Focused Passage

Isaiah 1:1-9

The LORD’s Covenant Lawsuit Against a Rebellious People

The chapter moves from covenant indictment, to exposed corruption, to rejected worship, to gracious summons, to warning, to Zion’s promised purification and the destruction of rebels.

Berean Standard Bible, Public Domain - Translation notes - Reference sources

1 This is the vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me.

3 The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.”

4 Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

5 Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted.

6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil.

7 Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your fields before you—a desolation demolished by strangers.

8 And the Daughter of Zion is abandoned like a shelter in a vineyard, like a shack in a cucumber field, like a city besieged.

9 Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 1

Original words

[This is] the vision חֲזוֹן֙ H2377 Noun - masculine singular construct concerning עַל־ H5921 Preposition Judah יְהוּדָ֖ה H3063 Noun - proper - masculine singular and Jerusalem וִירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם H3389 Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - feminine singular that אֲשֶׁ֣ר H834 Pronoun - relative Isaiah יְשַֽׁעְיָ֣הוּ H3470 Noun - proper - masculine singular son בֶן־ H1121 Noun - masculine singular construct of Amoz אָמ֔וֹץ H531 Noun - proper - masculine singular saw חָזָ֔ה H2372 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular during the reigns בִּימֵ֨י H3117 Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct of Uzziah עֻזִּיָּ֧הוּ H5818 Noun - proper - masculine singular Jotham יוֹתָ֛ם H3147 Noun - proper - masculine singular Ahaz אָחָ֥ז H271 Noun - proper - masculine singular and Hezekiah יְחִזְקִיָּ֖הוּ H2396 Noun - proper - masculine singular kings מַלְכֵ֥י H4428 Noun - masculine plural construct of Judah יְהוּדָֽה׃ H3063 Noun - proper - masculine singular
Verse 2

Original words

Listen שִׁמְע֤וּ H8085 Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural O heavens שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ H8064 Noun - masculine plural and give ear וְהַאֲזִ֣ינִי H238 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Imperative - feminine singular O earth אֶ֔רֶץ H776 Noun - feminine singular for כִּ֥י H3588 Conjunction the LORD יְהוָ֖ה H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular has spoken דִּבֵּ֑ר H1696 Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular I have raised גִּדַּ֣לְתִּי H1431 Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common singular children בָּנִים֙ H1121 Noun - masculine plural and brought them up וְרוֹמַ֔מְתִּי H7311 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular but they וְהֵ֖ם H1992 Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine plural have rebelled פָּ֥שְׁעוּ H6586 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural against Me בִֽי׃ Preposition | first person common singular
Verse 3

Original words

The ox שׁוֹר֙ H7794 Noun - masculine singular knows יָדַ֥ע H3045 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular its owner קֹנֵ֔הוּ H7069 Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular and the donkey וַחֲמ֖וֹר H2543 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular its master’s בְּעָלָ֑יו H1167 Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular manger אֵב֣וּס H18 Noun - masculine singular construct but Israel יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ H3478 Noun - proper - masculine singular does not לֹ֣א H3808 Adverb - Negative particle know יָדַ֔ע H3045 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular My people עַמִּ֖י H5971 Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular do not לֹ֥א H3808 Adverb - Negative particle understand הִתְבּוֹנָֽן׃ H995 Verb - Hitpael - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Verse 4

Original words

Alas ה֣וֹי׀ H1945 Interjection O sinful חֹטֵ֗א H2398 Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular nation גּ֣וֹי H1471 Noun - masculine singular a people עַ֚ם H5971 Noun - masculine singular laden כֶּ֣בֶד H3515 Adjective - masculine singular construct with iniquity עָוֺ֔ן H5771 Noun - common singular a brood זֶ֣רַע H2233 Noun - masculine singular of evildoers מְרֵעִ֔ים H7489 Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural children בָּנִ֖ים H1121 Noun - masculine plural who act corruptly מַשְׁחִיתִ֑ים H7843 Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural They have forsaken עָזְב֣וּ H5800 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural - אֶת־ H853 Direct object marker the LORD יְהוָ֗ה H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular they have despised נִֽאֲצ֛וּ H5006 Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural - אֶת־ H853 Direct object marker the Holy קְד֥וֹשׁ H6918 Adjective - masculine singular construct One of Israel יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל H3478 Noun - proper - masculine singular [and] turned נָזֹ֥רוּ H2114 Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural their backs on Him אָחֽוֹר׃ H268 Noun - masculine singular
Verse 5

