Isaiah 57:6 kjv
Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these?
Isaiah 57:6 nkjv
Among the smooth stones of the stream Is your portion; They, they, are your lot! Even to them you have poured a drink offering, You have offered a grain offering. Should I receive comfort in these?
Isaiah 57:6 niv
The idols among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion; indeed, they are your lot. Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings and offered grain offerings. In view of all this, should I relent?
Isaiah 57:6 esv
Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they, they, are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink offering, you have brought a grain offering. Shall I relent for these things?
Isaiah 57:6 nlt
Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys.
You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings.
They, not I, are your inheritance.
Do you think all this makes me happy?
Isaiah 57 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 57:6 | Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they are your lot; to them indeed you have poured a drink offering, you have offered a present. Should I countenance these? | Directly addresses idolatry and false worship. |
| Exodus 23:24 | You shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break down their sacred pillars. | Prohibits idolatry and prescribed destruction of pagan sites. |
| Deuteronomy 12:3 | So shall you deal with their altars and break in pieces their sacred pillars, and burn with fire their wooden images; and you shall break down the engraved stones of their idols, and destroy the names thereof from off them. | Commands destruction of pagan worship sites and objects. |
| 1 Kings 14:23 | For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree. | Shows the widespread practice of idolatry on high places in Israel. |
| Jeremiah 3:6 | “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone to every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot.” | Uses the metaphor of harlotry to describe Israel's idolatry, often linked to high places. |
| Ezekiel 6:13 | Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when their slain are among their idols around their broken altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every thick oak—wherever they made rich oblation to all their idols. | Links idolatry and destruction to the specific locations mentioned, including high hills. |
| Hosea 4:12 | My people consult their wooden idol, and their divining rod informs them. For a spirit of whoredom has caused them to stray, and they have left their God to play the harlot. | Highlights consulting idols and spiritual deviation. |
| Psalms 106:36 | He also served their idols, Which became a snare to them. | Shows how idols ensnare people. |
| Isaiah 2:8 | Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, they worship what their own fingers have made. | Condemns worship of man-made objects. |
| Isaiah 44:19 | And no one considers, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned half of it for a fire; I have also baked bread on its embers; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a piece of wood?” | Ridicules the illogicality of worshipping a burned piece of wood. |
| Isaiah 65:3 | A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face, Who sacrifice in gardens, And burn incense on altars of brick; | Mentions other specific idolatrous practices in gardens and on brick altars. |
| Isaiah 65:4 | Who sit among the graves, And spend the night in the ruins, Who eat swine’s flesh, And the broth of abominable things is in their cups; | Describes defiled practices associated with forbidden foods and forbidden places. |
| Romans 1:21-23 | For although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and like birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. | New Testament parallel on the consequences of idolatry and rejecting God's truth. |
| 1 Corinthians 10:20 | But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. | Links sacrifice to pagan deities with demon worship. |
| 1 John 5:21 | Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. | A direct admonition in the New Testament to avoid idolatry. |
| Acts 7:42-43 | Then God turned away and left them to worship the host of heaven… And God gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you offer to Me slain offerings and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? No, you bore the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, the images which you made to worship; Then I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’ | Connects idolatry to the "host of heaven" and prophesies judgment. |
| Jeremiah 2:13 | “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, To dig for themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.” | Metaphor of forsaking God as the source of life for flawed, artificial sources. |
| Hosea 2:15 | “So I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as an opening for hope; And she shall sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.” | Contrast between the consequences of sin and the hope offered by returning to God. |
| Isaiah 55:2 | Why spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. | Encourages seeking true satisfaction from God, not false idols. |
| Zechariah 7:11 | “But they refused to heed, and twisted the shoulder stubbornly, And stopped their ears so that they could not hear.” | Illustrates the refusal to listen to God's warnings, a characteristic of those in Isaiah 57. |
Isaiah 57 verses
Isaiah 57 6 Meaning
The verse speaks of people offering sacrifices and prayers on "high places" (Hebrew: bāmōt) and to idols. It condemns these practices as disloyal to God and serving "dead things" rather than the living God. It highlights the folly and eventual destruction awaiting those who stray from God's path.
Isaiah 57 6 Context
Chapter 57 of Isaiah contrasts the righteous and the wicked. It begins by describing the fate of the righteous who are taken away from evil. However, verse 3 and following turn to a condemnation of the wicked, particularly focusing on their idolatrous practices. They are described as the offspring of sorcerers, adulterers, and those who have strayed from God. This verse specifically targets the popular Canaanite and other pagan practices of worshiping at high places, in valleys, and offering libations (drink offerings) and sacrifices to inanimate objects or false deities. This was a pervasive issue throughout Israel's history, directly violating the first and second commandments. The immediate context emphasizes the hypocrisy of these people who outwardly perform religious acts but are inwardly corrupt and devoted to false gods, bringing judgment upon themselves.
