Isaiah 57:7 kjv
Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice.
Isaiah 57:7 nkjv
"On a lofty and high mountain You have set your bed; Even there you went up To offer sacrifice.
Isaiah 57:7 niv
You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill; there you went up to offer your sacrifices.
Isaiah 57:7 esv
On a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed, and there you went up to offer sacrifice.
Isaiah 57:7 nlt
You have committed adultery on every high mountain.
There you have worshiped idols
and have been unfaithful to me.
Isaiah 57 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 57:8 | "Behind the door and the doorpost you have set up your memorial;" | Further describes idol worship practices |
| Eze 23:41 | "You even sat yourself a couch for common men approaching; | Similar imagery of idolatrous sexuality |
| Lev 26:30 | "I will also destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars;" | God's judgment on idolatry |
| Deut 12:2-3 | "destroy utterly all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall throw down their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy their names out of that place." | Command to destroy Canaanite worship sites |
| Jer 3:6 | "the Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah..." | Josiah's reforms and eradication of idolatry |
| Hos 4:12-14 | "my people consult their wooden idol, and their staff answers them. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have played the whore, departing from their God." | Spiritual adultery and idolatry |
| Micah 5:14 | "I will also pluck out your Asherim from among you and destroy your cities." | Judgment on idolatry's symbols |
| Acts 7:42-43 | "Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: 'Did you offer to me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? No, you took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the figures that you made to worship; and I will take you beyond Babylon.'" | Idolatry connected to heavenly bodies |
| Rom 1:23-25 | "and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, animals, and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." | Worshiping created things instead of God |
| 1 Cor 10:20 | "No, I will say that what they sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be sharing with demons." | Sacrifice to demons, not God |
| 2 Cor 6:16 | "What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God;" | Contrast between God's people and idols |
| 1 John 5:21 | "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." | Exhortation to avoid idolatry |
| Rev 21:8 | "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” | Idolatry as a sin leading to judgment |
| Psa 78:58 | "They provoked him to jealousy with their high places; they moved him to anger with their graven images." | Idolatry provoking God's anger |
| Psa 106:37-38 | "They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons and poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan," | Child sacrifice and idolatry |
| Jer 2:20 | "For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; and you said, 'I will not serve!' Yea, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed yourself down like a common whore." | Figurative language for apostasy |
| Eze 16:24-25 | "Furthermore, you were wanton in your sexual harlotry beyond them, and in your idolatry you became more corrupt than they." | Jerusalem's deep idolatry and sexual sin |
| Lev 18:21,23 | "You shall not give any of your children to dedicate them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord... And you shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." | Prohibitions related to idolatry and sex |
Isaiah 57 verses
Isaiah 57 7 Meaning
This verse describes the pagan practice of preparing a sexual bed or a shrine for illicit intercourse with idols or for unholy rituals, often done on hills and high places.
Isaiah 57 7 Context
Chapter 57 of Isaiah is a powerful critique of Israel's religious infidelity, characterized by syncretism and idolatry, often involving cultic prostitution and pagan worship practices on "high places." The people have forsaken the covenant with the Lord, embracing the corrupt practices of surrounding nations. This verse specifically condemns their elaborate setups for forbidden worship and sexual rituals, contrasting God's desire for pure devotion with their participation in the fertility cults and other pagan rites.
Isaiah 57 7 Word Analysis
- You (Hebrew: אַתְּ -
at)- Refers to the nation of Israel, specifically in its spiritual adultery and apostasy.
- prepared (Hebrew: מָצָאתָ -
matza ta- literally "you found")- Implies they actively sought out or established these places/practices, rather than stumbled upon them. Suggests intentionality and deliberation in their sinful pursuits.
- way (Hebrew: דֶּרֶךְ -
derech)- Refers to a path, manner, or course of action. Here, it signifies their chosen lifestyle and religious methodology.
- high (Hebrew: גַּבְהָה -
gavhah)- Refers to height or elevation. It points to the elevated places used for pagan worship, common in ancient Near Eastern religious practices, often associated with proximity to the heavens or a perceived closer connection to deities.
- place (Hebrew: מָקֹום -
makom)- Indicates a specific location or site. The "high place" was a designated area for pagan worship.
- even (Hebrew: וְגַם -
vegám- and also/even)- Adds emphasis, indicating another in a series of condemned actions.
- and (Hebrew: וְ -
və)- A conjunction connecting related phrases.
- found (Hebrew: מָצָאתָ -
matza ta- literally "you found")- Same as "prepared," indicating their active discovery and adoption of these practices.