Original words

Why עַ֣ל H5921 Preposition . . . מֶ֥ה H4100 Interrogative do you want more ע֖וֹד H5750 Adverb beatings תֻכּ֛וּ H5221 Verb - Hofal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural Why do you keep תּוֹסִ֣יפוּ H3254 Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural rebelling סָרָ֑ה H5627 Noun - feminine singular Your head רֹ֣אשׁ H7218 Noun - masculine singular has a massive כָּל־ H3605 Noun - masculine singular construct wound לָחֳלִ֔י H2483 Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular and your whole וְכָל־ H3605 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct heart לֵבָ֖ב H3824 Noun - masculine singular is afflicted דַּוָּֽי׃ H1742 Adjective - masculine singular
Verse 6

Original words

From the sole מִכַּף־ H3709 Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct of your foot רֶ֤גֶל H7272 Noun - feminine singular to the top וְעַד־ H5704 Conjunctive waw | Preposition of your head רֹאשׁ֙ H7218 Noun - masculine singular [there is] no אֵֽין־ H369 Adverb soundness מְתֹ֔ם H4974 Noun - masculine singular only wounds פֶּ֥צַע H6482 Noun - masculine singular and welts וְחַבּוּרָ֖ה H2250 Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular and festering טְרִיָּ֑ה H2961 Adjective - feminine singular sores וּמַכָּ֣ה H4347 Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular neither לֹא־ H3808 Adverb - Negative particle cleansed זֹ֙רוּ֙ H2115 Verb - QalPass - Perfect - third person common plural nor וְלֹ֣א H3808 Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle bandaged חֻבָּ֔שׁוּ H2280 Verb - Pual - Perfect - third person common plural nor וְלֹ֥א H3808 Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle soothed רֻכְּכָ֖ה H7401 Verb - Pual - Perfect - third person feminine singular with oil בַּשָּֽׁמֶן׃ H8081 Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Verse 7

Original words

Your land אַרְצְכֶ֣ם H776 Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine plural is desolate שְׁמָמָ֔ה H8077 Noun - feminine singular your cities עָרֵיכֶ֖ם H5892 Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine plural [are] burned שְׂרֻפ֣וֹת H8313 Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine plural with fire אֵ֑שׁ H784 Noun - common singular Foreigners זָרִים֙ H2114 Adjective - masculine plural devour אֹכְלִ֣ים H398 Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural - אֹתָ֔הּ H853 Direct object marker | third person feminine singular your fields אַדְמַתְכֶ֗ם H127 Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine plural before you לְנֶגְדְּכֶם֙ H5048 Preposition-l | second person masculine plural a desolation וּשְׁמָמָ֖ה H8077 Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular demolished כְּמַהְפֵּכַ֥ת H4114 Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular construct by strangers זָרִֽים׃ H2114 Adjective - masculine plural
Verse 8

Original words

And the Daughter בַת־ H1323 Noun - feminine singular construct of Zion צִיּ֖וֹן H6726 Noun - proper - feminine singular is abandoned וְנוֹתְרָ֥ה H3498 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular like a shelter כְּסֻכָּ֣ה H5521 Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular in a vineyard בְכָ֑רֶם H3754 Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular like a shack כִּמְלוּנָ֥ה H4412 Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular in a cucumber field בְמִקְשָׁ֖ה H4750 Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular like a city כְּעִ֥יר H5892 Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular besieged נְצוּרָֽה׃ H5341 Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine singular
Verse 9

Original words

Unless לוּלֵי֙ H3884 Conjunction the LORD יְהוָ֣ה H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular of Hosts צְבָא֔וֹת H6635 Noun - common plural had left הוֹתִ֥יר H3498 Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular us לָ֛נוּ Preposition | first person common plural a few כִּמְעָ֑ט H4592 Preposition-k | Adjective - masculine singular survivors שָׂרִ֖יד H8300 Noun - masculine singular we would have become הָיִ֔ינוּ H1961 Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural like Sodom כִּסְדֹ֣ם H5467 Preposition-k | Noun - proper - feminine singular we would have resembled דָּמִֽינוּ׃ס H1819 Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural Gomorrah לַעֲמֹרָ֖ה H6017 Preposition-l | Noun - proper - feminine singular

BSB notes

  • LXX had left us descendants
  • Cited in Romans 9:29

Berean Standard Bible (BSB): CC0 Public Domain Scripture text. Focused passages are drawn from the same reader contract as the full chapter. Reference sources explains external study-link sources.