Isaiah 65:12

12 and all ye shall fall by slaying; for that that I called, and ye answered not; I spake, and ye heard not; and ye did evil before mine eyes, and ye choosed those things which I would not. (and ye shall all be killed; because I called, and ye did not answer; I spoke, and ye did not listen; and ye did evil before my eyes, and ye chose those things, which I would not chose/which I did not desire.)

Isaiah 65:12 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 65:12

Therefore will I number you to the sword
There is an elegancy in the expression, alluding to Meni, that number, they furnished a drink offering for, or trusted in; and since they did, God would number them, or appoint a number of them to the sword; or suffer them to be slain in great numbers, even from one end of their land to another, ( Jeremiah 12:12 ) , they should be numbered and told out, or care taken that none of them should escape the sword of the Romans, or not be taken by them: and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter;
be obliged to submit to the conqueror, and lay down their necks to be sacrificed by him: because, when I called, ye did not answer; when I spoke, ye did not
hear;
when Christ called unto them personally, to come and hear him, they turned a deaf ear to this charmer, charming so wisely, and would not attend upon his ministry, ( Proverbs 1:24 ) ( Matthew 23:37 ) , and when he called to them in the ministry of his apostles, they rejected him and his word with contempt; they put it away from them, contradicting and blaspheming it, ( Acts 13:45 Acts 13:46 ) . The Targum is,

``because I sent my prophets, and ye turned not; they prophesied, and ye did not receive them:''

but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted
not;
adhered to the traditions of the elders, and taught for doctrines the commandments of men; and which they chose and preferred to the word of God, and the Gospel of Christ; and these were things the Lord delighted not in, yea, abhorred; and their embracing and cleaving to them were evil in his sight; see ( Matthew 15:3-9 ) .

Isaiah 65:12 In-Context

10 And the field places shall be into folds of flocks, and the valley of Achor into a resting place of droves of neat, to my people that sought me. (And Sharon shall be for folds of flocks, and the Valley of Achor for a place of rest for herds of wethers, or of rams, for my people who have sought me.)

11 And I shall number you in sword, that forsook the Lord, that forgot mine holy hill, which set a board to fortune, and make sacrifice thereon, (But with the sword I shall number your days, ye who desert the Lord, and forget my holy hill, who set a table for the god of fortune, and make sacrifice on it,)

12 and all ye shall fall by slaying; for that that I called, and ye answered not; I spake, and ye heard not; and ye did evil before mine eyes, and ye choosed those things which I would not. (and ye shall all be killed; because I called, and ye did not answer; I spoke, and ye did not listen; and ye did evil before my eyes, and ye chose those things, which I would not chose/which I did not desire.)

13 For these things, the Lord God saith these things, Lo! my servants shall eat, and ye shall have hunger; lo! my servants shall drink, and ye shall be thirsty; lo! my servants shall be glad, and ye shall be ashamed; (Because of this, the Lord God saith these things, Lo! my servants shall eat, but ye shall have hunger; lo! my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty; lo! my servants shall be happy, but ye shall be ashamed;)

14 lo! my servants shall praise, for the full joy of heart, and ye shall cry, for the sorrow of heart, and ye shall yell, for [the] desolation of spirit. (lo! my servants shall praise, because of the great joy in their hearts, but ye shall cry, because of the sorrow in your hearts, and ye shall yell, or shall wail, because of the desolation, or the anguish, in your spirits.)