Isaiah 59:14

Isaiah 59:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
• New International Version (NIV)So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed.

Context of Isaiah 59:14

12For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: 13transgressing, and denying the Lord, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. 15Truth 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. 16He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.

Isaiah 59:14 word by word

וְהֻסַּ֤ג אָחוֹר֙ מִשְׁפָּ֔ט וּצְדָקָ֖ה מֵרָח֣וֹק תַּעֲמֹ֑ד כִּֽי־כָשְׁלָ֤ה בָֽרְחוֹב֙ אֱמֶ֔ת וּנְכֹחָ֖ה לֹא־תוּכַ֥ל לָבֽוֹא׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
• is turned awayנָסַגnâsag · to removeH5253
• backwardאָחוֹר'âchôr 'âchôr · backH268
• and justiceצְדָקָהtsedâqâh · righteousnessH6666
• standethעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: standH5975
• afar offרָחֹקrâchôq râchôq · distantH7350
• for truthאֱמֶת'emeth · truth: trueH571
• is fallenכָּשַׁלkâshal · to stumbleH3782
• in the streetרְחוֹבrechôb rechôb · street/plazaH7339
• and equityנְכֹחָהnekôchâh · uprightH5229
• cannotיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
• enterבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935

Cross-references for Isaiah 59:14

• Isaiah 59:4No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
• Isaiah 5:23who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!
• Isaiah 10:1Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression,
• Psalms 82:2"How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
• Ecclesiastes 3:16Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.
• Jeremiah 5:27Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich;
• Amos 5:7O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth!
• Micah 3:9Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight,
• Micah 7:3Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.
• Habakkuk 1:4So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.
• Zephaniah 3:1Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city!

Commentaries on Isaiah 59:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14Justice standeth afar off - צדקה tsedakah, righteousness, put here, says Kimchi, for alms to the poor. This casts some light on Matthew 6:1; : "Take heed that you do not your alms," . But the best copies have , righteousness; the former having been inserted in the text at first merely as the explanation of the genuine and original word.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14And judgment is turned away backward - The word judgment‘ is not used, as in Isaiah 59:9, to denote the divine interposition to avenge and deliver them, but it is used in the sense of justice, or lust decisions between man and man. The verse contains a further confession of the evil of their course of life; and, among other things, they acknowledged that they had been unjust in their legal decisions. They had been influenced by partiality and by bribes…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. 11-14The people growl and moan with longing for redemption, finally coming to terms with their sinfulness.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. Justice and righteousness are put away from our legal courts. in the street--in the forum, the place of judicature, usually at the gate of the city (Zec 8:16). cannot enter--is shut out from the forum, or courts of justice.Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 59:14

• Conscience
• Justice
• Repentance
• Rulers
• Sin
• Truth

In the dictionaries

• Cloke
• Grope
• Heavy
• Iniquity
• Mutter
• Revolt
• Truth
• Equity
• Isaiah
• Saviour

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