Isaiah 59:15

Isaiah 59:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice.

Context of Isaiah 59:15

13Rebelling against and denying the Lord, Turning away from [following] our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and muttering from the heart lying words. 14Justice is pushed back, And righteous behavior stands far away; For truth has fallen in the city square, And integrity cannot enter. Yes, truth is missing; And he who turns away from evil makes himself a prey. Now the Lord saw it, And it displeased Him that there was no justice. 16He saw that there was no man, And was amazed that there was no one to intercede [on behalf of truth and right]; Therefore His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His own righteousness sustained Him. 17For He [the Lord] put on righteousness like a coat of armor, And salvation like a helmet on His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And covered Himself with zeal [and great love for His people] as a cloak.

Isaiah 59:15 word by word

וַתְּהִ֤י הָֽאֱמֶת֙ נֶעְדֶּ֔רֶת וְסָ֥ר מֵרָ֖ע מִשְׁתּוֹלֵ֑ל וַיַּ֧רְא יְהוָ֛ה וַיֵּ֥רַע בְּעֵינָ֖יו כִּֽי־אֵ֥ין מִשְׁפָּֽט׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Yea, truthאֱמֶת'emeth · truth: trueH571
• failethעָדַר‛âdar · to lackH5737
• departethסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: departH5493
• from evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
• maketh himself a preyשָׁלַלshâlal · to lootH7997
• and the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• and it displeasedעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: appearanceH5869
• and it displeasedיָרַעyâra‛ · quiverH3415
• no judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941

Cross-references for Isaiah 59:15

• Isaiah 48:1“Hear this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel And who come from the seed of Judah, You who swear [allegiance] by the name of the Lord And invoke the God of Israel, But not in truth (sincerity) nor in righteousness [with moral and spiritual integrity].
• Psalms 5:9For there is nothing trustworthy or reliable or truthful in what they say; Their heart is destruction [just a treacherous chasm, a yawning gulf of lies]. Their throat is an open grave; They [glibly] flatter with their [silken] tongue.
• Psalms 12:1Save and help and rescue, Lord, for godly people cease to be, For the faithful vanish from among the sons of men.
• Jeremiah 5:1“Roam back and forth through the streets of Jerusalem, And look now and take note. And look in her open squares To see if you can find a man [as Abraham sought in Sodom], One who is just, who [has integrity and moral courage and] seeks truth (faithfulness); Then I will pardon Jerusalem—[for the sake of one uncompromisingly righteous person].
• Jeremiah 7:28You shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or accept correction and warning; truth and faithfulness have perished and have completely vanished from their mouths.
• Hosea 4:1Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, For the Lord has a [legal] case with the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness [no steadfast love, no dependability] or loyalty or kindness Or knowledge of God [from personal experience with Him] in the land.
• Micah 7:2The godly person [who is faithful and loyal to God] has perished from the earth, And there is no upright person [one with good character and moral integrity] among men. They all lie in wait to shed blood; Each hunts the other with a net.
• Habakkuk 1:13Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You cannot look favorably on wickedness. Why then do You look favorably On those who act treacherously? Why are you silent when the wicked (Chaldean oppressors) destroy Those more righteous than they?
• Acts 9:1Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord [and relentless in his search for believers], went to the high priest,
• Romans 8:36Just as it is written and forever remains written, “For Your sake we are put to death all day long; We are regarded as sheep for the slaughter.”
• Hebrews 11:36and others experienced the trial of mocking and scourging [amid torture], and even chains and imprisonment.
• 1 John 3:11For this is the message which you [believers] have heard from the beginning [of your relationship with Christ], that we should [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another;
• 2 Kings 9:11When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?” And he said to them, “You know [very well] the man and his talk.”
• Jeremiah 29:26“The Lord has made you [Zephaniah] priest instead of Jehoiada the [deputy] priest, to be the overseer in the house of the Lord over every madman who prophesies, to put him in the stocks and in the iron collar,
• Hosea 9:7The days of punishment have come; The days of retribution are at hand; Let Israel know this! The prophet is [considered] a fool; The man [of God] who is inspired is [treated as if] demented, Because of the abundance of your wickedness and guilt, And because your deep antagonism [toward God and the prophets] is so great.
• Mark 3:21When His own family heard this they went to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He is out of His mind.”

Commentaries on Isaiah 59:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15And the Lord saw it "And Jehovah saw it" - This third line of the stanza appears manifestly to me to be imperfect by the loss of a phrase. The reader will perhaps more perfectly conceive my idea of the matter if I endeavor to supply the supposed defect, I imagine it might have stood originally in this manner: - לו ויחר יהוה וירא lo veyachar Yehovah vaiyar משפט אין כי בעיניו וירע mishpat ein ki beeyinaiv veyera "And Jehovah saw it, and he was wroth; And it…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Yea, truth faileth - That is, it is not to be found, it is missing. The word used here (from עדר ‛âdar ) means “to be left, to remain” 2 Samuel 17:22; then “to be missing or lacking” 1 Samuel 30:19; Isaiah 40:26. Here it means that truth had no existence there. And he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey - Margin, Is accounted mad.‘ Noyes renders this, And he that departeth from evil is plundered.‘ Grotius renders it, The innocent man lies open…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-15Verses 9-15 If we shut our eyes against the light of Divine truth, it is just with God to hide from our eyes the things that belong to our peace. The sins of those who profess themselves God's people, are worse than the sins of others. And the sins of a nation bring public judgments, when not restrained by public justice. Men may murmur under calamities, but nothing will truly profit while they reject Christ and his gospel.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-17The Lord acts like a warrior, determined to win against evil (see Ephesians 6:14).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. faileth--is not to be found. he that departeth ... prey--He that will not fall in with the prevailing iniquity exposes himself as a prey to the wicked (Psa 10:8, 9). Lord saw it--The iniquity of Israel, so desperate as to require nothing short of Jehovah's interposition to mend it, typifies the same necessity for a Divine Mediator existing in the deep corruption of man; Israel, the model nation, was chosen to illustrate his awful fact.Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 59:15

• Justice
• Persecution
• Repentance
• Rulers
• Sin
• Truth

In the dictionaries

• Cloke
• Grope
• Heavy
• Iniquity
• Mutter
• Revolt
• Truth
• Fail
• Isaiah
• Lack

Commentaries on Isaiah 59

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings