Isaiah 1:10

¶ Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

Hear {H8085} the word {H1697} of the LORD {H3068}, ye rulers {H7101} of Sodom {H5467}; give ear {H238} unto the law {H8451} of our God {H430}, ye people {H5971} of Gomorrah {H6017}.

Hear what ADONAI says, you rulers of S'dom! Listen to God's Torah, you people of 'Amora!

Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

Hear the word of Jehovah, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

Isaiah 1:10 delivers a shocking and severe prophetic indictment against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The prophet Isaiah, speaking on behalf of the LORD, addresses the nation's leaders as "rulers of Sodom" and its populace as "people of Gomorrah." This is not a literal address to the ancient, famously destroyed cities, but a powerful metaphorical comparison designed to highlight the profound depth of Judah's moral corruption and spiritual rebellion against God.

Context

This verse is situated early in the book of Isaiah, within a chapter that serves as a sweeping indictment of Judah's spiritual condition. Isaiah 1 opens with God's lament over His rebellious children (Isaiah 1:2), who have forsaken Him. Despite their outward religious rituals and sacrifices, their hearts were far from God, and their hands were full of blood and injustice. By likening them to Sodom and Gomorrah, Isaiah underscores the severity of their sin, suggesting that their wickedness had reached a level comparable to these cities, which were utterly destroyed by divine judgment for their extreme depravity (Genesis 19:24-25). It is a stark warning that unless they truly repented, they faced similar consequences.

Key Themes

  • Divine Indictment and Rebuke: The verse is a direct, scathing condemnation from God, delivered through Isaiah, highlighting Judah's profound moral and spiritual decay.
  • Severity of Sin: The comparison to Sodom and Gomorrah emphasizes the extreme nature of Judah's wickedness in God's sight, revealing that their sin was not merely a minor transgression but a deep-seated rebellion.
  • Call to Hear and Obey: Despite the harsh rebuke, the command to "Hear the word of the LORD" and "give ear unto the law of our God" is an urgent call for attention and obedience. It implies that there is still an opportunity to listen and turn back.
  • Hypocrisy Unmasked: In the broader context of Isaiah 1, this verse contributes to the theme of exposing the emptiness of outward religious practices when inner righteousness and justice are absent.

Linguistic Insights

The core of this verse's impact lies in Isaiah's use of hyperbole and metaphor. The Hebrew names Sedom (Sodom) and Amorah (Gomorrah) function as powerful symbols of ultimate wickedness and divine wrath. They are not literal locations but archetypes. By applying these names to Judah, Isaiah employs a strong rhetorical device to shock his audience into recognizing the gravity of their spiritual condition. It's a prophetic accusation that their moral standing had fallen to the lowest possible level, making them deserving of the same fate as these infamous cities unless they heeded God's call to repentance.

Practical Application

Isaiah 1:10 serves as a timeless warning and a profound challenge for believers and communities today. It reminds us that God looks beyond outward appearances and religious rituals to the true condition of the heart and the actions that flow from it. This verse prompts us to ask:

  • Are we genuinely listening to and obeying God's word, or are we merely going through the motions of religious practice?
  • Does our conduct, particularly our treatment of the vulnerable and our pursuit of justice, reflect the values of God's kingdom?
  • Are we complacent in our sin, or do we recognize the severity of our rebellion against a holy God?

The call to "hear the word of the LORD" is a perpetual invitation to engage with God's instruction and allow it to transform our lives. It underscores the biblical truth that true faith is demonstrated not just by belief, but by obedience and righteousness, as seen in passages like James 2:17. This verse encourages us to pursue genuine repentance and a life that truly honors God, avoiding the spiritual decay that led to the condemnation of Judah.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Revelation 11:8

    And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

  • Ezekiel 16:49

    Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

  • Amos 9:7

    [Are] ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?

  • Isaiah 3:9

    ¶ The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide [it] not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

  • Deuteronomy 32:32

    For their vine [is] of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes [are] grapes of gall, their clusters [are] bitter:

  • Ezekiel 16:46

    And thine elder sister [is] Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, [is] Sodom and her daughters.

  • Jeremiah 23:14

    I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

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