Isaiah 59 13

Isaiah 59:13 kjv

In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

Isaiah 59:13 nkjv

In transgressing and lying against the LORD, And departing from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

Isaiah 59:13 niv

rebellion and treachery against the LORD, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.

Isaiah 59:13 esv

transgressing, and denying the LORD, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.

Isaiah 59:13 nlt

We know we have rebelled and have denied the LORD.
We have turned our backs on our God.
We know how unfair and oppressive we have been,
carefully planning our deceitful lies.

Isaiah 59 verses

Isaiah 59 13 Meaning

Isaiah 59:13 presents a profound and comprehensive confession of the people's sins, outlining their deep-seated spiritual and moral failures that have led to separation from God. This verse reveals a persistent pattern of intentional rebellion against the covenant Lord, marked by the active rejection of divine truth, a deliberate turning away from God's guidance, the promotion of social injustice through oppressive and rebellious speech, and the insidious internal generation and outward expression of deceit. It meticulously traces a path from an inner spiritual alienation to concrete destructive actions, all originating from a heart fundamentally corrupted.

Isaiah 59 13 Context

Isaiah 59 forms a critical theological juncture within the book, acting as a bridge between pronounced judgment and the unfolding hope of future redemption. The preceding verses (59:1-11) diagnose the reason for the people's suffering and their separation from God: it is their sin, not God's inability to save. The chapter depicts a society marred by pervasive injustice, violence, and deceit, where truth has stumbled and righteousness cannot enter. Verses 12-15a, inclusive of verse 13, serve as the people's collective confession, an agonizing admission of guilt for the very transgressions detailed earlier. This vital confession paves the way for God's eventual, compassionate intervention (59:15b-21) through a righteous Redeemer. Historically, this prophecy likely speaks to a generation marked by significant spiritual and moral decline in Judah, possibly post-exilic or in the immediate lead-up to the Babylonian exile, emphasizing the profound internal decay that brought national suffering and spiritual estrangement.

Isaiah 59 13 Word analysis

• פָּשׁוֹעַ (pāshōa‘) - Transgressing/Rebelling:

  • Hebrew root: פָּשַׁע (pāsha‘).
  • Significance: Denotes a deliberate and willful breaking of the covenant. This is not an accidental mistake, but an active rebellion against a legitimate authority, specifically against God and His established law. It signifies a chosen violation of divine boundaries.

• וְכַחֵשׁ (wəḵaḥēš) - Denying/Acting Falsely:

  • Hebrew root: כָּחַשׁ (kāḥash).
  • Significance: Implies more than passive untruthfulness; it is an active deception, a betrayal of trust, or a deliberate renunciation of one's obligations. Here, it signifies denying the Lord's character, His claims, or the truth of His word.

• לַֽיהֹוָה (laYahweh) - The Lord (Yahweh):

  • Significance: This precisely identifies the target of their transgression and denial. Their sin is not against a generic deity but against Yahweh, their covenant God who had historically delivered and established promises with them, underscoring the severity of their betrayal.

• נָסוֹג (nāsōg) - Turning away/Apostatizing:

  • Hebrew root: נָסַג (nāsağ).
  • Significance: Describes a retreat, a drawing back, or a defection from a committed relationship or pathway. It conveys the gravity of spiritual apostasy, an abandonment of due devotion and fellowship with God.

• מֵאַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהֵינוּ (mê’aḥarê ’ělōhêynū) - From our God:

  • Significance: This phrase intensifies the personal and relational aspect of their defection. "Our God" emphasizes the intimacy of the covenant bond that they have deliberately ruptured, a betrayal of their own divine protector and guide, underscoring ingratitude.

• דַּבֶּר (dabber) - Speaking:

  • Hebrew root: דָּבַר (dāb̄ar).
  • Significance: Highlights the verbal nature of their sin. Words are presented not merely as reflections of an internal state, but as active instruments that propagate destruction and rebellion, shaping and creating conditions of injustice in society.

• עֹשֶׁק (‘ōsheq) - Oppression/Exploitation:

  • Hebrew noun.
  • Significance: Refers to injustice, wrongful gain, or violent extortion. It often relates to the powerful exploiting the vulnerable, or systemic societal practices that inflict harm. Speaking 'oppression' means advocating for or justifying such acts of injustice.

