TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
KJV (with Strong's)
Ah H1945 sinful H2398 nation H1471, a people H5971 laden H3515 with iniquity H5771, a seed H2233 of evildoers H7489, children H1121 that are corrupters H7843: they have forsaken H5800 H853 the LORD H3068, they have provoked H5006 H853 the Holy One H6918 of Israel H3478 unto anger H5006, they are gone away H2114 backward H268.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Oh, sinful nation, a people weighed down by iniquity, descendants of evildoers, immoral children! They have abandoned ADONAI, spurned the Holy One of Isra'el, turned their backs on him!
Berean Standard Bible
Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children of depravity! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.
American Standard Version
Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that deal corruptly! they have forsaken Jehovah, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are estranged and gone backward.
World English Bible Messianic
Ah sinful nation, a people loaded with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD. They have despised the Holy One of Israel. They are estranged and backward.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Ah, sinfull nation, a people laden with iniquitie: a seede of the wicked, corrupt children: they haue forsaken the Lord: they haue prouoked the holy one of Israel to anger: they are gone backewarde.
Young's Literal Translation
Ah, sinning nation, a people heavy with iniquity, A seed of evil doers, sons--corrupters! They have forsaken Jehovah, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have gone away backward.
In the KJVVerse 17,659 of 31,102
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Commentary on Isaiah 1 verses 2–9
2 ¶ Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
4 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.
5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points
We will hope to meet with a brighter and more pleasant scene before we come to the end of this book; but truly here, in the beginning of it, every thing looks very bad, very black, with Judah and Jerusalem. What is the wilderness of the world, if the church, the vineyard, has such a dismal aspect as this?
I. The prophet, though he speaks in God's name, yet, despairing to gain audience with the children of his people, addresses himself to the heavens and the earth, and bespeaks their attention (Isa 1:2): Hear, O heavens! and give ear, O earth! Sooner will the inanimate creatures hear, who observe the law and answer the end of their creation, than this stupid senseless people. Let the lights of the heaven shame their darkness, and the fruitfulness of the earth their barrenness, and the strictness of each to its time their irregularity. Moses begins thus in Deu 32:1, to which the prophet here refers, intimating that now those times had come which Moses there foretold, Deu 31:29. Or this is an appeal to heaven and earth, to angels and then to the inhabitants of the upper and lower world. Let them judge between God and his vineyard; can either produce such an instance of ingratitude? Note, God will be justified when he speaks, and both heaven and earth shall declare his righteousness, Mic 6:1, Mic 6:2; Psa 50:6.
II. He charges them with base ingratitude, a crime of the highest nature. Call a man ungrateful, and you can call him no worse. Let heaven and earth hear and wonder at, 1. God's gracious dealings with such a peevish provoking people as they were: "I have nourished and brought them up as children; they have been well fed and well taught" (Deu 32:6); "I have magnified and exalted them" (so some), "not only made them grow, but made them great - not only maintained them, but preferred them - not only trained them up, but raised them high." Note, We owe the continuance of our lives and comforts, and all our advancements, to God's fatherly care of us and kindness to us. 2. Their ill-natured conduct towards him, who was so tender of them: "They have rebelled against me," or (as some read it) "they have revolted from me; they have been deserters, nay traitors, against my crown and dignity." Note, All the instances of God's favour to us, as the God both of our nature and of our nurture, aggravate our treacherous departures from him and all our presumptuous oppositions to him - children, and yet rebels!
III. He attributes this to their ignorance and inconsideration (Isa 1:3): The ox knows, but Israel does not. Observe, 1. The sagacity of the ox and the ass, which are not only brute creatures, but of the dullest sort; yet the ox has such a sense of duty as to know his owner and to serve him, to submit to his yoke and to draw in it; the ass has such a sense of interest as to know has master's crib, or manger, where he is fed, and to abide by it; he will go to that of himself if he be turned loose. A fine pass man has come to when he is shamed even in knowledge and understanding by these silly animals, and is not only sent to school to them (Pro 6:6, Pro 6:7), but set in a form below them (Jer 8:7), taught more than the beasts of the earth (Job 35:11) and yet knowing less. 2. The sottishness and stupidity of Israel. God is their owner and proprietor. He made us, and his we are more than our cattle are ours; he has provided well for us; providence is our Master's crib; yet many that are called the people of God do not know and will not consider this, but ask, "What is the Almighty that we should serve him? He is not our owner; and what profit shall we have if we pray unto him? He has no crib for us to feed at." He had complained (Isa 1:2) of the obstinacy of their wills; They have rebelled against me. Here he runs it up to its cause: "Therefore they have rebelled because they do not know, they do not consider." The understanding is darkened, and therefore the whole soul is alienated from the life of God, Eph 4:18. "Israel does not know, though their land is a land of light and knowledge; in Judah is God known, yet, because they do not live up to what they know, it is in effect as if they did not know. They know; but their knowledge does them no good, because they do not consider what they know; they do not apply it to their case, nor their minds to it." Note, (1.) Even among those that profess themselves God's people, that have the advantages and lie under the engagements of his people, there are many that are very careless in the affairs of their souls. (2.) Inconsideration of what we do know is as great an enemy to us in religion as ignorance of what we should know. (3.) Therefore men revolt from God, and rebel against him, because they do not know and consider their obligations to God in duty, gratitude, and interest.
