Isaiah 5 13

Isaiah 5:13 kjv

Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

Isaiah 5:13 nkjv

Therefore my people have gone into captivity, Because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up with thirst.

Isaiah 5:13 niv

Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding; those of high rank will die of hunger and the common people will be parched with thirst.

Isaiah 5:13 esv

Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst.

Isaiah 5:13 nlt

So my people will go into exile far away
because they do not know me.
Those who are great and honored will starve,
and the common people will die of thirst.

Isaiah 5 verses

Isaiah 5 13 Meaning

My people are taken into exile because they lack knowledge. Those of high standing will suffer from hunger, and the multitudes will perish from thirst. This verse highlights the consequence of spiritual ignorance, leading to devastating loss and suffering. The people's departure from God results in a loss of provision and divine protection.

Isaiah 5 13 Context

This verse is part of the wider oracle in Isaiah chapters 5-12 concerning judgment against Judah and surrounding nations. Specifically, chapter 5 is structured as a song of God's beloved, describing His vineyard (Israel) which produced wild grapes instead of good fruit. This rejection of God's care and law leads to inevitable judgment. The immediate context of verse 13 is part of a series of woes pronounced upon Israel for their various sins, particularly their rejection of God's prophets and His Word, leading to spiritual blindness and exile. Historically, this prophecy speaks to the consequences that would eventually lead to the Babylonian exile of Judah. The prophet is addressing a people who have been repeatedly called to repentance but have instead fallen into deeper sin and ignorance of God's ways.

Isaiah 5 13 Word Analysis

• “So” (וְעַל־כֵּן - wə‘al-kên) - Connective particle, meaning "and therefore" or "so," indicating a result or consequence of preceding actions or conditions.
• “my people” (עַמִּי - ‘ammî) - Possessive form of ‘am, meaning "my nation" or "my people." This refers to Israel, God’s chosen covenant people, but tragically, they are now characterized by a lack of knowledge.
• “are” (גָּלוּ - gālû) - Verb "to go into exile" or "to be carried away captive." The future passive imperfect form implies a consequence that will surely come.
• “without” (מִבְּלִי - mib-bəlî) - A preposition indicating absence or lack.
• “knowledge” (דַּעַת - dā‘at) - Knowledge, understanding, skill, recognition. This isn't just factual information, but experiential knowledge and understanding of God's will and ways. The absence here is profound spiritual ignorance and a willful turning away from understanding God's law.
• “and” (וְ— - wə-) - Conjunction.
• “their” (גְּדוֹלִים - gəḏōlîm) - Adjective meaning "great," "mighty," or "noble." Refers to the prominent men, leaders, or important figures.
• “magnates” (חֵלֶב - ḥêlēḇ) - Literally "fat," metaphorically "fatness" or "prime," signifying the wealthy, powerful, or those who live in luxury. It denotes the elite and affluent.
• “shall be” (רָעֵב - rā‘ēḇ) - Adjective meaning "hungry."
• “hungry” (וּמוֹתְתוּ - wūmōwtēṯû) - And they shall die (from thirst/exile), causative hiphil of mvt (to die) with future tense ending indicating inevitability.
• “and” (וּבְּלִי —wəḇal—) - And their "magnates" (or great men, i.e., the elite).
• “their” (רָב —rāḇ—) - Adjective meaning "many" or "multitude."
• “multitudes” (צוֹמֵא —ṣōmē’—) - Adjective meaning "thirsty."
• “shall be” (וּמֵתוּ —wəmētû—) - And they shall die (from thirst). This refers to the common people or the masses.
• “thirsty” (בִּצְמָא —biṣmā—) - By thirst or with thirst.

Word Group Analysis:The phrase "without knowledge" (מִבְּלִי דַּעַת - mib-bəlî dā‘at) points to a deeper failure than just ignorance; it's an epistemological crisis rooted in a spiritual apostasy. The leaders ("magnates") and the multitudes are both affected by this lack, leading to distinct yet related consequences: hunger and thirst, signifying total deprivation and death resulting from their estrangement from the source of life and sustenance, who is God.

Isaiah 5 13 Bonus Section

This verse strongly echoes themes found throughout Scripture concerning the consequences of spiritual blindness and rejection of God. In the New Testament, Jesus similarly speaks of the spiritual poverty of those who do not recognize Him or His time (Luke 19:42), and His warnings against self-sufficiency mirror Isaiah's depiction of the proud leaders who will fall. The concept of spiritual hunger and thirst finds fulfillment in Jesus’ own pronouncements, where He declares Himself the Bread of Life and the living water, offering true sustenance to those who believe in Him (John 6:35; John 7:37). The "lack of knowledge" is therefore remedied through faith in Christ, who is the embodiment of wisdom and the revealer of God.

Isaiah 5 13 Commentary

Isaiah 5:13 reveals a direct cause-and-effect relationship between spiritual ignorance and national downfall. Israel's rejection of divine wisdom and covenant obedience leads to exile. The loss is comprehensive, affecting both the elite ("magnates") and the common people ("multitudes"). Hunger and thirst are not merely physical deprivations but symbolize the soul's starvation when cut off from God, the sustainer of life. This lack of knowledge (דַּעַת - dā‘at) signifies more than intellectual deficiency; it's an inability to discern God’s will and respond faithfully, a consequence of their pervasive sin. The verse starkly contrasts the societal positions of the people, showing that judgment for spiritual unfaithfulness affects all levels of society, leaving them all subject to desolation and death. The ultimate cause of their suffering is their spiritual blindness.