Yesaya 1:21

Purifying Judgment

1:21 How tragic that the once-faithful city

has become a prostitute! ¹ 

She was once a center of ²  justice,

fairness resided in her,

but now only murderers. ³ 

Yesaya 59:7

59:7 They are eager to do evil, ⁴ 

quick to shed innocent blood. ⁵ 

Their thoughts are sinful;

they crush and destroy. ⁶ 

[1:21]  ¹ tn Heb “How she has become a prostitute, the faithful city!” The exclamatory אֵיכָה (’ekhah, “how!”) is used several times as the beginning of a lament (see Lam 1:1; 2;1; 4:1-2). Unlike a number of other OT passages that link references to Israel’s harlotry to idolatry, Isaiah here makes the connection with social and moral violations.

[1:21]  ² tn Heb “filled with.”

[1:21]  ³ tn Or “assassins.” This refers to the oppressive rich and/or their henchmen. R. Ortlund (Whoredom, 78) posits that it serves as a synecdoche for all varieties of criminals, the worst being mentioned to imply all lesser ones. Since Isaiah often addressed his strongest rebuke to the rulers and leaders of Israel, he may have in mind the officials who bore the responsibility to uphold justice and righteousness.

[59:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “their feet run to evil.”

[59:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “they quickly pour out innocent blood.”

[59:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “their thoughts are thoughts of sin, destruction and crushing [are] in their roadways.”