Isaiah 59 14

Isaiah 59:14 kjv

And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

Isaiah 59:14 nkjv

Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter.

Isaiah 59:14 niv

So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.

Isaiah 59:14 esv

Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.

Isaiah 59:14 nlt

Our courts oppose the righteous,
and justice is nowhere to be found.
Truth stumbles in the streets,
and honesty has been outlawed.

Isaiah 59 verses

Isaiah 59 14 Meaning

Isaiah 59:14 depicts a deeply broken society where foundational moral and ethical principles are not merely ignored, but actively repelled or rendered inaccessible. Justice is inverted, righteous conduct is remote, truth is publicly disgraced, and integrity is systematically shut out. This paints a stark picture of a nation submerged in moral corruption and spiritual decay, highlighting the dire consequences of unfaithfulness to God.

Isaiah 59 14 Context

Isaiah chapter 59 primarily deals with the spiritual state of Judah, portraying the people's sins as the barrier separating them from God, hindering His blessings and delaying His intervention. Prior to verse 14, the prophet lists various transgressions, including shedding innocent blood, deceit, injustice, violence, and malicious words (Isa 59:3-8). The people themselves lament their condition, acknowledging their sins (Isa 59:9-13). Verse 14, therefore, serves as a poignant summary and a profound description of the pervasive moral corruption resulting from these widespread iniquities. It details the utter societal breakdown and the erosion of fundamental ethical virtues, creating a desperate situation that human efforts cannot rectify. This desperate moral void sets the stage for God's observation that "there was no man" (Isa 59:16) and His subsequent, decisive intervention.

Isaiah 59 14 Word analysis

• And justice (וּמִשְׁפָּ֖ט, ūmiṣhpāṭ)
  • Mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט): This Hebrew term goes beyond mere legal judgment; it encompasses a comprehensive sense of right living, fair administration, legal rights, and the just order of society, reflecting God’s character.
  • Significance: Its turning back implies a complete reversal of God's established order.
• is turned back, (נָס֣וֹג אָח֑וֹר, nāsōḡ ’āḥōwr)
  • Nasog Achor: To retreat, recede, withdraw, go backward. It suggests that mishpat is not just absent, but actively pushed away or caused to retreat from public life.
  • Significance: It's a forceful image of rejection, implying that justice isn't just lacking but is unwelcome or obstructed from prevailing.
• and righteousness (וּצְדָקָ֖ה, ūṣəḏāqāh)
  • Tzedaqah (צְדָקָה): Righteousness, moral uprightness, integrity, just and right action, often in relation to one’s covenant with God. It signifies living according to divine standards in all relationships.
  • Significance: This principle is closely linked with mishpat, signifying a moral breakdown that extends to individual conduct.
• stands afar off; (מֵרָחֹֽק תַּעֲמֹ֑ד, mēraḥōq ta‘amōḏ)
  • Meraḥoq ta‘amōḏ: To stand at a distance, far away. It means righteousness is out of reach, not present, inaccessible.
  • Significance: Not only is righteousness absent, but it is alienated and remote from the daily lives and concerns of the people, emphasizing its irrelevance to them.
• for truth (כִּי־נִכְשְׁלָ֥ה אֱמֶת֙ בָּרְח֔וֹב, kî nikhshəLāh ’ěmeṯ bārəḥōwḇ)
  • Emet (אֱמֶת): Truth, faithfulness, reliability, certainty. It relates to objective reality and conformity to facts, especially in one's word and character, reflecting God's nature.
  • Significance: Its collapse undermines the very basis of trust and authentic communication in society.
• is fallen (נִכְשְׁלָ֥ה, nikhshəlah)
  • Nikhshəlah: To stumble, be overthrown, collapse, fall. This is a vivid picture of truth being tripped up or defeated.
  • Significance: Implies that truth has been intentionally suppressed or has simply lost its standing and authority.
• in the street, (בָּרְח֔וֹב, bārəḥōwḇ)
  • Bar’ḥoḇ: In the public square, in the open. Streets were places for public discourse, commerce, and legal proceedings.
  • Significance: Truth’s public downfall is shameful and visible to all, signaling a complete disregard for integrity in the most visible parts of society.
• and uprightness (וּנְכֹחָ֖ה, ūnəḵōḥāh)
  • Nəḵoḥāh (נְכֹחָה): Straightness, rectitude, integrity, sincerity, fairness, what is proper or straightforward. It often signifies honesty in judgment or dealing.
  • Significance: This describes fundamental ethical probity being barred, leaving crookedness and dishonesty to prevail.
• cannot enter. (לֹא־תוּכַ֣ל לָב֣וֹא, lō-ṯûḵal lāḇō’)
  • Lo tukhal lavo: Cannot be able to come in, prevented from entering.
  • Significance: This personifies uprightness as being explicitly barred or shut out, indicating that there is no space or welcome for moral integrity in society's operations.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "justice is turned back": This phrase describes an active reversal or retreat of fair dealings and proper order. It's not just that justice is absent, but it is deliberately obstructed and pushed away, suggesting a society that has chosen injustice.
• "righteousness stands afar off": This goes beyond the turning back of justice. It indicates that ethical uprightness and conformity to divine standards are not merely forgotten, but are so remote that they are no longer even considered or pursued. It points to a moral vacuum.
• "truth is fallen in the street": This imagery powerfully conveys that honesty, reliability, and fidelity have collapsed in public view. It implies that deceit, lies, and unfaithfulness are rampant and openly practiced, degrading the very fabric of communal trust.
• "and uprightness cannot enter": This signifies a profound rejection of integrity. Any attempt at sincere, honest, and straightforward conduct is barred from prevailing, meaning crookedness and deceit hold sway, infecting all avenues of interaction and decision-making.

