New King James Version
Isaiah 1:20
20But if you refuse and rebel, You shall 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.
- New International Version (NIV)but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
- 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 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, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 19If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 21How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; Righteousness lodged in it, But now murderers. 22Your silver has become dross, Your wine mixed 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! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.
- 1 Samuel 12:25But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”
- 2 Chronicles 36:14Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the Lord which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.
- Hebrews 2:1Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
- Isaiah 40:5The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
- Isaiah 58:14Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
- Leviticus 26:33I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste.
- Numbers 23:19“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
- 1 Samuel 15:29And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.”
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries