Isaiah 1:11-17 NIV,NKJV

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 1:16-20

No return to God's favor without amendment of life. The outward show of religion, which the Israelites maintained, vain and futile as it was, seemed to indicate that they were not wholly irreclaimable—they did not desire to break altogether with God. The prophet, therefore, assumes that they would wish to know the way by which they may remove God's anger, and enter once more into favor with him; and he proceeds to point out that the one and only road open to them is to amend their ways—to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 1:17

Learn to do well. Now comes the positive; first, in the general form" learn," etc.; which resembles the apostle's "Put on the armor of light" ( Romans 13:12 ). Then follow the particulars. Seek judgment ; or, seek out justice ; i.e. endeavor to get justice done to all men; see that they "have right." Relieve the oppressed. So the LXX ; the Vulgate, the Syriac, and the Chaldean Versions. But the word translated "oppressed" is thought by many to mean "oppressor" (Kimchi, Gesenius,... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:11

To what purpose - לי למה lâmâh lı̂y. ‘What is it to me; or what profit or pleasure can I have in them?’ God here replies to an objection which might be urged by the Jews to the representation which had been made of their guilt. The objection would be, that they were strict in the duties of their religion, and that they even abounded in offering victims of sacrifice. God replies in this and the following verses, that all this would be of no use, and would meet with no acceptance, unless it... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:12

When you come to appear before me - The temple was in Jerusalem, and was regarded as the habitation, or dwelling-place, of the God of Israel. Particularly, the most holy place of the temple was deemed the place of his sacred abode. The Shekinah - from שׁכן shâkan, to dwell - the visible symbol of his presence, rested on the cover of the ark, and from this place he was accustomed to commune with his people, and to give responses to their requests. Hence, ‘to appear before God,’ Hebrew ‘to be... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:13

Bring no more - God does not intend absolutely to forbid this kind of worship, but he expresses his strong abhorrence of the manner in which it was done. He desired a better state of mind; he preferred purity of heart to all this external homage.Vain - Hebrew “offering of vanity” - שׁוא shâv' - offerings which were hollow, false, deceitful, and hypocritical.Oblations - מנחת minchath. This word properly denotes a gift, or present, of any kind Genesis 32:13, and then especially a present or... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:14

Your appointed feasts - That is, your assemblies convened on regular set times - מועד mô‛êd, from יעד yâ‛ad, to fix, to appoint. Hengstenberg (Chris. iii. p. 87) has shown that this word (מועדים mô‛ĕdı̂ym) is applied in the Scriptures only to the sabbath, passover, pentecost, day of atonement, and feast of tabernacles. Prof. Alexander, in loc. It is applied to those festivals, because they were fixed by law to certain periods of the year. This verse is a very impressive repetition of the... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:15

Ye spread forth your hands - This is an expression denoting the act of supplication. When we ask for help, we naturally stretch out our hands, as if to receive it. The expression therefore is equivalent to ‘when ye pray, or implore mercy.’ Compare Exodus 9:29; Exodus 17:11-12; 1 Kings 8:22.I will hide mine eyes ... - That is, I will not attend to, or regard your supplications. The Chaldee Paraphrase is, ‘When your priests expand their hands to pray for you.’Your hands ... - This is given as a... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:16

Wash you - This is, of course, to be understood in a moral sense; meaning that they should put away their sins. Sin is represented in the Scriptures as defiling or polluting the soul Ezekiel 20:31; Ezekiel 23:30; Hosea 5:8; Hosea 9:4; and the removal of it is represented by the act of washing; Psalms 51:2 : ‘Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin;’ Jeremiah 4:14 : ‘O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved;’ Job 9:30; 1 Corinthians 6:11;... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:17

Learn to do well - , To learn here is to become accustomed to, to practice it. To do well stands opposed to all kinds of evil. “Seek judgment.” The word “judgment” - משׁפט mishpâṭ - here means justice. The direction refers particularly to magistrates, and it is evident that the prophet had them particularly in his view in all this discourse. Execute justice between man and man with impartiality. The word “seek” - דרשׁוּ dı̂reshû - means to pursue, to search for, as an object to be gained; to... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 1:11-12

Isaiah 1:11-12. To what purpose, &c., your sacrifices unto me? Who am a Spirit, and therefore cannot be satisfied with such carnal oblations, but expect to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, and to have your hearts and lives, as well as your bodies and sacrifices, presented unto me. I delight not in the blood, &c. He mentions the fat and blood, because these were, in a peculiar manner, reserved for God, to intimate that even the best of their sacrifices were rejected by... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 1:16-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 1:17

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:11

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:12

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:13

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:14

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:15

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:16

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 1:17

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 1:11-12

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