• וְסָרָה (wəśārāh) - Revolt/Rebellion:

  • Hebrew noun.
  • Significance: Denotes straying from the right path, rebellion, or sedition. It points to speech or actions that subvert righteous authority, leading to societal and moral disorder.

• הוֹרוֹת (hôrōṯ) - Conceiving/Forming:

  • Hebrew root: יָרָה (yārāh).
  • Significance: This implies an internal gestation of evil, much like a plan or an idea forming. It's the act of devising or formulating harmful thoughts or false ideas within the mind before they manifest, suggesting premeditation and deliberate malice.

• וְהָגוֹת (wəhāğōṯ) - Uttering/Devising/Meditating:

  • Hebrew root: הָגָה (hāgāh).
  • Significance: Describes the process of dwelling on and articulating these conceived evils. It encompasses the contemplation and verbal expression that follows the internal formation, making internal wickedness explicit and ready for communication.

• מִלֵּב (millēv) - From the heart:

  • Significance: In Hebrew thought, the 'heart' (lev) is the very core of a person—the seat of intellect, will, and emotion. This phrase emphasizes that their sins are not superficial or external, but originate from the deepest, most authentic part of their being, signaling profound moral corruption at their essence.

• דִּבְרֵי־שָׁקֶר (dibhrê-šāqer) - Lying words/Words of Falsehood:

  • Significance: This is the ultimate outward manifestation of the corrupt heart's activity. These are not merely errors but deliberate falsehoods intended to deceive, misrepresent truth, or inflict harm. They represent the complete antithesis of God's character of truth.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "Transgressing and denying the Lord, turning away from our God": This initial phrase describes the foundational theological and relational dimensions of their sin. It moves from active rebellion and direct rejection ("transgressing and denying") against the sovereign God (Yahweh), to a more passive yet equally damaging act of disengagement ("turning away") from their personal, covenantal God. This sequence highlights both confrontational and dissociative stances towards the divine, severing the core relationship.
  • "Speaking oppression and revolt": This section illustrates how the internal spiritual rebellion directly impacts the societal and political spheres. It emphasizes that words are potent tools that can inflict profound damage. Their speech actively disseminates injustice ("oppression") and fosters discord or rebellion ("revolt"), corrupting the very fabric of communal life and perverting righteous order.
  • "Conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words": This phrase exposes the ultimate origin and insidious manifestation of their sin: a corrupted inner being. The evil is first intricately formulated ("conceiving"), then dwelled upon and verbalized ("uttering"), and crucially, it originates "from the heart" – the deepest wellspring of thought, will, and emotion. This reveals that their falsehoods are not superficial but stem from an essential moral depravity, culminating in deliberate deceit.

Isaiah 59 13 Bonus section

• The rhetorical power of using a chain of eight infinitive verbal nouns in the original Hebrew underscores the sustained and habitual nature of these sins rather than merely listing specific past actions. It communicates a state of being and an ongoing practice.
• The structured progression within the verse, moving from direct theological and relational transgressions against God (Yahweh) to ethical failures expressed through speech (oppression and revolt), and finally to the internal genesis and verbal manifestation of falsehood (from the heart, lying words), highlights the holistic and pervasive corruption affecting all aspects of human life—spirit, word, and deed—when estranged from divine allegiance.
• The reiteration of "the Lord" and "our God" emphasizes that the transgression is not against a distant, impersonal deity, but against the God who entered into a specific, intimate covenant with them. This deepens the sense of betrayal and underscores the gravity of their actions as a violation of a personal relationship.

Isaiah 59 13 Commentary

Isaiah 59:13 presents a raw and honest confession, providing a comprehensive catalog of human sin, ranging from spiritual rebellion to social injustice, all rooted in a corrupted heart. The original Hebrew utilizes a powerful sequence of infinitives ("transgressing," "denying," "turning," "speaking," "conceiving," "uttering"), underscoring not just isolated wrongdoings, but a continuous and characteristic pattern of life for the people. This verse teaches that sin transcends mere rule-breaking; it signifies a deep-seated spiritual disease where the human heart turns from God's truth, leading to the propagation of injustice through speech, and the deliberate creation of falsehood. It is a penetrating diagnosis of humanity's condition without divine allegiance, highlighting the profound need for a divine intervention that addresses not just outward actions but the very source of evil within the human heart. This extensive confession ultimately prepares the way for God's promised action to send a Redeemer, emphasizing that genuine spiritual renewal must begin with this kind of thorough self-recognition.