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 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 1:29 | For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall blush for the gardens that ye have chosen. | Isaiah 1:29 (Polemic against nature worship) |
| Isaiah 2:8 | Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their fingers have made. | Isaiah 2:8 (Idolatry) |
| Isaiah 8:19 | And when they shall say unto you, Seek ye out unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to hear from the dead? | Isaiah 8:19 (Spiritualism) |
| Isaiah 9:16 | For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. | Isaiah 9:16 (Misleadership) |
| Isaiah 45:20 | Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. | Isaiah 45:20 (Futility of idols) |
| Jeremiah 7:31 | And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. | Jeremiah 7:31 (Human sacrifice) |
| Jeremiah 17:1-2 | The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves and their idols among the green trees upon the high hills. | Jeremiah 17:1-2 (Sin ingrained, pagan worship) |
| Hosea 4:6 | My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee... | Hosea 4:6 (Consequences of rejecting knowledge) |
| Acts 7:42 | Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices these forty years in the wilderness? | Acts 7:42 (Worship of host of heaven) |
| 1 Corinthians 10:20 | But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. | 1 Corinthians 10:20 (Sacrifices to demons) |
| Ephesians 5:11 | And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. | Ephesians 5:11 (Separation from darkness) |
Isaiah 57 verses
Isaiah 57 5 Meaning
This verse condemns the worship of idols and sacrifices made to them. It describes the worshipers as a generation that lacks understanding and engages in illicit, secret rituals. The phrase "as a ram in a valley" signifies being easily led astray into destructive actions or locations. The outcome for such worshipers is exposure and shame.
Isaiah 57 5 Context
Chapter 57 of Isaiah contrasts the fate of the righteous with the wicked. It speaks of peace for those who walk uprightly before God, while the wicked are stirred up like a troubled sea that cannot rest. This specific verse critiques a people deeply entrenched in idolatry and deceptive religious practices, set against a backdrop of societal decay and spiritual ignorance, especially prevalent during the period leading up to and during the Babylonian exile.
Isaiah 57 5 Word Analysis
- And (וְ - wə): Conjunction, joining this verse to the preceding one, linking actions and consequences.
- on (בְּ - bə): Preposition, indicating location or manner. Here, "on the plain," "on the rock."
- the plain (בִּקְעָה - biq'ah): A valley, a wide plain, a division. Refers to a geographical area.
- Ye took (קַח - kaḥ): Imperative verb, to take, seize, acquire. Implies active participation in these rituals.
- even (גַּם - gam): Also, even. Emphasizes the inclusion of this act among their transgressions.
- the (אֶת - et): Direct object marker.
- idolatrous offering (קָרְבַּן - qorbān): Offering, sacrifice. Specifically linked to illicit or pagan offerings.
- likeness (תְּמוּנָה - temunah): Image, likeness, form, likeness. Refers to the crafted objects of worship.
- which (אֲשֶׁר - 'ăsher): Relative pronoun, connecting the offering to its object.
- ye (אַתֶּם - 'attem): Second person plural pronoun.
- have chosen (בָּחַר - bachar): Verb, to choose, select. Highlights intentional adoption of these practices.
- Nay, (כִּי־אִם - kî-'im): Rather, but rather, indeed. A strong adversative, contrasting the previous with the following.
- I (אֲנִי - 'anî): First person singular pronoun, God speaking.
- will stretch forth (אָשַׁר - 'āshēr): To extend, stretch out. A posture of disapproval or action.
- my (יָד - yad): Hand. Symbol of power, action, and judgment.
- hand (יָד - yad): Repetition for emphasis on God's direct intervention.
- against (בְּ - bə): Preposition, indicating opposition or upon.
- you (אַתֶּם - 'attem): Second person plural pronoun.
- in (עַל - 'al): Preposition, on, over, against.
- the (עֵמֶק - `emeq): Valley, deep place, depth. Another reference to a location, possibly significant in pagan worship.
- valley (עֵמֶק - `emeq): Can also refer to a place of sorrow or judgment.
- valley of Hinnom (גֵי־בֶן־הִנֹּם - gê-ben-hinnom): Valley of the son of Hinnom. Historically associated with child sacrifice (Jeremiah 7:31, 32:35), emphasizing the severity of their idolatry.
- as (כְּמוֹ - kĕmō): Like, as. Simile for the manner of their action.
- a ram (אַיִל - 'ayil): Ram, strong male sheep. Symbol of strength but here led blindly.
- rushing (פּוֹרֵץ - porez): Breaking through, bursting forth, as one rushing violently. Implies a frenzied, unthinking charge.
- blindly (עוֹרְלָה - 'orlāh): Literally uncircumcised foreskin. Metaphorically means uncircumcised in heart, unreceptive to spiritual truth, heedless, brutish.
Words-Group Analysis:
- "Ye took... idolatrous offering, the likeness which ye have chosen": This phrase directly addresses the chosen act of idolatry and sacrifice. It's not a passive acceptance but an active, deliberate choice ("ye have chosen") of abominable worship practices. This choice signifies rebellion against God's established covenant and commandments.
- "Nay, I will stretch forth my hand against you": This is a powerful statement of divine judgment. God isn't merely observing but is actively intervening. The stretching forth of the hand implies both a claim and a smiting. It signifies God's righteous opposition to their wicked practices.
- "as a ram rushing blindly into the valley": This simile vividly depicts the Israelites' spiritual state. Like a ram driven by instinct or madness, they are rushing into a place of danger and destruction, unaware of the precipice. The "valley" here, specifically linked to Hinnom (Gehenna), signifies utter ruin and divine punishment. Their blindness is due to their rejection of divine knowledge and their pursuit of deceptive practices.
Isaiah 57 5 Bonus Section
The practice of offering sacrifices in "valleys" (like Gehenna) was characteristic of Canaanite and other pagan cults of the ancient Near East, which often involved fertility rites and sometimes even child sacrifice. Isaiah’s prophecy acts as a polemic against these practices, starkly contrasting them with the true worship expected by God. The Hebrew word for "blindly" or "uncircumcised in heart" (עָרְלָה) echoes the biblical theme of spiritual unresponsiveness, which is a recurring reason for divine judgment. The imagery of the ram in the valley is a potent reminder of the consequences of following deceptive paths that lead to destruction rather than the secure pasture of God’s protection.
Isaiah 57 5 Commentary
Isaiah denounces the Judahites' deep-seated participation in idolatry, specifically their clandestine sacrifices and worship of carved images in secluded or elevated places. They actively choose these pagan rites over genuine relationship with Yahweh. God declares His intention to judge them for these abominations. Their actions are compared to a ram blindly plunging into a dangerous ravine, highlighting their reckless spiritual blindness and the inevitable ruin awaiting them as a result of their willful ignorance and adherence to false gods.