Isaiah 57

Introduction

Isaiah 57 continues the themes introduced in the latter half of chapter 56, moving from a critique of Israel's corrupt leaders to a searing indictment of the people's idolatry. The chapter is structured around a sharp contrast: the quiet, unnoticed death of the righteous (vv. 1--2) versus the brazen, shameless apostasy of those who practice pagan worship (vv. 3--13a). The idolatrous practices described -- child sacrifice, fertility rites on hilltops, and worship at pagan shrines -- are portrayed in the language of sexual infidelity, consistent with the prophetic tradition of depicting covenant unfaithfulness as adultery (Hosea 2, Ezekiel 16).

Yet the chapter does not end in judgment. In verses 14--21, the tone shifts from condemnation to comfort, revealing a God who is simultaneously transcendent ("high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity") and immanent ("with the crushed and lowly in spirit"). The closing verses offer healing, peace, and restoration to the repentant, while pronouncing a solemn verdict on the wicked: "There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked." This refrain, which also appears at Isaiah 48:22, marks the conclusion of another major section of the book.

The Death of the Righteous (vv. 1--2)

¹ The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous are taken away from the presence of evil. ² Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest, lying down in death.

¹ The righteous one perishes, and no one takes it to heart. Men of steadfast love are gathered in, and no one understands that it is from the face of evil that the righteous one is gathered away. ² He enters into peace; they rest on their beds -- each one who walked in his uprightness.

Notes

The chapter opens with a somber observation about the death of the righteous. The word הַצַּדִּיק ("the righteous one") is singular, giving the statement an individual, personal quality. The verb אָבַד ("perishes") can mean "is lost" or "is destroyed," but here it refers to dying. The tragedy is not the death itself but the indifference surrounding it: וְאֵין אִישׁ שָׂם עַל לֵב -- literally "and no man lays it upon the heart." The parallel phrase describes אַנְשֵׁי חֶסֶד ("men of steadfast love/devotion") being נֶאֱסָפִים ("gathered in") -- a common euphemism for death (cf. "gathered to his fathers," Genesis 25:8).

The key insight comes in the purpose clause: the righteous are gathered away מִפְּנֵי הָרָעָה ("from the face of evil" or "from the presence of calamity"). The word רָעָה can mean either moral evil or calamity/disaster. The implication is that God, in his mercy, sometimes removes the righteous before the worst of the coming judgment falls -- their death is not abandonment but protection.

Verse 2 confirms this reading. The righteous person יָבוֹא שָׁלוֹם ("enters into peace") -- death, for the righteous, is an entrance into שָׁלוֹם, not oblivion. They יָנוּחוּ עַל מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם ("rest upon their beds"), an image of peaceful repose rather than violent extinction. The qualifying phrase הֹלֵךְ נְכֹחוֹ ("each one who walked in his uprightness") makes clear that this peace belongs specifically to those who lived faithfully.

Indictment of Idolatry (vv. 3--10)

³ "But come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! ⁴ Whom are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, offspring of deceit, ⁵ who burn with lust among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? ⁶ Your portion is among the smooth stones of the valley; indeed, they are your lot. Even to them you have poured out a drink offering and offered a grain offering. Should I relent because of these? ⁷ On a high and lofty hill you have made your bed, and there you went up to offer sacrifices. ⁸ Behind the door and doorpost you have set up your memorial. Forsaking Me, you uncovered your bed; you climbed up and opened it wide. And you have made a pact with those whose bed you have loved; you have gazed upon their nakedness. ⁹ You went to Molech with oil and multiplied your perfumes. You have sent your envoys a great distance; you have descended even to Sheol itself. ¹⁰ You are wearied by your many journeys, but you did not say, 'There is no hope!' You found renewal of your strength; therefore you did not grow weak.

³ "But you -- draw near, you sons of a sorceress, offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute! ⁴ Whom are you mocking? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of rebellion, offspring of falsehood -- ⁵ you who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the crags? ⁶ Among the smooth stones of the streambed is your portion; they, they are your lot. To them you have poured out a drink offering, you have brought up a grain offering. Should I relent over these things? ⁷ On a mountain, high and lofty, you have set your bed; there too you went up to offer sacrifice. ⁸ And behind the door and the doorpost you have placed your memorial. For deserting me, you have uncovered yourself and gone up; you have made your bed wide. And you have cut a deal for yourself with them -- you have loved their bed; you have gazed on their nakedness. ⁹ You journeyed to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far away and sent them down even to Sheol. ¹⁰ You grew weary with the length of your way, yet you did not say, 'It is hopeless!' You found renewal of your strength, and so you did not grow faint.

