with the following by the Apostle Paul, ( Romans 3:15-17 ) to prove the general corruption of mankind: and they make haste to shed innocent blood:
in wars abroad or at home, in quarrels and riots, or through the heat of persecution; which if it does not directly touch men's lives, yet issues in the death of many that fall under the power of it; and which persecutors are very eager and hasty in the prosecution of. The phrase fitly describes their temper and conduct: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity:
their thoughts are continually devising things vain and sinful in themselves, unprofitable to them, and pernicious to others: their thoughts, words, and actions being evil; their tongue, lips, hands, and feet being employed in sin, show their general depravity: wasting and destruction are in their paths:
they waste and destroy all they meet with in their ways, their fellow creatures and their substance; and the ways they walk in lead to ruin and destruction, which will be their portion for evermore.

Isaiah 59:7 In-Context

5 They hatch adders' eggs and weave 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 cover themselves with their works; Their works are works of iniquity, And an act of violence is in their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways.
8 They do not know the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, Whoever treads on them does not know peace.
9 Therefore justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us; We hope for light, but behold, darkness, For brightness, but we walk in gloom.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Proverbs 1:16; Proverbs 6:17; Romans 3:15-17
  • 2. Isaiah 65:2; Isaiah 66:18; Mark 7:21, 22
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