Isaiah 1:13 kjv

Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

Isaiah 1:13 nkjv

Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies? I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.

Isaiah 1:13 niv

Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations? I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.

Isaiah 1:13 esv

Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations ? I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

Isaiah 1:13 nlt

Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts;
the incense of your offerings disgusts me!
As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath
and your special days for fasting ?
they are all sinful and false.
I want no more of your pious meetings.

Isaiah 1 verses

Isaiah 1 13 Meaning

Isaiah 1:13 declares God's utter rejection of the superficial and hypocritical religious practices of His people. Their offerings, incense, festivals like New Moons and Sabbaths, and sacred assemblies are no longer acceptable to Him. Instead, these acts are considered "futile," "vain," and an "abomination" because they are performed by those whose hearts are filled with "iniquity" and injustice. God cannot endure the contradiction of outwardly performing religious duties while living in active rebellion against His moral and ethical demands. The verse highlights that true worship demands a sincere heart, righteousness, and obedience, not just the performance of rituals.

Isaiah 1 13 Context

Isaiah 1 serves as a sweeping indictment against Judah and Jerusalem during the 8th century BC, likely a period characterized by external prosperity but internal moral decay. The prophet Isaiah initiates a divine "lawsuit" (rib) where God lays charges against His covenant people. They are portrayed as rebellious children who have abandoned their Lord. Despite their deep-seated corruption and pervasive social injustice, including widespread oppression of the vulnerable and moral degradation, the people diligently observed prescribed religious rituals: bringing offerings, burning incense, celebrating New Moons and Sabbaths, and gathering for holy convocations. They erroneously believed that their formal adherence to these rituals would appease God or maintain their standing with Him, regardless of their unrighteous conduct. Isaiah 1:13 is a direct polemic against this prevailing belief in mere ritualism, emphasizing that outward piety divorced from sincere obedience and righteous living is not only unacceptable but an abomination to the holy God of Israel.

Isaiah 1 13 Word analysis

• Bring no more futile offerings; (lō' tosîpû hābî' minchat shav')

  • lō' tosîpû hābî': "Bring no more" or "Do not continue to bring." This strong imperative signifies a command for the immediate and permanent cessation of these practices, indicating God's profound displeasure.
  • minchat shav': "futile/vain offerings" or "oblations of worthlessness."
    • minchah (מִנְחָה): Refers generally to an offering, often a grain or meal offering, but can encompass various forms of tribute or gift. Here, it denotes worship performed.
    • shav' (שָׁוְא): Means emptiness, vanity, falsehood, or worthlessness. It suggests that the offerings, despite their outward form, convey no substance or truth, being empty gestures in God's eyes. It often connotes deception or taking something in vain (e.g., God's name in Exod 20:7).
    • Significance: God rejects the ritual not because it is inherently bad (it was commanded), but because it has lost its true meaning, becoming empty formalism.

• incense is an abomination to Me. (qetoret to'ēvāh hî' lî)

  • qetoret (קְטֹרֶת): Incense, something burned to produce a sweet aroma as an act of worship. Normally a pleasing element in worship.
  • to'ēvāh (תּוֹעֵבָה): Abomination, a detestable or abhorrent thing. This is one of the strongest words in Hebrew for God's disgust, often associated with things utterly repugnant to His holy nature, such as idolatry, sexual perversion, or social injustice (e.g., Lev 18:22, Prov 6:16).
  • hî' lî: "it is to Me." The phrase "to Me" emphasizes God's personal repulsion.
  • Significance: The incense itself is not evil, but when offered by those living in deep sin, it becomes repugnant to God. The worship act is transformed into something utterly disgusting due to the worshiper's hypocrisy and unrighteousness.

• New moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies— (chōdeš wəšabbat qərō' miqrā')

  • chōdeš (חֹדֶשׁ): New moon. These were significant monthly religious observances, marked by special sacrifices and trumpet blasts (Num 28:11-15).
  • shabbat (שַׁבָּת): Sabbath. The weekly day of rest and holiness, divinely instituted.
  • qərō' miqrā': "calling of assembly" or "calling of convocation."
    • miqrā (מִקְרָא): Convocation, an appointed or holy assembly. This term refers to solemn religious gatherings, particularly the feasts mandated by the Law (e.g., Lev 23, designating days like Passover, Pentecost, Sukkot as "holy convocations").
  • Significance: These are all divinely established rituals and times of worship. God is not rejecting His own commands, but rather the empty performance of them by people whose lives contradict the very holiness and justice these observances are meant to embody and promote.

• I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. (lō'-'ûkal 'āwen wa'ătsārāh)

  • lō'-'ûkal: "I cannot endure," "I cannot bear," or "I am unable." This is an emphatic declaration of God's absolute intolerance for such a situation, signifying His holy inability to accommodate or overlook this incongruity.
  • 'āwen (אָוֶן): Iniquity, wickedness, moral evil, trouble, or perversity. This term points to severe moral transgression and injustice.
  • wa'ătsārāh: "and the sacred meeting" or "and the solemn assembly."
    • 'ătsārāh (עֲצָרָה): An assembly, especially a solemn gathering or festival (Deut 16:8).
  • Significance: This is the core reason for God's rejection: the juxtaposition of deep-seated iniquity (āwen) with the sacred assembly ('ătsārāh). God cannot tolerate the pollution of His holy convocations by the unrighteousness and corruption of those who participate. The phrase implies that sin makes the very act of worship, no matter how outwardly proper, unbearable to the Holy God.

Isaiah 1 13 Bonus section

This powerful verse sets a foundational theme not only for Isaiah but for much of the prophetic tradition and eventually the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. It dismantles the false theology that a transactional relationship with God, based on merely fulfilling religious duties, is sufficient. God consistently emphasizes the heart's condition above all external observances. His abhorrence of "iniquity and the sacred meeting" means He is not fooled by outward shows of piety; He looks upon the heart. This principle serves as a timeless challenge for believers to examine their own lives, ensuring that their worship, actions, and character are consistently aligned with the holy and just nature of God.

Isaiah 1 13 Commentary

Isaiah 1:13 succinctly captures God's indignation against religious hypocrisy. It reveals that the mere outward performance of religious rituals, even those divinely commanded, holds no value when detached from inner sincerity, genuine righteousness, and obedience to God's covenantal demands. The offerings become "futile," the incense an "abomination," and the sacred festivals a burden, because the hearts of the worshipers are alienated from God, steeped in injustice and wickedness. God's holiness is so absolute that He "cannot endure" the defilement of sacred worship by those who are steeped in sin. This verse is a prophetic insistence that God desires righteousness in life over ritual in isolation, and a clean heart over clean hands, emphasizing that true devotion is expressed through transformed character and ethical living, rather than just ceremonial adherence. For instance, attending religious services while actively engaged in deceptive practices, exploiting the vulnerable, or harboring malice would be akin to the "iniquity and the sacred meeting" God could not endure.