Isaiah 57:11 kjv
And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?
Isaiah 57:11 nkjv
"And of whom have you been afraid, or feared, That you have lied And not remembered Me, Nor taken it to your heart? Is it not because I have held My peace from of old That you do not fear Me?
Isaiah 57:11 niv
"Whom have you so dreaded and feared that you have not been true to me, and have neither remembered me nor taken this to heart? Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear me?
Isaiah 57:11 esv
Whom did you dread and fear, so that you lied, and did not remember me, did not lay it to heart? Have I not held my peace, even for a long time, and you do not fear me?
Isaiah 57:11 nlt
"Are you afraid of these idols?
Do they terrify you?
Is that why you have lied to me
and forgotten me and my words?
Is it because of my long silence
that you no longer fear me?
Isaiah 57 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 57:11 | "Whom then have you feared and lied to, and forgotten me..." | direct parallel |
| Jeremiah 2:32 | "My people have forgotten me days without number." | forgetting God |
| Jeremiah 3:20 | "But as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so you have treacherously dealt with me..." | unfaithfulness, treacherous dealing |
| Hosea 1:2 | "Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and children of whoredom..." | imagery of whoredom for spiritual unfaithfulness |
| Ezekiel 16:36 | "And because of your renown, your iniquity was published, because you committed whoredom with supporters..." | whoredom, seeking allies |
| Romans 1:25 | "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator..." | exchanging truth for falsehood |
| Hebrews 3:12 | "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God." | falling away from God, unbelief |
| Deuteronomy 28:14 | "and you shall not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right or to the left..." | turning aside from God's commands |
| Psalm 106:21 | "They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt..." | forgetting God's deeds |
| Jeremiah 5:7 | "How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by those who are no gods. And when I fed them to the full, they committed adultery..." | forsaking God, adultery, false gods |
| Micah 6:11 | "Can I uphold unjust scales and bags of deceitful weights?" | deception, injustice |
| Romans 1:18 | "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness..." | ungodliness, unrighteousness, suppressing truth |
| 1 John 2:16 | "For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world." | desires of the world |
| James 4:4 | "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?" | friendship with the world as enmity with God |
| Isaiah 30:3 | "Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and the trust in the shade of Egypt your confusion." | trusting in human strength/nations |
| Isaiah 42:17 | "They shall turn backward and be put to shame those who trust in carved idols, who say to molten images, 'You are our gods.'" | trusting in idols |
| Deuteronomy 32:17 | "They sacrificed to demons that are not God, to gods that they had not known, to new gods that had recently come up..." | sacrificing to demons, unknown gods |
| Isaiah 9:14 | "So the LORD cuts off from Israel head and tail, palm shoot and reed in one day;" | divine judgment |
| Isaiah 1:3 | "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand." | lack of understanding, not knowing God |
| Ezekiel 23:5 | "And Aholibah played the harlot when she was mine, and she lusted after her lovers, O neighours of Egypt..." | lusting after lovers, foreign nations |
| Proverbs 14:16 | "A wise man fears the Lord and turns away from evil, but a fool is hot-headed and reckless." | fear of God vs. recklessness |
| Galatians 5:4 | "You are severed from Christ, you who seek to be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace." | falling away from grace |
Isaiah 57 verses
Isaiah 57 11 Meaning
This verse speaks of Israel's persistent spiritual unfaithfulness, akin to a woman who eagerly pursues lovers, rather than remaining devoted to her husband. It highlights their seeking of false comfort and validation from other nations and their gods, rather than from God alone.
Isaiah 57 11 Context
This verse is found within Isaiah chapter 57, a chapter that strongly condemns the religious hypocrisy and idolatry prevalent in Judah. The prophet Isaiah addresses the people of Judah who have returned from exile or continue to live in spiritual adultery. They are engaging in outward religious practices but inwardly they have turned away from the LORD, seeking security and alliance with foreign nations (Egypt and Assyria are often implied) and their gods, instead of trusting in God alone. This pursuit of misplaced trust is described as a form of spiritual whoredom and forgetfulness of God's covenant and faithfulness. The verse speaks to the deeply ingrained tendency of the people to seek security and validation in worldly systems and practices rather than in their covenant God, leading to a fundamental lie about where true strength and salvation lie.