Isaiah 59 14 Bonus section

The four ethical principles—justice, righteousness, truth, and uprightness—listed in Isaiah 59:14 are core aspects of God’s own character and form the bedrock of His covenant with Israel. Their inversion and suppression, therefore, signify a deep rebellion against God Himself, mirroring the chaos and spiritual desolation that resulted. The use of highly visual and active verbs (turned back, stands afar, fallen, cannot enter) makes the moral decline palpable, suggesting that these virtues are not just passively absent, but are actively ousted from society. This complete human failure underlines the theme that salvation, particularly as revealed later in the Servant's work, must come from God's own initiative and power (Isa 59:16-20), as no human effort could possibly restore such a comprehensive moral collapse. This verse is also crucial in demonstrating why a Redeemer is necessary: humanity's total incapacity to right its own moral wrongs.

Isaiah 59 14 Commentary

Isaiah 59:14 offers a devastating diagnosis of a morally bankrupt society, laying bare the deep chasm between God's expectations and the people's reality. The verse masterfully employs personification to illustrate the utter defeat and marginalization of justice, righteousness, truth, and uprightness. These essential virtues, which ought to underpin a healthy society and reflect God's character, are shown to be reversed, alienated, fallen, and shut out. This condition is not accidental but is a direct consequence of widespread sin and unfaithfulness previously cataloged in the chapter. Such a profound collapse in ethical and spiritual integrity created an insurmountable human problem, demonstrating the desperate need for divine intervention, as implied by the subsequent verses where God himself "wondered that there was no one to intercede" (Isa 59:16). This ultimately points to the necessity of a divine Savior to bring true righteousness and justice where humanity has failed.

Examples:

• A judicial system that prioritizes power or personal gain over fair application of law ("justice is turned back").
• A community where honest, ethical individuals find themselves unable to influence public discourse or policy, as their values are deemed irrelevant ("uprightness cannot enter").
• A marketplace rife with deceptive advertising, shoddy products, and broken promises ("truth is fallen in the street").