Isaiah 57 6 Word Analysis
- Among (Hebrew: bə-tôḵ, בְּתֹךְ): Into the midst of; within. Denotes location or inclusion.
- the smooth stones (Hebrew: sal‘ē, סָלְעֵי): The crags, rocky places, rocks. Refers to natural features often used for pagan altars or sacred sites.
- of the valley (Hebrew: bāqîā, בַּקִיעַ): Valley, rift, opening. Specifically denotes a low-lying geographical area.
- is (Hebrew: hîʾ, הִיא): This feminine pronoun can refer back to "portion" or imply a state of being.
- your portion (Hebrew: ḥelqeḵ, חֶלְקֵךְ): Your share, lot, inheritance. What is assigned or allocated to you.
- they (Hebrew: hēmmâ, הֵמָּה): Pronoun referring to the smooth stones.
- are (Hebrew: hēm, הֵם): Pronoun for plural "they are."
- your lot (Hebrew: gōrəlēḵ, גּוֹרְלֵךְ): Your assigned territory or inheritance. Similar to portion, emphasizing destiny.
- to them (Hebrew: lə-hēmmâ, לָהֵמָּה): To these stones/locations.
- indeed (Hebrew: ’aḵ, אַךְ): Truly, surely, nevertheless. An emphasis particle.
- you have poured (Hebrew: țūlaḵ, תּוּלָךְ): You have poured out. Refers to libation or drink offering.
- a drink offering (Hebrew: neseḵ, נֶסֶךְ): Libation. A liquid offering (wine, oil) poured out to God or a deity.
- you have offered (Hebrew: qāraḇt, קָרַבְתְּ): You have brought near, presented. Offering a sacrifice or gift.
- a present (Hebrew: minḥâ, מִנְחָה): Gift, offering. Often an unbloody sacrifice, grain, or food offering.
- Should I countenance (Hebrew: ’āḵəšū‘, אַכְשׁוּעַ): Should I regard, accept, bear with? A rhetorical question implying disapproval. This root relates to bearing a burden or accepting something.
Group Analysis:
- "Smooth stones of the valley" (sal‘ē bāqîā): Combines rough, rocky terrain with a specific low-lying area. This suggests worship in natural, potentially isolated, or naturally imposing locations, common in paganism. The stones themselves become objects of worship or consecrated places for it.
- "Your portion; they are your lot": Reinforces the idea that these idolatrous practices are deeply ingrained and seen as their rightful destiny or inheritance. Their loyalty is directed to these things, defining their existence.
- "You have poured a drink offering, you have offered a present": These are specific ritualistic actions. Pouring libations and presenting offerings were standard acts of worship in the ancient world, but here they are directed towards lifeless rocks and false deities. This highlights the misguided devotion and the act of worship itself being corrupted.
- "Should I countenance these?": This is a direct challenge from God, indicating the gravity of their actions and His judgment against them. It's a rhetorical question meaning, "Do you expect me to approve of such things?"
Isaiah 57 6 Bonus Section
The practice described—offering libations and gifts on high places, often in rocky or naturally prominent locations—was a common feature of ancient Near Eastern paganism, including Canaanite fertility cults. These cults frequently involved sexual immorality and violence, practices Isaiah vehemently opposed. The "dead things" being worshipped are contrasted with the "living God." This distinction is crucial throughout Scripture, emphasizing God's active, dynamic presence versus the inert, powerless nature of idols. Scholars have noted that the Hebrew word "sal'e" can also suggest places where pagan deities were invoked. The prophecy here speaks not just to historical Israel but also serves as a timeless warning against substituting true worship with anything less than total devotion to the God of Scripture. The phrase "Should I countenance these?" is God posing a rhetorical question about whether He should ever tolerate or approve of such apostasy, to which the answer is an emphatic no.
Isaiah 57 6 Commentary
This verse serves as a stark indictment of religious syncretism and outright idolatry prevalent in ancient Israel, often practiced alongside or instead of true worship of Yahweh. The imagery of "smooth stones of the valley" vividly portrays worship at natural sites, a characteristic of many pagan religions. The "drink offering" (libation) and "present" (offering) are recognizable religious acts, but their devotion to inanimate objects like stones, or the deities they represented, demonstrated a profound spiritual misplacement. God's rhetorical question, "Should I countenance these?" conveys His absolute rejection of such practices, highlighting their futility and the judgment they incurred. It underscores the core of the Mosaic covenant: exclusive devotion to Yahweh, without admixture of foreign cults. The "portion" and "lot" given to these stones signifies that the people's ultimate allegiance and hope were tied to these false worship systems, leading them away from the living God.