Isaiah 5:12

12 And harp and lyre, tambour and flute, and wine are in their banquets; but they regard not the work of Jehovah, nor do they see the operation of his hands.

Isaiah 5:12 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 5:12

And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe
Instruments of music; some struck with a bow or quill, or touched with the fingers; and others blown with the mouth: and wine are in their feasts;
so that they lived jovially and merrily, like sons of Bacchus, more than like the people of God: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the
operation of his hands;
meaning not the law, as the Targum and Kimchi, which was the work of the Lord, and the writing of his hands; rather, as Aben Ezra, the punishment inflicted on the ten tribes being carried into captivity; or else the works of creation and providence, and the daily mercies of life; or, best of all, the great work of redemption by Christ, and the conversion of sinners, both among Jews and Gentiles, by the preaching of his Gospel; for this refers to the Jews in the times of Christ and his apostles, which immediately preceded their utter destruction; and those sins here mentioned were the cause of it. See ( Psalms 28:5 ) .

Isaiah 5:12 In-Context

10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield an ephah.
11 Woe unto them that, rising early in the morning, run after strong drink; that linger till twilight, [till] wine inflameth them!
12 And harp and lyre, tambour and flute, and wine are in their banquets; but they regard not the work of Jehovah, nor do they see the operation of his hands.
13 Therefore my people are led away captive from lack of knowledge, and their nobility die of famine, and their multitude are parched with thirst.
14 Therefore doth Sheol enlarge its desire, and open its mouth without measure; and her splendour shall descend [into it], and her multitude, and her tumult, and [all] that is joyful within her.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Or 'lute.'
  • [b]. Poal, as chs. 1.31; 45.9, 'a thing done.'
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.