Yeshayah 59:8

8 Of the Derech Shalom they have no da’as; and there is no mishpat (justice) in their circuits; they have made themselves crooked roads; whosoever walketh thereon shall not know shalom.

Yeshayah 59:8 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 59:8

The way of peace they know not
Neither the way of peace with God, supposing it is to be made by man, and not by Christ; and are ignorant of the steps and methods taken to procure it; nor do they know the way of peace of conscience, or how to attain to that which is true and solid; nor the way to eternal peace and happiness, which is alone by Christ, and the Gospel of peace reveals, to which they are strangers; nor the way of peace among men, which they are unconcerned about, and do not seek after, make use of no methods to promote, secure, and establish it; but all the reverse: and there is no judgment in their goings;
no justice in their actions, in their dealings with men; no judgment in their religious duties, which are done without any regard to the divine rule, or without being able to give a reason for them; they have no judgment in matters of doctrine or worship; they have no discerning of true and false doctrines, and between that which is spiritual and superstitious in worship; they have no knowledge of the word of God, which should be their guide both in faith and practice; but this they do not attend unto: they have made them crooked paths:
they have devised paths and modes of worship of their own, in which they walk, and which they observe, that are not according to the rule of the word; but deviate from it; and so may be said to be crooked, as not agreeable to that: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace;
the way of peace with God, as before; or he shall not have any experience of true, solid, and substantial peace in his own conscience now, and shall not attain to eternal peace hereafter.

Yeshayah 59:8 In-Context

6 Their webs shall not become beged (garments), neither shall they cover themselves with their ma’asim; their ma’asim are ma’asei aven (works of wickedness), and the po’al chamas (act of violence) is in their hands.
7 Their raglayim (feet) run to rah, and they make haste for shefach dahm naki (blood shed of the innocent); their machsh’vot (thoughts) are machsh’vot of aven (wickedness); shod (desolation) and shever (destruction) are on their highways.
8 Of the Derech Shalom they have no da’as; and there is no mishpat (justice) in their circuits; they have made themselves crooked roads; whosoever walketh thereon shall not know shalom.
9 Therefore is mishpat (justice) far from us, neither doth tzedakah overtake us; we wait for ohr, but, hinei, choshech; for negohot (brightness), but we walk in gloom.
10 We grope by the wall like the ivrim (blind), and we grope as if we had no einayim (eyes); we stumble at tzohorayim (noon) as in twilight; we are in full vigor and stout, yet we are as mesim (dead ones).
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.