New King James Version
Isaiah 1:4
4Alas, 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.
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 Living Translation (NLT)Oh, what a sinful nation they are— loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.
Context of Isaiah 1:4
2Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; 3The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” 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. 5Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. 6From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment.
Read all of Isaiah 1Isaiah 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 princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
- Isaiah 10:6I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
- Isaiah 30:9That this is a rebellious people, Lying children, Children who will not hear the law of the Lord;
- Genesis 13:13But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.
- Matthew 11:28Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
- Acts 7:51“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
- Revelation 18:5For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
- Isaiah 57:3“But come here, You sons of the sorceress, You offspring of the adulterer and the harlot!
- Numbers 32:14And look! You have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel.
- Psalms 78:8And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
- Jeremiah 7:26Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.
- Jeremiah 16:11then you shall say to them, ‘Because your fathers have forsaken Me,’ says the Lord; ‘they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them, and have forsaken Me and not kept My law.
- Matthew 3:7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
- Matthew 23:33Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
- Jeremiah 2:33“Why do you beautify your way to seek love? Therefore you have also taught The wicked women your ways.
- Ezekiel 16:33Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry.
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
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