Isaiah 1:5

5 Why should you continue to be punished? Why do you continue to turn against him? Your whole head is hurt, and your whole heart is sick.

Isaiah 1:5 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 1:5

Why should ye be stricken any more?
&c.] Or "for what are ye stricken again" ^F1? with afflictions and chastisements, with which God smites his people by way of correction for their sins, ( Isaiah 57:17 ) ( Hosea 6:1 ) and the sense is, either that they did not consider what they were afflicted for, that it was for their sins and transgressions; they thought they came by chance, or imputed them to second causes, and so went on in sin, and added sin to sin; to which sense the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, incline: or the meaning is, that the chastisements that were laid upon them were to no purpose; had produced no good effect, were of no avail, and unprofitable to them; and which is mentioned as an aggravation of their sins, obstinacy, and impenitence; see ( Jeremiah 5:3 ) . Ye will revolt more and more,
or "add defection" ^F2; go on in sin, and apostatize more and more, and grow more obdurate and resolute in it; unless afflictions are sanctified, men become more hardened by them: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint;
which may be understood either of their chastisements, which were universal, and had reached all sorts and ranks of men among them, without any reformation, and therefore it was in vain to use more; or of their sins and transgressions which abounded among them, even among the principal of them; their civil rulers and governors, meant by the "head"; and the priests, who should feed the people with knowledge and understanding, designed by the "heart"; but both were corrupted, and in a bad condition.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (wkt hm le) "super quo", V. L. "ad quid", Ar.
F2 (hro wpyowt) "addentes prevaricationem", Sept. V. L.

Isaiah 1:5 In-Context

3 An ox knows its master, and a donkey knows where its owner feeds it, but the people of Israel do not know me; my people do not understand."

4 How terrible! Israel is a nation of sin, a people loaded down with guilt, a group of children doing evil, children who are full of evil. They have left the Lord; they hate God, the Holy One of Israel, and have turned away from him as if he were a stranger.

5 Why should you continue to be punished? Why do you continue to turn against him? Your whole head is hurt, and your whole heart is sick.

6 There is no healthy spot from the bottom of your foot to the top of your head; you are covered with wounds, hurts, and open sores that are not cleaned and covered, and no medicine takes away the pain.

7 Your land is ruined; your cities have been burned with fire. While you watch, your enemies are stealing everything from your land; it is ruined like a country destroyed by enemies.