Isaiah 33:15

15 The one who lives righteously and speaks rightly, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots^[a] and shuts his eyes to avoid endorsing evil^[b]-

Isaiah 33:15 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 33:15

He that walketh righteously
These are the words of the prophet, in answer to those of the hypocrites. So the Targum,

``the prophet said, the righteous shall dwell in it;''

not in the devouring fire and everlasting burnings, but in Zion, in Jerusalem, on high, in the munition of rocks, safe from those burnings; for these words are to be connected not with the preceding, but with the following verse ( Isaiah 33:16 ) , "thus, he that walketh righteously" "he shall dwell on high"; and such an one is he that walks by faith on Christ as his righteousness; that walks after the Spirit, and not after the flesh; that walks uprightly, according to the rule of the Gospel, and as becomes it; that walks in the ways of judgment and righteousness, in which Christ leads his people, and lives soberly, righteously, and godly: and speaketh uprightly;
or "uprightnesses" ^F2; upright things, what is in his heart, what is agreeable to the word of God, the standard of truth; who makes mention continually of the righteousness of Christ, and that only as his justifying one: and whose tongue talks of judgment, just and righteous things, and not what is corrupt, profane, impure, and impious: he that despiseth the gain of oppressions;
that which is got by oppression and rapine; the mammon of iniquity, as the Targum calls it; but reckons the gain of wisdom, and of godliness, exceeding preferable to it: that shaketh his hand from holding of bribes;
that will not receive any, but when they are put into his hands shakes them out, and will not retain them; expressing his abhorrence of such practices, and declaring that he is not to be influenced by such methods from speaking truth, and doing justice: that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood;
or "bloods" ^F3; from hearing those that shed innocent blood, as the Targum; who will not hearken to any solicitations to shed blood; will not converse with men about it, or enter into schemes in order to it, much less join them in shedding it: and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
done by others; he abhors it in himself, and dislikes it in others; turns his eyes from beholding it, so far from taking pleasure in it, and in those that do it: all this is opposed to the hypocrisy, impiety, profaneness, rapine, bribery, murders, and wickedness of the church of Rome; see ( Revelation 9:21 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 (Myrvym rbd) "qui loquitur recta", Piscator; "loquens recta", Cocceius; "loquens aequitates", Montanus.
F3 (Mymd emvm) "ab audiendo sanquines", Montanus; "ne audiat sanquines", Cocceius.

Isaiah 33:15 In-Context

13 You who are far off, hear what I have done; you who are near, know My strength."

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling seizes the ungodly: "Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with ever-burning flames?"

15 The one who lives righteously and speaks rightly, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots and shuts his eyes to avoid endorsing evil-

16 he will dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the rocky fortresses, his food provided, his water assured.

17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty; you will see a vast land.

Footnotes

• [a] Lit to bloods
• [b] Lit eyes from seeing evil