Isaiah 57:1-9

1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from before the evil.

2 He entereth into peace: they rest in their beds, [each one] that hath walked in his uprightness.

3 But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot.

4 Against whom do ye sport yourselves? Against whom do ye make a wide mouth, [and] draw out the tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood,

5 inflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks?

6 Among the smooth [stones] of the torrent is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured out a drink-offering, thou hast offered an oblation. Shall I be comforted myself as to these things?

7 Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither didst thou go up to offer sacrifice.

8 Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for apart from me, thou hast uncovered thyself, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and hast made agreement with them; thou lovedst their bed, thou sawest their nakedness.

9 And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst multiply thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers afar off, and didst debase thyself unto Sheol.

Isaiah 57:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 57

This chapter contains complaints of the stupidity and idolatry of the people, described in the latter part of the preceding chapter; and some promises of grace to the people of God. The stupidity of the former is observed, Isa 57:1 they not taking notice of the death of good men, nor of impending calamities they were taken from, whose happiness is described, Isa 57:2, then these idolatrous people are summoned before the Lord, Isa 57:3 and are charged with deriding the saints with idolatry and murder, Isa 57:4-6 and their idolatry is represented under the notion of adultery, attended with very aggravating circumstances, Isa 57:7-9 and yet these people still entertained presumptuous hopes of happiness, and boasted of, and trusted in, their righteousness and good works, which would be exposed, and be of no advantage to them, Isa 57:10-12, next follow promises of grace to the saints, that such that trusted in Christ should inherit the holy mountain, Isa 57:13 that the stumblingblock of his people should be removed, Isa 57:14, that he should dwell with the humble and contrite, Isa 57:15, and not be always wroth and contend with them, for a reason given, Isa 57:16 and that though he had smote them, and hid his face from them because of their sins, yet would heal them, lead them, and comfort them, and speak peace unto them, Isa 57:17-19 and the chapter is concluded with the character of the wicked, and an assurance that there is no peace for them, Isa 57:20,21.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or 'godly,' chesed.
• [b]. Or 'gathered in:' see Jer. 8.2.
• [c]. Or 'torrents.'
• [d]. Or 'in the smooth places.'
• [e]. For the sense, see Jer. 3.9; Ezek. 20.32.