Isaiah 5:20-30

20 Woe to you that say evil good, and good evil; and put darknesses light, and light darknesses; and put bitter thing into sweet, and sweet thing into bitter. (Woe to you who say that evil is good, and that good is evil; and turn darkness into light, and light into darkness; and make a bitter thing sweet, and a sweet thing bitter.)

21 Woe to you that be wise men in your eyes, and be prudent before yourselves. (Woe to you who be wise in your own eyes, and think yourselves to be prudent.)

22 Woe to you that be mighty to drink wine, and be strong to meddle drunkenness; (Woe to you who be mighty to drink wine, and be strong to mix up drunkenness;)

23 and ye justify a wicked man for gifts, and ye take away the rightfulness of a just man from him. (and ye acquit the wicked for gifts, or for bribes, and ye deny justice for the righteous.)

24 For this thing, as the tongue of fire devoureth stubble, and the heat of flame burneth, so the root of them shall be as a dead spark, and the seed of them shall ascend as dust; for they casted away the law of the Lord of hosts, and blasphemed the speech of the Holy of Israel (for they threw away the Law of the Lord of hosts, and blasphemed the word of the Holy One of Israel).

25 Therefore the strong vengeance of the Lord was wroth against his people, and he stretched forth his hand on it, and smote it (and he stretched forth his hand against them, and struck them down); and (the) hills were troubled, and the dead bodies of them were made as a turd in the midst of streets. In all these things the strong vengeance of him was not turned away, but yet his hand was stretched forth.

26 And he shall raise [up] a sign among nations afar, and he shall hiss to him from the ends of [the] earth; and lo! he shall hasten, and shall come swiftly. (And he shall raise up a sign among the nations far away, and he shall whistle for them to come from the ends of the earth; and lo! they shall make haste, and shall swiftly come.)

27 None is failing neither travailing in that host; he shall not nap, neither sleep, neither the girdle of his reins shall be undone, neither the lace of his shoe shall be broken. (No one is failing, or stumbling, in that army; no one is napping, or sleeping, nor is the girdle of his loins undone, nor is his shoe lace broken.)

28 His arrows be sharp, and all his bows be bent; the hoofs of his horses be as flint, and his wheels be as the fierceness of tempest. (Their arrows be sharp, and all their bows be bent; the hooves of their horses be like flint, and their wheels be like the fierceness of a tempest.)

29 His roaring shall be as of a lion; he shall roar as the whelps of lions; and he shall gnash, and shall hold prey, and shall embrace, and none shall be, that shall deliver. (Their roaring is like that of a lion; yea, they shall roar like the whelps of lions; and they shall gnash, and shall take hold of their prey, and shall not let it go, and there shall be no one who can rescue, or who can take, it from them.)

30 And he shall sound on it in that day, as doeth the sound of the sea; we shall behold into the earth, and lo! darknesses of tribulation, and light is made dark in the darkness thereof. (And they shall sound against it on that day, like the sound of the sea; and we shall behold the earth, and lo! the darkness of tribulation, yea, even the light is made dark in its darkness.)

Isaiah 5:20-30 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 5

In this chapter, under the parable of a vineyard and its ruins, the Jews and their destruction are represented; the reasons of which are given, their manifold sins and transgressions, particularly enumerated, with the punishment threatened to them, and which is delivered in form of a song. The vineyard is described by the owner of it, a well beloved one; by the situation of it, in a fruitful hill; by the fence about it, and care and culture of it; and by its not answering the expectation of the owner, it bringing forth wild grapes instead of good ones, Isa 5:1,2 wherefore the men of Judah and Jerusalem are made judges between the owner and his vineyard, what more could have been done to it, or rather what was now to be done to it, since this was the case; and the result is, that it should be utterly laid waste, and come to ruin; and the whole is applied to the house of Israel, and men of Judah, Isa 5:3-7 whose sins, as the cause of their ruin, are mentioned in the following verses; their covetousness, with the punishment of it, Isa 5:8-10 their intemperance, luxury, and love of pleasure, with the punishment threatened thereunto, Isa 5:11-14 whereby haughty men should be humbled, the Lord be glorified, and at the same time his weak and innocent people would be taken care of, Isa 5:15-17 next, other sins are taken notice of, and woes pronounced on account of them, as, an impudent course of sinning, insolent impiety against God, confusion of good and evil, conceit of their own wisdom, drunkenness, and perversion of justice, Isa 5:18-23 wherefore for these things, and for their contempt and rejection of the law and word of the Lord, utter destruction is threatened them, Isa 5:24 yea, the anger of God had been already kindled against them, and they had felt it in some instances, Isa 5:25 but they are given to expect severer judgments, by means of foreign nations, that should be gathered against them; who are described by their swiftness, strength, and vigilance; by their armour, horses, and carriages; and by their terror and cruelty; the consequence of which would be utter darkness, distress, and calamities, in the land of Judea, Isa 5:26-30.