Isaiah 57 11 Word Analysis
Whom: (מִ֤י - mi) - Interrogative pronoun, asking for identification of the object of fear, lie, and forgetfulness.
then: (אִתּ֔וֹ - itto) - Could also be translated as "with Him" or "among them." It signifies a cause or association with a previous state or action. Here it might connect to their previous actions or affiliations.
you: (אַ֛תְּ - at) - Feminine singular pronoun, indicating that this accusation is directly addressed to the nation of Judah as a collective entity, personified as a woman.
feared: (יְרֵאָ֣ה - yare'ah) - From the root (ירא - yare), meaning to fear, to be in awe, or to be afraid. In this context, it speaks of a reverence or trust misplaced in something or someone other than God.
and: (וְ - ve) - Conjunction.
lied: (וַתְּכַזְּבִי - vattekazbi) - From the root (כזב - kazab), meaning to lie, deceive. It implies a deliberate falsification or betrayal of their commitment.
and: (וַתִּשְׁכֳּחִי - vatisht'kachi) - From the root (שכח - shakhach), meaning to forget, to neglect.
me: (אוֹתִ֥י - othi) - Pronoun of the first person, referring to God Himself.
have you forgotten, (שְׁכַ֥חַת - shikh'ah) - Again from (שכח - shakhach), emphasizing the act of forgetting God and His covenant.
the LORD: (אֶת־יהוה — et YHWH) - The covenant name of God, indicating that it is the LORD Himself, their redeemer and protector, who has been forgotten.
your: (אֲדֹנָיִ֑ךְ — 'ad'nayikh) - Possessive pronoun.
heart: (לֵב — lev) - Represents the inner being, the seat of intellect, will, and emotion.
did not: (לֹ֣א — lo) - Negation.
lay: (עָלַ֥יו — 'alav) - Literally "upon him." It can imply leaning on, setting trust in, or depending on.
to heart, (תָּשִׁיתִי — tashiti) - From the root (שִׁית - shith), meaning to lay to heart, to set attention, to consider, or to incline. It conveys a deep consideration or concern for something.
Words Group Analysis:
- "Whom then you feared and lied to, and have you forgotten me:" This group of verbs – feared, lied, forgotten – outlines the sequence and nature of their betrayal. Fear of other powers led to lies (denial of allegiance to God) and forgetting Him.
- "my heart did not lay to heart": This phrase speaks to a profound lack of deep, internal reflection and remembrance of God. Their hearts were not engaged with God's presence or His commands.
Isaiah 57 11 Bonus Section
This verse touches upon a consistent theme throughout the Old Testament: Israel’s tendency to look to foreign powers (like Egypt, Assyria, or Babylon) for security rather than relying on God. This seeking of alliances is often depicted as spiritual harlotry. The "lying" is also a critical aspect, as it represents a denial of God’s sovereignty and their covenant commitment. The act of forgetting God is a consequence of this misplaced trust; when one actively seeks and leans upon other sources of security, the memory and significance of God naturally fade. This passage serves as a potent warning against any form of dependence on anything or anyone other than the Creator.
Isaiah 57 11 Commentary
The verse uses strong language of marital infidelity to describe Israel's relationship with God. They feared and trusted in worldly powers and human alliances, which were ultimately lies and deceptions compared to God's unfailing promises. This misplaced fear led them to "lie" by denying their covenant loyalty and to "forget" God. The crux of the problem is not just external actions but a deep-seated failure of the "heart" – their inner disposition was not set towards God. They failed to consider God, to remember His love, His actions in their history, and His constant presence with them. This forgetting signifies a profound spiritual disconnect, choosing the false promises of earthly powers over the true covenant of the LORD. The verse is a powerful indictment against self-reliance and prioritizing immediate, tangible securities over the ultimate security found in a living relationship with God. It’s a reminder that true wisdom and safety come from reverencing and remembering God, not from seeking refuge in deceptive alliances.