God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 57:20
20But the wicked are like the churning sea. It isn’t quiet, and its water throws up mud and slime.
Isaiah 57:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
- New International Version (NIV)But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
Context of Isaiah 57:20
18I’ve seen their ⌞sinful⌟ ways, but I’ll heal them. I’ll guide them and give them rest. I’ll comfort them and their mourners. 19I’ll create praise on their lips: “Perfect peace to those both far and near.” “I’ll heal them,” says the Lord. But the wicked are like the churning sea. It isn’t quiet, and its water throws up mud and slime. 21“There is no peace for the wicked,” says my God.
Read all of Isaiah 57Isaiah 57:20 word by word
וְהָרְשָׁעִ֖ים כַּיָּ֣ם נִגְרָ֑שׁ כִּ֤י הַשְׁקֵט֙ לֹ֣א יוּכָ֔ל וַיִּגְרְשׁ֥וּ מֵימָ֖יו רֶ֥פֶשׁ וָטִֽיט׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Isaiah 57:20
- Isaiah 3:11How horrible it will be for the wicked! Disaster will strike them. What they have done will be done to them.
- Job 15:20“The wicked person is tortured all his days. Only a few years are reserved for the ruthless person.
- Job 18:5“Indeed, the light of the wicked is snuffed out. The flame of his fire stops glowing.
- Job 20:11His bones, once full of youthful vigor, will lie down with him in the dust.
- Psalms 73:18You put them in slippery places and make them fall into ruin.
- Proverbs 4:16Wicked people cannot sleep unless they do wrong, and they are robbed of their sleep unless they make someone stumble.
- Jude 1:12These people are a disgrace at the special meals you share with other believers. They eat with you and don’t feel ashamed. They are shepherds who care ⌞only⌟ for themselves. They are dry clouds blown around by the winds. They are withered, uprooted trees without any fruit. As a result, they have died twice.
Commentaries on Isaiah 57:20
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20But the wicked - All who are transgressors of the law and who remain unpardoned. The design of this is to contrast their condition with that of those who should enjoy peace. The proposition is, therefore, of the most general character. All the wicked are like the troubled sea. Whether prosperous or otherwise; rich or poor; bond or free; old or young; whether in Christian, in civilized, or in barbarous lands; whether living in palaces, in caves, or in…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-21Verses 13-21 The idols and their worshippers shall come to nothing; but those who trust in God's grace, shall be brought to the joys of heaven. With the Lord there is neither beginning of days, nor end of life, nor change of time. His name is holy, and all must know him as a holy God. He will have tender regard to those who bring their mind to their condition, and dread his wrath. He will make his abode with those whose hearts he has thus humbled, in…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20storm-tossed sea … it cannot be still: People who constantly oppose God (see Psalms 46:3, 6; 93:3–4) do not find inner peace because they are not at peace with God (Isaiah 30:15; 32:17). churn up mire and muck: Their actions are often unproductive (see Psalm 40:2).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. when it cannot rest--rather, "for it can have no rest" (Job 15:20, &c.; Pr 4:16, 17). English Version represents the sea as occasionally agitated; but the Hebrew expresses that it can never be at rest.Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 57:20
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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