Isaiah 1:29

29 "Your dalliances in those oak grove shrines will leave you looking mighty foolish, All that fooling around in god and goddess gardens that you thought was the latest thing.

Isaiah 1:29 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 1:29

For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have
desired
Though there is a change of persons in the words, the same are intended; and design such, who being convinced of the idolatries of the church of Rome they have been fond of, and delighted in, will be ashamed of them, and relinquish them, and come out of Babylon a little before the destruction of it; for under oaks, and such like green trees, idolatry used to be committed, to which the allusion is; see ( Jeremiah 2:20 ) ( 3:6 ) and so the Targum interprets it of "trees of idols"; that is, under which idolatry was practised: and ye shall be confounded for the gardens ye have chosen;
where also idolatrous practices were used, see ( Isaiah 65:3 ) ( 66:17 ) and so the Targum paraphrases it,

``and ye shall be ashamed of the gardens of idols, from whom ye have sought help.''

The sense is the same as before; unless both clauses should rather be understood of the destruction of sinners, before spoken of, who at that time will be filled with shame and confusion, they in vain praying to their idols for help; which sense the following words incline to.

Isaiah 1:29 In-Context

27 God's right ways will put Zion right again. God's right actions will restore her penitents.

28 But it's curtains for rebels and God-traitors, a dead end for those who walk out on God.

29 "Your dalliances in those oak grove shrines will leave you looking mighty foolish, All that fooling around in god and goddess gardens that you thought was the latest thing.

30 You'll end up like an oak tree with all its leaves falling off, Like an unwatered garden, withered and brown.

31 'The Big Man' will turn out to be dead bark and twigs, and his 'work,' the spark that starts the fire That exposes man and work both as nothing but cinders and smoke."