New International Version
Isaiah 1:20
20but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Isaiah 1:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
- English Standard Version (ESV)but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
- New King James Version (NKJV)But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
- New Living Translation (NLT)But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Context of Isaiah 1:20
18“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. 19If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 21See how the faithful city has become a prostitute! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her— but now murderers! 22Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water.
Read all of Isaiah 1Isaiah 1:20 word by word
וְאִם־תְּמָאֲנ֖וּ וּמְרִיתֶ֑ם חֶ֣רֶב תְּאֻכְּל֔וּ כִּ֛י פִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה דִּבֵּֽר׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Isaiah 1:20
- Isaiah 3:11Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done.
- 1 Samuel 12:25Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:14Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
- Hebrews 2:1We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
- Isaiah 40:5And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
- Isaiah 58:14then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” The mouth of the Lord has spoken.
- Leviticus 26:33I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins.
- Numbers 23:19God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
- 1 Samuel 15:29He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”
Commentaries on Isaiah 1:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Ye shall be devoured with the sword "Ye shall be food for the sword" - The Septuagint and Vulgate read תאכלכם tochalchem, "the sword shall devour you;" which is of much more easy construction than the present reading of the text. The Chaldee seems to read תאכלו אויב בחרב bechereb oyeb teachelu, "ye shall be consumed by the sword of the enemy." The Syriac also reads בחרב beehereb and renders the verb passively. And the rhythmus seems to require this…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20But if ye refuse, ye shall be devoured with the sword - Your enemies shall come in, and lay waste the land. This prediction was fulfilled, in consequence of their continuing to rebel, when the land was desolated by Nebuchadnezzar, and the nation was carried captive to Babylon. It illustrates a general principle of the divine government, that if people persevere in rebelling against God, they shall be destroyed. The word devour is applied to the sword, as…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-20Verses 16-20 Not only feel sorrow for the sin committed, but break off the practice. We must be doing, not stand idle. We must be doing the good the Lord our God requires. It is plain that the sacrifices of the law could not atone, even for outward national crimes. But, blessed be God, there is a Fountain opened, in which sinners of every age and rank may be cleansed. Though our sins have been as scarlet and crimson, a deep dye, a double dye, first in the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20For the mouth of the LORD has spoken: This statement shows the seriousness of God's promise. The phrase appears 11 times in Isaiah.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 19-2019-20. Temporal blessings in "the land of their possession" were prominent in the Old Testament promises, as suited to the childhood of the Church (Ex 3:17). New Testament spiritual promises derive their imagery from the former (Mt 5:5).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 1:20
In the dictionaries
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
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