Isaiah 1:4

Isaiah 1:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
• New International Version (NIV)Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.

Context of Isaiah 1:4

2Listen, heaven, and pay attention, earth! The Lord has spoken, “I raised ⌞my⌟ children and helped them grow, but they have rebelled against me. 3Oxen know their owners, and donkeys know where their masters feed them. But Israel doesn’t know ⌞its owner⌟. My people don’t understand ⌞who feeds them⌟. “How horrible it will be for a nation that sins. ⌞Its⌟ people are loaded down with guilt. They are descendants of evildoers and destructive children. They have abandoned the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel. They have turned their backs on him. 5“Why do you still want to be beaten? Why do you continue to rebel? Your whole head is infected. Your whole heart is failing. 6From the bottom of your feet to the top of your head there is no healthy spot left on your ⌞body⌟— only bruises, sores, and fresh wounds. They haven’t been cleansed, bandaged, or soothed with oil.

Isaiah 1:4 word by word

ה֣וֹי׀ גּ֣וֹי חֹטֵ֗א עַ֚ם כֶּ֣בֶד עָוֹ֔ן זֶ֣רַע מְרֵעִ֔ים בָּנִ֖ים מַשְׁחִיתִ֑ים עָזְב֣וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֗ה נִֽאֲצ֛וּ אֶת־קְד֥וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נָזֹ֥רוּ אָחֽוֹר׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Ahהוֹיhôy · woe!H1945
• sinfulחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
• nationגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• a peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• ladenכָּבֵדkâbêd · heavyH3515
• with iniquityעָוֺן‛âvôn ‛âvôn · iniquity: crimeH5771
• a seedזֶ֫רַעzera‛ · seed: childrenH2233
• of evildoersרָעַעrâ‛a‛ · be evilH7489
• childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• that are corruptersשָׁחַתshâchath · to ruinH7843
• they have forsakenאֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
• they have forsakenעָזַב‛âzab · to leave: forsakeH5800
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• they have provokedנָאַץnâ'ats · to spurnH5006
• the Holy Oneקָדוֹשׁqâdôsh qâdôsh · holyH6918
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• they are gone awayזוּרzûr · be a strangerH2114
• backwardאָחוֹר'âchôr 'âchôr · backH268

Cross-references for Isaiah 1:4

• Isaiah 1:23Your rulers are rebels, friends with thieves. They all love bribes and run after gifts. They never defend orphans. They don’t notice the widows’ pleas.
• Isaiah 10:6I send them against a godless nation. In my fury I order them against the people to take their belongings, loot them, and trample on them like mud in the streets.
• Isaiah 30:9These people are rebellious and deceitful children, children who refuse to listen to the Lord’s teachings.
• Genesis 13:13(The people who lived in Sodom were very wicked. They committed terrible sins against the Lord.)
• Matthew 11:28“Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.
• Acts 7:51“How stubborn can you be? How can you be so heartless and disobedient? You’re just like your ancestors. They always opposed the Holy Spirit, and so do you!
• Revelation 18:5Her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
• Isaiah 57:3But you—come here, you children of witches, you descendants of adulterers and prostitutes!
• Numbers 32:14“You’re just like your parents! You’re a bunch of sinners trying to make the Lord angry with Israel again.
• Psalms 78:8Then they will not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation. Their hearts were not loyal. Their spirits were not faithful to God.
• Jeremiah 7:26But you didn’t obey me or pay attention to me. You became impossible to deal with, and you were worse than your ancestors.
• Jeremiah 16:11Then say to them, ‘It’s because your ancestors abandoned me, declares the Lord. They followed other gods, served them, worshiped them, and abandoned me. They didn’t obey my teachings.
• Matthew 3:7But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he said to them, “You poisonous snakes! Who showed you how to flee from God’s coming anger?
• Matthew 23:33“You snakes! You poisonous snakes! How can you escape being condemned to hell?
• Jeremiah 2:33You carefully planned ways to look for love. You taught your ways to wicked women.
• Ezekiel 16:33All prostitutes get paid. But you give gifts to all your lovers and bribe them to come to you from all directions to have sex with you.

Commentaries on Isaiah 1:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Ah sinful nation "Degenerate" - Five MSS., one of them ancient, read משחתים moschathim, without the first י yod, in hophal corrupted, not corrupters. See the same word in the same form, and in the same sense, Proverbs 25:26. Are corrupters "Are estranged" - Thirty-two MSS., five ancient, and two editions, read נזורו nazoru ; which reading determines the word to be from the root זור zur, to alienate, not from נזר nazar, to separate; so Kimchi understands…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Ah! sinful nation - The word rendered ah!‘ - הוי hôy - is not a mere exclamation, expressing astonishment. It is rather an interjection denouncing threatening, or punishment. Wo to the sinful nation.‘ Vulgate, Vae genti peccatrici.‘ The corruption pertained to the nation, and not merely to a part. It had become general. Laden with iniquity - The word translated “laden” - כבד kebed - denotes properly anything “heavy,” or burdensome; from כבד kâbad “to be…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The term Holy One of Israel often appears in Isaiah as a title for the Lord. God is: the righteous and just King of heaven and earth (Isaiah 6:3–5), the incomparable God, meaning no one is like him (Isaiah 40:25), and the Redeemer (the one who rescues and saves) of his people (Isaiah 43:14). Because of this, it was a serious and foolish sin for Judah to reject him.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. people--the peculiar designation of God's elect nation (Ho 1:10), that they should be "laden with iniquity" is therefore the more monstrous. Sin is a load (Psa 38:4; Mt 11:28). seed--another appellation of God's elect (Ge 12:7; Jr 2:21), designed to be a "holy seed" (Is 6:13), but, awful to say, "evildoers!" children--by adoption (Ho 11:1), yet "evildoers"; not only so, but "corrupters" of others (Ge 6:12); the climax. So "nation--people--seed…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 1:4

• Backsliders
• Church
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Holy One
• Ah!
• Convert
• Crib
• Eat
• Fade
• Harlot

Commentaries on Isaiah 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• 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