English Standard Version
Isaiah 57:5
5you who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?
Isaiah 57:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?
- New International Version (NIV)You burn with lust among the oaks and under every spreading tree; you sacrifice your children in the ravines and under the overhanging crags.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Inflaming yourselves with gods under every green tree, Slaying the children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the rocks?
- New Living Translation (NLT)You worship your idols with great passion beneath the oaks and under every green tree. You sacrifice your children down in the valleys, among the jagged rocks in the cliffs.
Context of Isaiah 57:5
3But you, draw near, sons of the sorceress, offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman. 4Whom are you mocking? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, the offspring of deceit, you who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? 6Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they, they, are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink offering, you have brought a grain offering. Shall I relent for these things? 7On a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed, and there you went up to offer sacrifice.
Read all of Isaiah 57Isaiah 57:5 word by word
הַנֵּֽחָמִים֙ בָּֽאֵלִ֔ים תַּ֖חַת כָּל־עֵ֣ץ רַעֲנָ֑ן שֹׁחֲטֵ֤י הַיְלָדִים֙ בַּנְּחָלִ֔ים תַּ֖חַת סְעִפֵ֥י הַסְּלָעִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Enflamingחָמַםchâmam · to warmH2552
- yourselves with idolsאֵל'êl · GodH410
- under every greenרַעֲנָןra‛ănân · luxuriantH7488
- treeעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
- slayingשָׁחַטshâchaţ · to slaughterH7819
- the childrenיֶ֫לֶדyeled · youthH3206
- in the valleysנַ֫חַלnachal nachlâh nachălâh · torrent: valleyH5158
- under the cliftsסָעִיףsâ‛îyph · cleftH5585
- of the rocksסֶ֫לַעsela‛ · cragH5553
Cross-references for Isaiah 57:5
- Exodus 32:6And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
- Numbers 25:1While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab.
- Jeremiah 50:38A drought against her waters, that they may be dried up! For it is a land of images, and they are mad over idols.
- Jeremiah 51:7Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad.
- Hosea 4:11whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding.
- Hosea 7:4They are all adulterers; they are like a heated oven whose baker ceases to stir the fire, from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.
- Amos 2:7those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned;
- Revelation 17:1Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters,
- Revelation 18:3For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living."
- Isaiah 1:29For they shall be ashamed of the oaks that you desired; and you shall blush for the gardens that you have chosen.
- Deuteronomy 12:2You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.
- 1 Kings 14:23For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,
- 2 Kings 16:3but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
- 2 Kings 17:10They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,
- Jeremiah 2:20"For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, 'I will not serve.' Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.
- Jeremiah 3:6The Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah: "Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore?
Commentaries on Isaiah 57:5
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Inflaming yourselves - Burning, that is, with lust. The whole language here is derived from adulterous intercourse. The sense is, that they were greatly addicted to idolatry, and that they used every means to increase and extend the practice of it. The Vulgate, however, renders this, Who console yourselves.‘ The Septuagint renders it, Invoking ( ͂ parakalountes ) idols.‘ But the proper meaning of the Hebrew word חמם châmam is, “to become warm; to be…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-12Verses 3-12 The Lord here calls apostates and hypocrites to appear before him. When reproved for their sins, and threatened with judgments, they ridiculed the word of God. The Jews were guilty of idolatry before the captivity; but not after that affliction. Their zeal in the worship of false gods, may shame our indifference in the worship of the true God. The service of sin is disgraceful slavery; those who thus debase themselves to hell, will justly have…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree: People often used groups of trees as places to worship false gods. These tree groves were common sites for pagan worship (see Isaiah 1:29–30). slaughter your children: Some people in Israel practiced the terrible act of child sacrifice. They offered their children to false gods. This happened at certain times in Israel’s history (see Psalm 106:37–38).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. Enflaming yourselves--burning with lust towards idols [Gesenius]; or else (compare Margin), in the terebinth groves, which the Hebrew and the parallelism favor (see on Is 1:29) [Maurer]. under ... tree--(2Ki 17:10). The tree, as in the Assyrian sculptures, was probably made an idolatrous symbol of the heavenly hosts. slaying ... children--as a sacrifice to Molech, &c. (2Ki 17:31; 2Ch 28:3; 33:6). in ... valleys--the valley of the son of Hinnom. Fire…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 57:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 57
- 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries