Isaiah 57 5

Isaiah 57:5 kjv

Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?

Isaiah 57:5 nkjv

Inflaming yourselves with gods under every green tree, Slaying the children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the rocks?

Isaiah 57:5 niv

You burn with lust among the oaks and under every spreading tree; you sacrifice your children in the ravines and under the overhanging crags.

Isaiah 57:5 esv

you who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?

Isaiah 57:5 nlt

You worship your idols with great passion
beneath the oaks and under every green tree.
You sacrifice your children down in the valleys,
among the jagged rocks in the cliffs.

Isaiah 57 verses

Isaiah 57 5 meaning

Isaiah 57:5 exposes the deep spiritual infidelity and abhorrent practices of the people of Judah, particularly their engagement in idolatry. It condemns their fervent, lustful devotion to pagan gods, which manifested in ritualistic acts often associated with fertility cults, performed in natural settings such as groves of oaks and under green trees. The most horrifying aspect denounced is the practice of child sacrifice, explicitly stating the slaying of children in secluded valleys and rock clefts. This verse paints a vivid picture of spiritual adultery, contrasting sharply with the covenant relationship God desired with His people.

Isaiah 57 5 Context

Isaiah 57 stands within a section of Isaiah that often shifts between judgment and comfort. This chapter particularly addresses the spiritual degradation and hypocrisy prevalent in Judah. While the righteous often suffer and die unnoticed, the wicked thrive in their apostasy. Verse 5 is a stark accusation directed at those who abandon the Lord for pagan deities and practices. Historically, this period reflects Judah's repeated cycles of syncretism, where elements of the Lord's worship were mixed with or supplanted by Canaanite fertility cults, Assyrian idolatry, and other pagan rituals, especially during the reigns of kings like Ahaz and Manasseh. These practices were rooted in a desire for material prosperity and security outside of God's covenant, leading to actions profoundly offensive to Him. The immediate context of Isaiah 57 details Judah's relentless pursuit of other gods, her insatiable spiritual appetite for unholy practices, and her defiance of the true God.

Isaiah 57 5 Word analysis

• Enflaming yourselves (נַחֲמִים naḥămîm from ḥāmam): The Hebrew literally means "making yourselves hot," conveying intense passion, fervent desire, and lust. In this context, it speaks of becoming ardently aroused in an illicit, pagan religious fervor. It often implied cultic prostitution and sexually charged rituals intended to awaken fertility in the land or among the worshipers, as was common in Baal and Asherah cults.
• among the oaks, under every green tree (בָּאֵלִים תַּחַת כָּל־עֵץ רַעֲנָן bā'ēlîm taḥat kol-'ēṣ raʿănān): "Oaks" (אֵלִים 'ēlîm) could refer to specific sacred trees or, more broadly, to "strong ones" or "gods" if translated differently. The KJV "idols" interprets this based on common practice. "Every green tree" is a well-established biblical idiom (Deut 12:2, 1 Kgs 14:23, Jer 2:20) for locations of pagan worship. These natural groves, often on high places, were chosen for their perceived sacredness, where fertility rituals and other pagan rites were conducted. It highlights the widespread and deeply ingrained nature of this apostasy.
• slaying the children (שֹׁחֲטֵי הַיְלָדִים šōḥăṭê haylādîm): A blunt and horrific description of child sacrifice. This practice, strictly forbidden by God (Lev 18:21, Deut 12:31), involved offering one's offspring to pagan deities like Molech, usually by burning them alive. It represents the pinnacle of human depravity and spiritual rebellion, a desperate act seeking divine favor or averting perceived wrath from false gods.
• in the valleys, under the clifts of the rocks (בַּנְּחָלִים תַּחַת סְעִיפֵי הַסְּלָעִים bannəḥālîm taḥat səʿîpê hassəlāʿîm): "Valleys" (nəḥālîm) refers to wadis or ravines, often isolated. The Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) near Jerusalem was notorious for Molech worship (Jer 7:31). "Clifts of the rocks" or "crevices of the rocks" describes secluded, often dark, and hidden places. These locations emphasize the secrecy, shame, and often gruesome nature of these abominable rituals, far from the public eye but known to God.

• "Enflaming yourselves... under every green tree": This phrase groups the intense spiritual adultery (lustful pagan devotion) with the typical settings of Canaanite fertility cults, symbolizing Israel's embracing of foreign religious practices and rites.
• "slaying the children in the valleys... under the clifts of the rocks": This pairing directly connects the heinous act of child sacrifice with the hidden, desolate places where such atrocities were committed, indicating both the horror of the deed and the moral darkness in which it occurred.

Isaiah 57 5 Bonus section

The mention of "oaks" and "green trees" points to the attraction of these natural symbols for pagan worship, often tied to perceived power and life-giving forces of nature rather than the Creator. This was a direct contrast to true worship in Jerusalem. The Hebrew verb ḥāmam (to be hot, enflamed) can also carry implications of acting fiercely or violently in passion, further emphasizing the extreme and uncontrolled nature of their idolatry. This behavior represents a deep spiritual sickness where the very essence of life and fertility, children, became offerings of death, ironically, to false gods believed to bring life. It shows how profoundly idolatry inverts true values, ultimately demanding the most precious sacrifices from its devotees while delivering only desolation and judgment from God.

Isaiah 57 5 Commentary

Isaiah 57:5 delivers a powerful indictment against Judah's profound apostasy. It highlights a people whose spiritual fervor, instead of being directed towards their covenant God, was lustfully consumed by pagan worship. The phrase "enflaming yourselves" depicts an insatiable, passionate devotion, often involving licentious rites under "every green tree" – common settings for fertility cults to Baal and Asherah. Yet, the darkest indictment follows: they not only engaged in spiritual prostitution but culminated their idolatry in the horrific act of "slaying the children." This unspeakable cruelty, often perpetrated in desolate "valleys" like Topheth and concealed "clifts of the rocks," underscores the moral and spiritual depths to which the nation had fallen. This verse stands as a stark reminder of the corrupting nature of idolatry, demonstrating how deviation from God leads to practices that are not only an affront to His holiness but also fundamentally inhumane and destructive, perverting the very essence of life given by God.