IV. He laments the universal pravity and corruption of their church and kingdom. The disease of sin was epidemic, and all orders and degrees of men were infected with it; Ah sinful nation! Isa 1:4. The prophet bemoans those that would not bemoan themselves: Alas for them! Woe to them! He speaks with holy indignation at their degeneracy, and a dread of the consequences of it. See here,
1.How he aggravates their sin, and shows the malignity that there was in it, Isa 1:4. (1.) The wickedness was universal. They were a sinful nation; the generality of the people were vicious and profane. They were so in their national capacity. In the management of their public treaties abroad, and in the administration of public justice at home, they were corrupt. Note, It is ill with a people when sin becomes national. (2.) It was very great and heinous in its nature. They were laden with iniquity; the guilt of it, and the curse incurred by that guilt, lay very heavily upon them. It was a heavy charge that was exhibited against them, and one which they could never clear themselves from; their wickedness was upon them as a talent of lead, Zac 5:7, Zac 5:8. Their sin, as it did easily beset them and they were prone to it, was a weight upon them, Heb 12:1. (3.) They came of a bad stock, were a seed of evil-doers. Treachery ran in their blood; they had it by kind, which made the matter so much the worse, more provoking and less curable. They rose up in their fathers' stead, and trod in their fathers' steps, to fill up the measure of their iniquity, Num 32:14. They were a race and family of rebels. (4.) Those that were themselves debauched did what they could to debauch others. They were not only corrupt children, born tainted, but children that were corrupters, that propagated vice, and infected others with it - not only sinners, but tempters - not only actuated by Satan, but agents for him. If those that are called children, God's children, that are looked upon as belonging to his family, be wicked and vile, their example is of the most malignant influence. (5.) Their sin was a treacherous departure from God. They were deserters from their allegiance: "They have forsaken the Lord, to whom they had joined themselves; they have gone away backward, are alienated or separated from God, have turned their back upon him, deserted their colours, and quitted their service." When they were urged forward, they ran backward, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, as a backsliding heifer, Hos 4:16. (6.) It was an impudent and daring defiance of him: They have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger wilfully and designedly; they knew what would anger him, and that they did. Note, The backslidings of those that have professed religion and relation to God are in a special manner provoking to him.
2.How he illustrates it by a comparison taken from a sick and diseased body, all overspread with leprosy, or, like Job's, with sore boils, Isa 1:5, Isa 1:6. (1.) The distemper has seized the vitals, and so threatens to be mortal. Diseases in the head and heart are most dangerous; now the head, the whole head, is sick - the heart, the whole heart, is faint. They had become corrupt in their judgment: the leprosy was in their head. They were utterly unclean; their affection to God and religion was cold and gone; the things which remained were ready to die away, Rev 3:2. (2.) It has overspread the whole body, and so becomes exceedingly noisome; From the sole of the foot even to the head, from the meanest peasant to the greatest peer, there is no soundness, no good principles, no religion (for that is the health of the soul), nothing but wounds and bruises, guilt and corruption, the sad effects of Adam's fall, noisome to the holy God, painful to the sensible soul; they were so to David when he complained (Psa 38:5), My wounds stink, and are corrupt, because of my foolishness. See Psa 32:3, Psa 32:4. No attempts were made for reformation, or, if they were, they proved ineffectual: The wounds have not been closed, not bound up, nor mollified with ointment. While sin remains unrepented of the wounds are unsearched, unwashed, the proud flesh in them not cut out, and while, consequently, it remains unpardoned, the wounds are not mollified or closed up, nor any thing done towards the healing of them and the preventing of their fatal consequences.
