Isaiah 3:8 kjv
For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
Isaiah 3:8 nkjv
For Jerusalem stumbled, And Judah is fallen, Because their tongue and their doings Are against the LORD, To provoke the eyes of His glory.
Isaiah 3:8 niv
Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence.
Isaiah 3:8 esv
For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence.
Isaiah 3:8 nlt
For Jerusalem will stumble,
and Judah will fall,
because they speak out against the LORD and refuse to obey him.
They provoke him to his face.
Isaiah 3 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 5:24 | "Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble and as the dry grass sinks...because they have rejected the law of the LORD..." | Their rejection of God's law leads to severe judgment. |
| Deut 31:27 | "For I know your rebellion and your stubborn neck... how much more after my death!" | Moses warned Israel of their inherent rebellion. |
| Num 14:11 | "And the LORD said to Moses: 'How long will these people despise Me? And how long will they not believe Me...'" | The people's unbelief is a direct defiance of God. |
| Deut 9:7-8 | "Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness..." | Israel's history is marked by consistent provocation. |
| Ps 78:40-41 | "How often they provoked Him in the wilderness... Yes, again and again they tempted God..." | Continual rebellion against God's care. |
| Ps 50:19 | "You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit." | Sin is expressed through perverse and deceptive speech. |
| Prov 6:17 | "...a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood..." | The destructive nature of falsehoods. |
| Jam 3:6 | "The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body..." | The tongue's profound capacity for evil and corruption. |
| Rom 1:29-32 | "being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality... knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death..." | A comprehensive list of evil deeds in human depravity. |
| Eph 5:11 | "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." | Believers are to shun and condemn wicked actions. |
| Tit 3:3 | "For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy..." | Description of humanity's former sinful nature and deeds. |
| Jer 5:25 | "Your iniquities have turned these things away, And your sins have withheld good from you." | Sin directly causes the withdrawal of God's blessings. |
| Ezek 20:28 | "So I lifted My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles..." | God's determined judgment against Israel for rebellion. |
| Hos 14:1 | "O Israel, return to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity." | Iniquity is identified as the direct cause of stumbling. |
| Hab 1:13 | "You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on perversity..." | God's absolute holiness prevents Him from condoning sin. |
| Ps 11:4 | "The LORD is in His holy temple; The LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men." | God is omniscient and observes all human conduct. |
| Isa 65:3 | "A people who provoke Me to My face continually..." | Ongoing, open defiance directed toward God. |
| Zeph 3:2 | "She has not obeyed His voice, She has not received correction; She has not trusted in the LORD..." | Lack of obedience and responsiveness to divine instruction. |
| 2 Chr 36:16 | "But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose..." | Extreme and escalating defiance led to irreversible judgment. |
| Neh 9:26 | "Nevertheless they were disobedient And rebelled against You, Cast Your law behind their backs..." | Active rejection of God's divine law. |
| John 3:19 | "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." | Evil deeds as a basis for condemnation in the New Testament. |
| 1 Pet 4:17 | "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God..." | Judgment starting with God's people for their disobedience. |
| Rom 2:4-5 | "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness... storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God?" | Willful disregard for God's grace accumulates divine wrath. |
| Heb 10:26-27 | "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins..." | Grave consequences of intentional, knowing sin in the New Covenant. |
Isaiah 3 verses
Isaiah 3 8 Meaning
Isaiah 3:8 declares that the cities of Jerusalem and the entire kingdom of Judah are in a state of ruin and collapse due to their severe spiritual rebellion. Their downfall is directly attributed to both their defiant words and their wicked actions, which were openly committed against the Lord God, provocatively affronting His holy and majestic presence.
Isaiah 3 8 Context
Isaiah 3:8 is part of Isaiah's early prophecies, particularly chapters 2-5, which delineate Judah's imminent judgment. The preceding verses (Isa 3:1-7) illustrate a catastrophic breakdown of leadership and societal order in Jerusalem and Judah, marked by the removal of capable figures and their replacement by oppressive and immature rulers. This social collapse is presented as a direct consequence of their pervasive sin. The broader context of the chapter vividly portrays the rampant pride, luxury, and moral decay that infiltrated all segments of society, from leaders to common citizens and even the women (Isa 3:16-24). Verse 8 then provides the theological foundation for the impending desolation detailed throughout the surrounding text, clarifying that the judgment is a divine response to their actions. Historically, this prophecy was likely delivered during a period of relative peace and prosperity in Judah, during the reigns of kings like Uzziah and Jotham, suggesting that the impending judgment stemmed from internal spiritual corruption rather than immediate external threats.
Isaiah 3 8 Word analysis
- For (כִּי, ki): This causal conjunction indicates that what follows is the reason or explanation for the societal breakdown and divine judgment described earlier in the chapter. It highlights the divine justification for Judah's dire state.
- Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַ֖ם, Yerushalaim): Represents not only the physical capital but also the symbolic and spiritual heart of the nation. It signifies that even the holy city, where God’s Temple resided, was deeply implicated in the national apostasy and thus subject to judgment.
- stumbled (כָּשְׁלָ֥ה, kashlah): From the verb kashal (כָּשַׁל), meaning to stumble, totter, or fall. It implies a moral and spiritual failure that has destabilized the nation, leading to an inability to stand firm against external or internal pressures, ultimately foreshadowing ruin.
- Judah (וִֽיהוּדָ֖ה, viHudah): Refers to the entire Southern Kingdom, extending the scope of the indictment beyond Jerusalem to encompass all its people and territories. This indicates a widespread moral decay affecting the whole nation.
- has fallen (נָפָ֑ל, nafal): From the verb naphal (נָפַל), meaning to fall, collapse, or be prostrate. Stronger than "stumbled," it signifies a complete collapse, utter ruin, or destruction, conveying the severity and inevitability of the impending divine judgment.
- because (כִּי, ki): A reiteration of the causal conjunction, emphatically reinforcing that Judah's downfall is directly attributable to their subsequent actions. It removes any doubt about the basis of their judgment.
- their tongue (לְשׁוֹנָם֙, leshonam): Refers to their speech, words, and verbal expressions. This encompasses various forms of sin, including lies, boasts, false accusations, blasphemy, and defying God's explicit commands and prophetic words.
- and their deeds (וּמַ֣עֲלְלֵיהֶ֔ם, u'ma'al'leihem): From ma'alal (מַעֲלָל), denoting actions, practices, or conduct. This includes their social injustice, idolatry, moral depravity, oppression, and all other forms of unrighteous behavior that violated God's covenant.
- are against the Lord (אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה, el YHWH): Clearly states that their transgressions were not mere ethical lapses but direct acts of rebellion and antagonism specifically directed against YHWH, the covenant God of Israel. This emphasizes the personal offense against the Divine.
- to provoke / defying (לְהַמְרוֹת֙, lehamrot): From marah (מָרָה), meaning to be rebellious, disobedient, or to resist. The Hiphil infinitive indicates an active, willful, and intentional act of challenging or enraging God, highlighting the deliberate and presumptuous nature of their sin.
- His glorious presence / the eyes of His glory (אֶת־עֵינֵ֣י כְבוֹדֽוֹ, et einei k'vodo): A vivid anthropomorphic idiom signifying God's all-seeing, holy, and majestic omnipresence. To "provoke the eyes of His glory" means to commit sin blatantly, without shame or fear, directly in the very sight of God’s awe-inspiring holiness, showing utter disregard for His divine authority and pure nature. This makes their sin an exceptionally grave affront.
Isaiah 3 8 Bonus section
- The Intentionality of Sin: The phrasing "to provoke / defying His glorious presence" moves beyond simple transgression to intentional affront. It suggests Judah's sins were not accidental or due to ignorance, but were committed with a knowledge of God's holy character and yet in direct opposition to it. This highlights the elevated severity of their wickedness, where spiritual arrogance accompanies disobedience.
- Sovereignty in Judgment: The immediate linkage between their sin and their ruin ("For... because...") clearly asserts God's sovereign hand in judgment. It is not merely that Judah collapses; rather, their collapse is directly and justly inflicted by the Lord as a consequence of their defiance. This maintains the biblical understanding that God is actively involved in history, rewarding righteousness and punishing sin.
- Warning Against False Security: This verse serves as a powerful polemic against the false security many in Judah felt due to their covenant relationship with God and the presence of the Temple in Jerusalem. It unequivocally demonstrates that proximity to God's presence or membership in His covenant people does not provide immunity from judgment when coupled with persistent, open rebellion. True relationship demands righteous living, both in word and deed, demonstrating reverence for His glorious presence.
Isaiah 3 8 Commentary
Isaiah 3:8 serves as the profound rationale for the judgments previously detailed and those to follow in the prophecy. It concisely attributes Jerusalem and Judah’s ruin and fall directly to their intentional and comprehensive rebellion. This rebellion was evident not just in their explicit sinful actions (their "deeds") but also in their defiant words (their "tongue"). Critically, these offenses were not random or ignorant transgressions, but were consciously directed "against the Lord" himself. The most egregious aspect was that these sins were committed with the explicit purpose of "defying His glorious presence," indicating a brazen disregard for God's holiness, His watchful omnipotence, and His sovereign majesty. This points to a deeply ingrained spiritual sickness that permeated the very core of the nation, illustrating that a people's deliberate and unrepentant rebellion against God inevitably leads to divine judgment and ruin. This powerful statement underscores God's unwavering righteousness in punishing sin, even among His chosen people.