Isaiah 57 11

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 verses

Isaiah 57 11 meaning

Isaiah 57:11 is a powerful rhetorical question from God to His people, Judah/Israel, exposing their spiritual apathy, idolatry, and profound forgetfulness of Him. He questions who or what they genuinely feared, contrasting it with their practice of deception and neglect of His presence in their lives. The core accusation is that they had twisted God's long-standing patience and silence—which was intended to lead to repentance—into a reason for their continued disregard and lack of reverence for Him, mistakenly viewing His restraint as a sign of indifference or inability.

Isaiah 57 11 Context

Isaiah 57 opens with a lament over the righteous who are perishing while the unrighteous prosper. The chapter swiftly shifts to a stark indictment of Judah's widespread idolatry and spiritual depravity, vividly portraying the people as an adulterous wife or harlot, engaged in various pagan rites, including child sacrifice and worshipping idols under every green tree and on high places. Their confidence was placed in human alliances and false gods, completely neglecting their covenant with Yahweh. In this context, verse 11 confronts the underlying spiritual sickness: their deliberate forgetting of God, their deceitful ways, and their dangerous misinterpretation of God's prolonged silence. This passage sets the stage for both judgment against their wickedness and a future promise of grace for the humble and repentant. Historically, this aligns with the period leading up to and during the Babylonian exile, where idolatry was a rampant problem in Judah.

Isaiah 57 11 Word analysis

• Whom have you dreaded and feared (מִי־יָגֹ֤רְתְּ וַתִּירְאִי֙ - mi yāgōrǝt wa-tîrǝ’î): The interrogative "Whom" (מִי - mi) highlights the ironic contrast. God questions the object of their true fear. "Dreaded" (יָגֹרְתְּ - yāgōrǝt) signifies a fearful anticipation or apprehension of harm. "Feared" (וַתִּירְאִי - wa-tîrǝ’î) denotes a deeper, reverential fear or awe, usually directed towards God. The implied answer is that they feared anything but the true God – perhaps human powers, false gods, or worldly consequences – leading to their disloyalty to Yahweh. This is a rhetorical question exposing their misdirected priorities.
• so that you lied (כִּ֥י תְכַחֵ֖שִׁי - kî ṯəḵaḥēšî): The word kāḥash (כַחֵשׁ) means "to deal falsely," "to deny," "to disappoint." This implies their deceit was a direct consequence of their misdirected fear. They lived a lie, pretending allegiance while pursuing idolatry, denying God His rightful place. This deception was both outward in their practices and inward in their heart attitude.
• and did not remember Me (וְאֹתִ֛י לֹ֥א זָכַ֖רְתְּ - wə-ōṯî lō’ zāḵart): "Remember" (זָכַר - zāḵar) in Hebrew tradition is not merely a mental recollection but a practical, active acknowledgment, involving covenant fidelity, acting in accordance with what is remembered. Not remembering God meant they did not acknowledge His sovereignty, His commandments, or His covenant relationship with them in their daily lives.
• nor give Me a thought (לֹא־שַׂ֥מְתְּ עַל־לֵ֖ב - lō’-śamət ‘al-lēḇ): Literally "not put upon heart." This phrase means not to take something seriously, to pay no attention to, to disregard. It points to a profound indifference and lack of serious consideration for God's presence, will, or warnings. It goes beyond forgetfulness to active disinterest and dismissal.
• Is it not because I have held My peace (הֲלֹ֞א מֵעֹלָ֤ם אֲנִי֙ מַחֲרִ֣ישׁ - hălō’ mē‘ōlām ’ănî maḥărîš): This is another rhetorical question, pinpointing the reason for their lack of fear. "Held My peace" (מַחֲרִישׁ - maḥărîš) means to be silent, to be quiet, to not intervene, often implying restraint from judgment or direct communication. God's prolonged silence or patience was dangerously misinterpreted.
• for a long time (מֵעֹלָ֤ם - mē‘ōlām): This word indicates "from antiquity," "perpetually," "for a very long time." It emphasizes the extended duration of God's patience, suggesting His enduring nature and consistent long-suffering throughout their history.
• that you do not fear Me? (וְאֹתִ֥י לֹא־תִירָֽאִי - wə-ōṯî lō’-tîrā’î): This circles back to the initial rhetorical question, completing the argument. Their misinterpretation of God's long silence as either indifference or impotence led directly to their practical godlessness – their failure to acknowledge, reverence, or obey Him. It's a contrast between who they feared (mi) and who they didn't fear (Yahweh).

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "Whom have you dreaded and feared...so that you lied": This pairing directly links their misplaced fear to their deceitful actions. They prioritize fearing something other than God (men, idols, political powers), leading them to betray their covenant by outwardly professing loyalty to God while inwardly and practically pursuing sin and other gods.
• "and did not remember Me, nor give Me a thought?": This emphasizes the two facets of their neglect: not actively recalling God's past works or commands, and not seriously considering Him in their present choices. This represents a deep-seated spiritual amnesia and indifference, demonstrating a complete rupture in their relationship with Him.
• "Is it not because I have held My peace for a long time that you do not fear Me?": This crucial link reveals the insidious way sin works. God's divine patience, an expression of His grace and a call to repentance, was instead twisted by His people. They saw His lack of immediate intervention or communication not as grace, but as an absence of power, knowledge, or concern, which consequently emboldened their disobedience and extinguished any true reverence they should have held for Him.

Isaiah 57 11 Bonus section

The rhetorical questions in Isaiah 57:11 are powerful literary devices designed to force the audience to confront their actions and their distorted understanding of God. By asking "Whom have you dreaded and feared?" and then stating "you do not fear Me," God highlights the inversion of their values and the misplaced objects of their devotion. The imagery here of Israel/Judah as an adulterous wife or harlot, pervasive in Hosea, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, is deeply embedded in the context of Isaiah 57, further emphasizing the spiritual betrayal implicit in their idolatry and their 'lying' or dealing falsely with God. This divine patience, though ultimately leading to judgment if unheeded, simultaneously holds out the hope of restoration for those who respond with genuine fear and humility, a theme that surfaces later in Isaiah.

Isaiah 57 11 Commentary

Isaiah 57:11 lays bare the heart of Judah's apostasy: a profound spiritual amnesia and misinterpretation of divine patience. The people had effectively chosen to fear man and idols more than the Omnipotent God, evidenced by their hypocritical and deceitful religious practices. Their "forgetting" of God was not a lapse of memory, but a deliberate neglect of covenant obligation and personal relationship, choosing to not take God seriously. Most critically, they rationalized their sin based on God's "long silence." Instead of His non-intervention leading them to repentance (Rom 2:4), it fostered a dangerous presumption and a complete lack of proper fear, effectively seeing God's patience as approval or weakness. This verse is a stern warning against underestimating divine holiness and twisting grace into a license for impiety.

• Example: A child who, when a parent does not immediately scold them for a misdeed, interprets that silence as a lack of awareness or care, and proceeds to commit even worse actions without consequence.