V. He sadly bewails the judgments of God which they had brought upon themselves by their sins, and their incorrigibleness under those judgments. 1. Their kingdom was almost ruined, Isa 1:7. So miserable were they that both their towns and their lands were wasted, and yet so stupid that they needed to be told this, to have it shown to them. "Look and see how it is; your country is desolate; the ground is not cultivated, for want of inhabitants, the villages being deserted, Jdg 5:7. And thus the fields and vineyards become like deserts, all grown over with thorns, Pro 24:31. Your cities are burned with fire, by the enemies that invade you" (fire and sword commonly go together); "as for the fruits of your land, which should be food for your families, strangers devour them; and, to your greater vexation, it is before your eyes, and you cannot prevent it; you starve while your enemies surfeit on that which should be your maintenance. The overthrow of your country is as the overthrow of strangers; it is used by the invaders, as one might expect it should be used by strangers." Jerusalem itself, which was as the daughter of Zion (the temple built on Zion was a mother, a nursing mother, to Jerusalem), or Zion itself, the holy mountain, which had been dear to God as a daughter, was now lost, deserted, and exposed as a cottage in a vineyard, which, when the vintage is over, nobody dwells in or takes any care of, and looks as mean and despicable as a lodge or hut, in a garden of cucumbers; and every person is afraid of coming near it, and solicitous to remove his effects out of it, as if it were a besieged city, Isa 1:8. And some think, it is a calamitous state of the kingdom that is represented by a diseased body, Isa 1:6. Probably this sermon was preached in the reign of Ahaz, when Judah was invaded by the kings of Syria and Israel, the Edomites and the Philistines, who slew many, and carried many away into captivity, Ch2 28:5, Ch2 28:17, Ch2 28:18. Note, National impiety and immorality bring national desolation. Canaan, the glory of all lands, Mount Zion, the joy of the whole earth, both became a reproach and a ruin; and sin made them so, that great mischief-maker. 2. Yet they were not all reformed, and therefore God threatens to take another course with them (Isa 1:5): "Why should you be stricken any more, with any expectation of doing you good by it, when you increase revolts as your rebukes are increased? You will revolt more and more, as you have done," as Ahaz particularly did, who, in his distress, trespassed yet more against the Lord, Ch2 28:22. Thus the physician, when he sees the patient's case desperate, troubles him no more with physic; and the father resolves to correct his child no more when, finding him hardened, he determines to disinherit him. Note, (1.) There are those who are made worse by the methods God takes to make them better; the more they are stricken the more they revolt; their corruptions, instead of being mortified, are irritated and exasperated by their afflictions, and their hearts more hardened. (2.) God, sometimes, in a way of righteous judgment, ceases to correct those who have been long incorrigible, and whom therefore he designs to destroy. The reprobate silver shall be cast, not into the furnace, but to the dunghill, Jer 6:29, Jer 6:30. See Eze 24:13; Hos 4:14. He that is filthy, let him be filthy still.
VI. He comforts himself with the consideration of a remnant that should be the monuments of divine grace and mercy, notwithstanding this general corruption and desolation, Isa 1:9. See here, 1. How near they were to an utter extirpation. They were almost like Sodom and Gomorrah in respect both of sin and ruin, had grown almost so bad that there could not have been found ten righteous men among them, and almost as miserable as if none had been left alive, but their country turned into a sulphureous lake. Divine Justice said, Make them as Admah; set them as Zeboim; but Mercy said, How shall I do it? Hos 11:8, Hos 11:9. 2. What it was that saved them from it: The Lord of hosts left unto them a very small remnant, that were kept pure from the common apostasy and kept safe and alive from the common calamity. This is quoted by the apostle (Rom 9:27), and applied to those few of the Jewish nation who in his time embraced Christianity, when the body of the people rejected it, and in whom the promises made to the fathers were accomplished. Note, (1.) In the worst of times there is a remnant preserved from iniquity and reserved for mercy, as Noah and his family in the deluge, Lot and his in the destruction of Sodom. Divine grace triumphs in distinguishing by an act of sovereignty. (2.) This remnant is often a very small one in comparison with the vast number of revolting ruined sinners. Multitude is no mark of the true church. Christ's is a little flock. (3.) It is God's work to sanctify and save some, when others are left to perish in their impurity. It is the work of his power as the Lord of hosts. Except he had left us that remnant, there would have been none left; the corrupters (Isa 1:4) did what they could to debauch all, and the devourers (Isa 1:7) to destroy all, and they would have prevailed of God himself had not interposed to secure to himself a remnant, who are bound to give him all the glory. (4.) It is good for a people that have been saved from utter ruin to look back and see how near they were to it, just upon the brink of it, to see how much they owed to a few good men that stood in the gap, and that that was owing to a good God, who left them these good men. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 2–9. Public domain.
