Isaiah 59:15

59:14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. maketh: or, is accounted mad it displeased: Heb. it was evil in his eyes

KJV

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Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Yahweh saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.

Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.

Yes, truth fails; and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. ¶

59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

What does Isaiah 59:15 mean?

Isaiah 59:15 is a verse in the book of Isaiah, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include אֶמֶת (ʼemeth), עֲדַר (ʻădar), סוּר (çûwr). It connects to 1 cross-referenced passage elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

Yea,

truthאֶמֶתʼemeth/eh'-meth/H571stability; (figuratively) certainty, truth, trustworthiness

faileth;עֲדַרʻădar/aw-dar'/H5737to arrange as a battle, a vineyard (to hoe); hence, to muster and so to miss (or find wanting)

and

that

departethסוּרçûwr/soor/H5493to turn off (literal or figurative)

from

evilרַעraʻ/rah/H7451bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)

maketh

himself

prey:שָׁלַלshâlal/shaw-lal'/H7997to drop or strip; by implication, to plunder

and

the

LORDיְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh/yeh-ho-vaw'/H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of God

sawרָאָהrâʼâh/raw-aw'/H7200to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)

it,

and

displeasedיָרַעyâraʻ/yaw-rah'/H3415properly, to be broken up (with any violent action) i.e. (figuratively) to fear

him

that

there

was

judgment.מִשְׁפָּטmishpâṭ/mish-pawt'/H4941properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style

maketh:

or,

accounted

mad

displeased:

Heb.

was

evil

his

eyes

Commentary on Isaiah 59:15

HENRY_FULL · Isaiah 59:15

ways. Guilt in the conscience makes men a terror to themselves, so that they are ready to flee when none pursues; like one that absconds for debt, who thinks every one he meets a bailiff. Though they pretend to be easy, there are secret fears which haunt them wherever they go, so that they fear where no present or imminent danger is, Ps. liii. 5 . Those that have made God their enemy, and know it, cannot but see the whole creation at war with them, and therefore can have no true enjoyment of themselves, no confidence, no courage, but a fearful looking for of judgment. Sin makes men cowards. Degeneres animos timor arguit— Fear argues a degenerate soul. Virgil. Quos diri conscia facti mens habet attonitos— The consciousness of atrocious crimes astonishes and confounds. Juvenal . If they flee when none pursues, what will they do when they shall see God himself pursuing them with his armies? Job xx. 24 ; xv. 24 . See Deut. xxviii. 25 ; Lev. xxvi. 36 . 2. What a holy security and serenity of mind those enjoy who keep conscience void of offence and so keep themselves in the love of God: The righteous are bold as a lion, as a young lion; in the greatest dangers they have a God of almighty power to trust to. Therefore will not we fear though the earth be removed. Whatever difficulties they meet with in the way of their duty, they are not daunted by them. None of those things move me. Hic murus aheneus esto, nil conscire sibi— Be this thy brazen bulwark of defence, Still to preserve thy conscious innocence. Hor. 2 For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged. Note, 1. National sins bring national disorders and the dis

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Matthew 18:28

But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. pence: the Roman penny is the eighth part of an ounce, which after five shillings the ounce is seven pence halfpenny; about fourteen cents

Topics

Justice Rulers Sin (1)Truth

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Isaiah 59:15.

Genesis 6:5

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. every: or, the whole imagination: the Hebrew word signifieth not only the imagination, but also the purposes and desires continually: Heb. every day

Genesis 2:19

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. Adam: or, the man

Genesis 2:9

And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:22

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

Genesis 48:17

And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. displeased: was evil in his eyes

Genesis 7:1

And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Genesis 8:13

And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.

Genesis 8:21

And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. a sweet: Heb. a savour of rest or, satisfaction for the imagination: or, through the imagination

Frequently asked questions

What does Isaiah 59:15 say?

Isaiah 59:15 (King James Version) reads: "Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. maketh: or, is accounted mad it displeased: Heb. it was evil in his eyes"

Is Isaiah 59:15 in the Old or New Testament?

Isaiah 59:15 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Isaiah.

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