New English Translation
Isaiah 59:4
4No one is concerned about justice; no one sets forth his case truthfully. They depend on false words and tell lies; they conceive of oppression and give birth to sin.
Isaiah 59:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
- New International Version (NIV)No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
- English Standard Version (ESV)No 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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
Context of Isaiah 59:4
2But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers. 3For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin; your lips speak lies, your tongue utters malicious words. No one is concerned about justice; no one sets forth his case truthfully. They depend on false words and tell lies; they conceive of oppression and give birth to sin. 5They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake and spin a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, a poisonous snake is hatched. 6Their webs cannot be used for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are sinful; they commit violent crimes.
Read all of Isaiah 59Isaiah 59:4 word by word
אֵין־קֹרֵ֣א בְצֶ֔דֶק וְאֵ֥ין נִשְׁפָּ֖ט בֶּאֱמוּנָ֑ה בָּט֤וֹחַ עַל־תֹּ֙הוּ֙ וְדַבֶּר־שָׁ֔וְא הָר֥וֹ עָמָ֖ל וְהוֹלֵ֥יד אָֽוֶן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- None callethקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
- for justiceצֶ֫דֶקtsedeq · righteousnessH6664
- pleadethשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
- for truthאֱמוּנָה'ĕmûnâh 'ĕmûnâh · faithfulnessH530
- they trustבָּטַחbâţach · to trustH982
- in vanityתֹּ֫הוּtôhû · formlessnessH8414
- and speakדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
- liesשָׁוְאshâv' shav · vanity: falseH7723
- they conceiveהָרָהhârâh · to conceiveH2029
- mischiefעָמָל‛âmâl · troubleH5999
- and bring forthיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
- iniquityאָ֫וֶן'âven · evil: wickednessH205
Cross-references for Isaiah 59:4
- Isaiah 59:16He sees there is no advocate; he is shocked that no one intervenes. So he takes matters into his own hands; his desire for justice drives him on.
- Jeremiah 5:1The Lord said, “Go up and down through the streets of Jerusalem. Look around and see for yourselves. Search through its public squares. See if any of you can find a single person who deals honestly and tries to be truthful. If you can, then I will not punish this city.
- Ezekiel 22:29The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have wronged the poor and needy; they have oppressed the foreigner who lives among them and denied them justice.
- Micah 7:2Faithful men have disappeared from the land; there are no godly men left. They all wait in ambush so they can shed blood; they hunt their own brother with a net.
- Isaiah 30:12For this reason this is what the Holy One of Israel says: “You have rejected this message; you trust instead in your ability to oppress and trick, and rely on that kind of behavior.
- Job 15:31Let him not trust in what is worthless, deceiving himself; for worthlessness will be his reward.
- Psalms 62:10Do not trust in what you can gain by oppression! Do not put false confidence in what you can gain by robbery! If wealth increases, do not become attached to it!
- Jeremiah 7:4Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says, “We are safe! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here!”
- Isaiah 59:3For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin; your lips speak lies, your tongue utters malicious words.
- Psalms 62:4They spend all their time planning how to bring him down. They love to use deceit; they pronounce blessings with their mouths, but inwardly they utter curses. (Selah)
- Isaiah 59:13We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord; we turned back from following our God. We stir up oppression and rebellion; we tell lies we concocted in our minds.
- Job 15:35They conceive trouble and bring forth evil; their belly prepares deception.”
- Psalms 7:13He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows.
- Proverbs 4:16For they cannot sleep unless they cause harm; they are robbed of sleep until they make someone stumble.
- Micah 2:1Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead, those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed. As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans, because they have the power to do so.
- James 1:15Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death.
Commentaries on Isaiah 59:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity - There is a curious propriety in this mode of expression; a thought or purpose is compared to conception; a word or act, which is the consequence of it, to the birth of a child. From the third to the fifteenth verse inclusive may be considered a true statement of the then moral state of the Jewish people; and that they were, in the most proper sense of the word, guilty of the iniquities with which they are…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4None calleth for justice - Or rather, there is no one who brings a suit with justice; no one who goes into court for the purpose of obtaining justice. There is a love of litigation; a desire to take all the advantage which the law can give; a desire to appeal to the law, not for the sake of having strict justice done, but for the sake of doing injury to others, and to take some undue advantage. Nor any pleadeth for truth - Or, no one pleadeth with truth…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4calls for justice: Israel did not practice these qualities that are part of God’s nature and that he expects from people (Isaiah 1:21; see 25:1).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Rather, "No one calleth an adversary into court with justice," that is, None bringeth a just suit: "No one pleadeth with truth." they trust ... iniquity--(So Job 15:35; Psa 7:14).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 59:4
In the dictionaries
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
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