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Justin MartyrAD 165
The First Apology, Chapter XXXVII
And that this too may be clear to you, there were spoken from the person of the Father through Isaiah the prophet, the following words: "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, and My people hath not understood. Woe, sinful nation, a people full of sins, a wicked seed, children that are transgressors, ye have forsaken the Lord."
Clement of AlexandriaAD 215
The Instructor Book 1
Correction is a public rebuke of sin. [God] uses it in a manner that is particularly necessary for our instruction because of the weak faith of so many. For example, he says through Isaiah, “You have forsaken the Lord, you have provoked the holy one of Israel.”
Clement of AlexandriaAD 215
The Instructor Book 1
Excoriation is the most vigorous expression of disapproval. God employed excoriation as a remedy when he said through Isaiah, “Ah, sinful nation, a people full of sins, an evil seed, lawless children.”
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Isaiah
(Verse 4) Woe to the sinful nation, a people burdened with iniquity, a wicked offspring, wicked children: they have forsaken the Lord, they have blasphemed the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backwards. The phrase I placed last, 'they have turned away backwards,' is not found in the Septuagint and instead of 'they have blasphemed,' it is written in them, 'they have provoked to anger.' And instead of 'wicked offspring,' it is translated in the Hebrew as 'wicked ones,' so that the vice of the offspring is not so much a defect of their nature (lest good and evil be thought to have different natures) as it is a result of their wickedness, those who have forsaken the Lord by their own will.
In the beginning of the book, the title mentions the characters, the cause, and the time: in the second part, it captivates the listeners; in the third part, it narrates what the Lord said; in the fourth part, it reproaches the sinful nation, and a people full of or weighed down by injustice. Not that there is another nation and another people, as some think, but it is Israel itself, which is called both nation and people, and is referred to as wicked or unjust sons: those who were first called sons of the Lord through his kindness, but afterwards were called sons of iniquity because of their own fault; or as others have said in agreement, corrupting sons, that is, those who have lost the good of their nature through their own fault. And the text continues: 'They blasphemed the holy Israel, it is said specifically of the Jews, shouting: We have no king but Caesar' (John 19:15); and: 'Is this not the son of the carpenter?' (Matthew 13:55); and, 'He has a demon, and is a Samaritan' (John 8:48). Therefore, because they abandoned Christ and blasphemed the Holy Israel, they were estranged backwards, so that those who were called part and children of God would later be called: 'Alien children have lied to me' (Psalm 18:46). The Savior commanded that, with the plow seized, we do not look back (Luke 9:62), so as not to imitate Lot's wife. Hence the Apostle, stretching out towards the things before, forgets the things that are behind (Philippians 3:13). And what he said according to the Septuagint, to a people full of sins (Zechariah 5:7), shows that there was no kind of sins that the people of Israel did not have. But if we read it as in Hebrew, to a people heavy with iniquity, let us remember the testimony of that, that iniquity sits upon a talent of lead, and it is said from the person of a sinner in the thirty-seventh psalm: My iniquities have been lifted up above my head: As a heavy burden, they have been burdened upon me (Psalm 37:5). We pass through things that are manifest, so that we may linger in those that are more obscure and require explanation.