- yourself (Hebrew: לָךְ -
lach- to you)- Emphasizes personal involvement and appropriation of these forbidden places.
- a bed (Hebrew: מִטָּה -
mittah)- Refers to a couch, bed, or platform. In this context, it strongly implies a place prepared for sexual intimacy, likely associated with cultic prostitution prevalent in fertility cults, or possibly a couch for lavish, idolatrous feasting.
- for (Hebrew: לְ -
lə)- Preposition indicating purpose or destination.
- every (Hebrew: כֹּל -
kol)- Denotes totality or completeness.
- passer-by (Hebrew: עוֹבֵר -
over- one passing by, passerby)- Suggests widespread availability or openness to promiscuous association. It could also refer to those who frequent these places or are invited to participate.
- and (Hebrew: וְ -
və)- Conjunction.
- hast (Hebrew: הִרְחַבְתָּ -
hirhavta- you broadened/enlarged)- Implies they made these practices more extensive, accessible, or popular. It speaks of an increase in the scope of their sinful devotion.
- opened (Hebrew: פָּתַחְתָּ -
patach ta- you opened)- Indicates accessibility, welcoming others to join or to observe their rites. Could also mean making a breach for an enemy or sin.
- it (Hebrew: אוֹתָהּ -
otah- it/her - referring back to "way" or possibly their idolatrous practices)- Refers to the path of sin they have taken.
- wide (Hebrew: רָחָב -
rachav)- Indicates largeness or spaciousness. Amplifies the idea of extensive and widespread corruption.
- and (Hebrew: וְ -
və)- Conjunction.
- made (Hebrew: כָּרַתָּ -
karat ta- you cut/covenanted)- This is a key word; karat often implies making a covenant or contract, but can also mean to cut. Here it's debated, but "you have made yourself" or "you have opened a covenant with" these places or the spirits associated with them.
- stolen (Hebrew: גָּנַבְתָּ -
ganavta- you stole)- Could refer to stealing worship due to God, or stolen intimate relations practiced in these locations. Implies illicit or secret engagement.
- therefrom (Hebrew: מִשָּׁם -
misham)- From that place or origin.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "prepared your way to a high place": This phrase strongly evokes the pagan practices common in ancient Canaan and other Near Eastern cultures. High places (Hebrew:
bamot) were natural or constructed elevated sites where idolatrous worship, including sacrifices and rituals, often of a sexual nature, took place. The "way" refers to their chosen path of devotion and practice. - "and hast opened your bed to everyone that passeth": This imagery points directly to cultic prostitution. The "bed" represents a place for sexual illicit encounters, and "everyone that passeth" implies the promiscuous nature of their worship, opening their "bed" or practice to any who would join, thereby violating God's exclusive claim on their affection and loyalty. The Hebrew word for "opened" (hiphil) implies making accessible.
- "and hast made it wide": This signifies the expansion and popularization of these corrupt practices. It was not a minor deviation but a pervasive and growing trend of spiritual unfaithfulness and sexual immorality intertwined with their religious acts.
- "and hast made... a covenant" (with implied continuation): The idea of "making" (Hebrew: karat) suggests a deliberate pact or agreement, not just passive participation, but an active establishment of relationships with these forbidden places or the entities they represented.
Isaiah 57 7 Bonus Section
The concept of the "high place" in ancient Israelite history was deeply problematic. God repeatedly commanded their destruction (Deut. 12:2-3). Israel's relapses into worshipping on these sites were a continuous source of divine displeasure, seen as an adoption of the detestable practices of the nations they were meant to displace. This verse underscores that their apostasy wasn't merely a matter of belief but was embodied in physical locations and explicit actions, reflecting a profound rebellion against their God, akin to a spouse betraying their partner. The intimate linkage between sexual sin and idolatry is a recurring theme in the Old Testament prophets, highlighting how turning away from God often involved a perversion of the very desires and relationships God designed.
Isaiah 57 7 Commentary
Isaiah 57:7 is a harsh indictment against the chosen people's deviation into rampant idolatry and cultic practices. The "high places" were centers of fertility cults, deeply rooted in sensuality and often involving sexual rites. The text emphasizes not just participation, but the active preparation and enthusiastic promotion of these corruptions. The "bed" metaphor signifies widespread sexual impurity, intimately tied to their idolatry, a betrayal of God's covenant, likening it to marital infidelity. They not only went to these places but made them accessible and popular, widening the scope of their sin and forging a covenant with their corruption, a clear violation of the exclusive worship demanded by the Lord. This verse highlights the deep entanglement of spiritual and sexual immorality within their apostasy.