Isaiah 59:1-6

Separation from God

1 Behold, ¹the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; ²Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.

2 But your ³iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does ⁴not hear.

3 For your ⁵hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken ⁶falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness.

4 ⁷No one sues righteously and ⁸no one pleads honestly. They ⁹trust in confusion and speak lies; They ¹⁰conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.

5 They hatch adders' eggs and ¹¹weave 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 ¹²cover themselves with their works; Their ¹³works are works of iniquity, And an ¹⁴act of violence is in their hands.

Isaiah 59:1-6 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

• 1. Numbers 11:23; Isaiah 50:2; Jeremiah 32:17
• 2. Isaiah 58:9; Isaiah 65:24; Ezekiel 8:18
• 3. Isaiah 1:15; Isaiah 50:1
• 4. Isaiah 58:4
• 5. Isaiah 1:15, 21; Jeremiah 2:30, 34; Ezekiel 7:23; Hosea 4:2
• 6. Isaiah 28:15; Isaiah 30:9; Isaiah 59:13
• 7. Isaiah 5:7; Isaiah 59:14
• 8. Isaiah 59:14, 15
• 9. Isaiah 30:12; Jeremiah 7:4, 8
• 10. Job 15:35; Psalms 7:14; Isaiah 33:11
• 11. Job 8:14
• 12. Isaiah 28:20
• 13. Isaiah 57:12; Jeremiah 6:7
• 14. Isaiah 58:4; Ezekiel 7:11

Footnotes

• [a] So versions; M.T. "faces"
• [b] Lit "in truth"
• [c] Lit "palms"