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 1:4
When Isaiah calls them “evil seed,” he does not mean to insult the ancestors of those to whom he was speaking. Rather he was denouncing their own wickedness, just as John the Baptist called the Jewish leaders “a brood of vipers” and the Lord called them “an evil and adulterous generation.” They were called these things because they did not preserve the virtuous life of those who went before them.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Isaiah 1:4 delivers a searing prophetic indictment against the nation of Judah, pronounced by God through the prophet Isaiah. It vividly portrays a people steeped in profound spiritual corruption and moral decay, characterized by a deliberate abandonment of their covenant relationship with the LORD. This verse establishes the pervasive nature of their sin, their contemptuous disregard for God's holiness, and their regressive spiritual journey, setting the stage for the subsequent calls to repentance and warnings of divine judgment throughout the book.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Isaiah 1:4 is rich with literary devices that amplify its message of condemnation and lament. The opening "Ah" (Lament/Exclamation) immediately establishes a tone of profound sorrow and judgment, signaling a divine lament over the people's state. The verse employs powerful Parallelism and Cumulative Language through a series of synonymous and intensifying phrases ("sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters"). This repetition and accumulation of descriptors underscore the pervasive, deep-seated, and multi-faceted nature of Judah's sin, leaving no doubt as to the extent of their moral decay. Metaphor is evident in "laden with iniquity," which visualizes sin as a heavy burden, and "gone away backward," portraying spiritual regression as a physical movement away from God's path, a deliberate turning of one's back. The phrase "provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger" uses Anthropomorphism, attributing human emotion (anger) to God to convey the intensity of His righteous indignation against their rebellion. The use of "Holy One of Israel" also serves as a poignant Irony, as the people who bear the name of Israel, called to be holy and distinct, are actively provoking their holy God by behaving like pagan nations.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 1:4 stands as a foundational text for understanding the Old Testament prophetic message concerning sin and covenant. It articulates the profound spiritual sickness that afflicted Israel, highlighting that their outward religious practice was a hollow shell, masking a deep-seated rebellion against the very God who had chosen and redeemed them. The verse underscores the gravity of sin not merely as a transgression of rules but as a personal affront to the "Holy One of Israel," provoking His righteous anger. This theological truth—that sin is ultimately against God's character and covenant—is central to biblical theology, emphasizing God's unwavering holiness and His demand for genuine faithfulness from His people. The lament over a "sinful nation" and "people laden with iniquity" resonates with the consistent prophetic call for national repentance and a return to the LORD, serving as a stark reminder that divine judgment is the inevitable consequence of persistent apostasy, yet also paving the way for the promise of restoration.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 1:4 serves as a timeless mirror, reflecting the human propensity for spiritual drift and rebellion, even within a covenant relationship with God. For believers today, this verse is a potent call to profound self-examination. Are we, like ancient Judah, merely going through the motions of faith, engaging in outward religious practices while our hearts are "laden with iniquity" or "gone away backward" from genuine devotion? This passage challenges us to confront any areas of spiritual apathy, compromise, or deliberate disobedience that might be provoking the "Holy One of Israel." It reminds us that God's holiness is not a passive attribute but an active force that responds to sin with righteous anger, yet also with a persistent call to repentance. Our response to God's holiness should be one of reverent awe and a desire for true transformation, not merely ritualistic adherence. The cumulative nature of Judah's sin warns us against allowing small compromises to accumulate into a pervasive spiritual sickness. We are called to actively pursue righteousness, justice, and a wholehearted relationship with the LORD, lest we too become a "people laden with iniquity" in His sight, missing the joy and intimacy of His presence.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does it mean that Judah was "laden with iniquity"?
Answer: The phrase "laden with iniquity" (Hebrew: kâbêd with ʻâvôn) means that the nation was heavily burdened or weighed down by their accumulated moral evil, perversity, and guilt. It suggests that sin was not just an occasional act but a pervasive, deep-seated characteristic that defined their collective identity and had become an oppressive load upon them. It speaks to the profound moral corruption that had permeated all levels of society, making them spiritually sick and estranged from God, as also depicted in Isaiah 1:5-6, where their wounds are described.
Why is God referred to as "the Holy One of Israel" in this context?
Answer: The title "the Holy One of Israel" (Hebrew: qâdôwsh Yisrâʼêl) is a prominent designation for God in the book of Isaiah, appearing 25 times. It emphasizes God's unique, transcendent, and morally perfect nature—His absolute separation from all that is common, defiled, or sinful. In Isaiah 1:4, its use highlights the stark contrast between God's perfect holiness and Israel's profound unholiness and rebellion. Their actions of forsaking and provoking Him are an egregious offense against His very character, making His righteous anger understandable. This title serves to underscore the gravity of their sin and the purity of the God they have offended, as seen in other passages like Isaiah 5:16, where His holiness is glorified through justice.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 1:4, with its scathing indictment of a "sinful nation" "laden with iniquity" and having "forsaken the LORD," powerfully sets the stage for the necessity of a Redeemer. The problem of humanity's pervasive sin and rebellion against the "Holy One of Israel" finds its ultimate solution in Jesus Christ. Humanity, like ancient Judah, is inherently "gone away backward" from God's perfect standard, unable to bridge the chasm created by sin. The righteous anger of God, provoked by such contempt, is fully absorbed and satisfied in the person and work of Christ. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, bearing the heavy burden of our iniquity and enduring the divine wrath we deserved (Isaiah 53:5-6). Through His atoning sacrifice, Christ provides the means for sinful humanity to be reconciled to the Holy God, offering forgiveness for those who have "forsaken the LORD" and enabling them to turn from their backward path to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). He is the true "seed" of righteousness, unlike the "seed of evildoers" described in Isaiah, who perfectly fulfilled God's will and offers His perfect righteousness to all who believe, transforming them from "children that are corrupters" into beloved children of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).