Notes

Verse 3 summons the idolaters with biting irony: קִרְבוּ הֵנָּה ("draw near here") -- the same kind of summons a judge issues to the accused. They are called בְּנֵי עֹנְנָה ("sons of a sorceress") and זֶרַע מְנָאֵף ("offspring of an adulterer"). The word עֹנְנָה derives from divination or sorcery, connecting their parentage to pagan practices. The term וַתִּזְנֶה ("and she prostituted herself") continues the pervasive prophetic metaphor of idolatry as sexual unfaithfulness.

Verse 4 describes their contemptuous behavior: mocking, opening the mouth wide, sticking out the tongue. These are gestures of derision directed at the righteous or at God himself. They are branded יִלְדֵי פֶשַׁע ("children of transgression") and זֶרַע שֶׁקֶר ("offspring of falsehood").

Verse 5 describes the cultic practices with horrifying specificity. The phrase הַנֵּחָמִים בָּאֵלִים is ambiguous: אֵלִים could mean "oaks" (terebinths, sacred trees) or "gods." The dual meaning may be intentional -- they burn with passion among the sacred trees that represent the gods. The most shocking accusation is שֹׁחֲטֵי הַיְלָדִים ("slaughterers of children") in the נְחָלִים ("valleys" or "wadis"). This refers to child sacrifice, associated with the worship of Molech in the Valley of Hinnom (2 Kings 23:10, Jeremiah 7:31). The valleys and סְעִפֵי הַסְּלָעִים ("clefts of the crags") describe the remote, hidden locations where these atrocities took place.

Verse 6 contains a devastating wordplay: בְּחַלְּקֵי נַחַל חֶלְקֵךְ -- "among the smooth stones of the streambed is your portion." The word חֲלָקִים ("smooth [stones]") sounds like חֵלֶק ("portion, inheritance"). Instead of the LORD being their portion (as in Psalm 16:5, Psalm 73:26), their "lot" (גּוֹרָל) is smooth river stones -- likely objects of pagan veneration. The rhetorical question הַעַל אֵלֶּה אֶנָּחֵם ("should I relent over these things?") expects the answer: absolutely not.

Verses 7--8 use the language of the bedroom to describe idolatrous worship. Setting the bed (מִשְׁכָּב) on a high hill, uncovering, making it wide, cutting a pact (וַתִּכְרָת) -- the entire vocabulary of intimacy is deployed as a metaphor for Israel's unfaithfulness. The זִכְרוֹנֵךְ ("your memorial") placed behind the door likely refers to pagan symbols or amulets -- in contrast to the מְזוּזָה (doorpost sign) that was supposed to contain God's words (Deuteronomy 6:9).

Verse 9 mentions a journey to לַמֶּלֶךְ ("the king"), which could refer to Molech (the consonants are the same in Hebrew) or to foreign political alliances. Oil and perfumes were typical diplomatic gifts. The sending of envoys "far away" and "down to Sheol" suggests both far-flung political alliances and the spiritual death that results from abandoning God for foreign powers and their gods.

Verse 10 notes the persistence of their idolatry despite its exhausting demands. They grew weary (יָגַעַתְּ) with their many journeys but refused to say נוֹאָשׁ ("it is hopeless"). They found חַיַּת יָדֵךְ ("renewal of strength" -- literally "the life of your hand") and so did not חָלִית ("grow faint/weak"). The tragic irony is that the energy they spend pursuing false gods they refuse to direct toward the true God.

The Futility of Idols and the Promise to the Faithful (vv. 11--13)

¹¹ Whom have you dreaded and feared, so that you lied and failed to remember Me or take this to heart? Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear Me? ¹² I will expose your righteousness and your works, and they will not profit you. ¹³ When you cry out, let your companies of idols deliver you! Yet the wind will carry off all of them, a breath will take them away. But he who seeks refuge in Me will inherit the land and possess My holy mountain."

¹¹ Whom did you dread and fear that you lied and did not remember me, did not lay it to heart? Is it not because I have been silent, and for a long time, that you do not fear me? ¹² I myself will declare your righteousness and your works -- and they will not profit you. ¹³ When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! But the wind will carry them all off; a breath will take them away. Yet the one who takes refuge in me will inherit the land, and he will possess my holy mountain."

Notes

Verse 11 probes the psychology of idolatry. God asks whom they feared (דָּאַגְתְּ וַתִּירְאִי) that they would lie and forget him. God himself supplies the answer: הֲלֹא אֲנִי מַחְשֶׁה וּמֵעֹלָם ("Is it not because I have been silent, and for a long time?"). God's patience -- his restraint from immediate judgment -- has been misinterpreted as absence or indifference. The silence of God, which should have been received as mercy and an opportunity for repentance, was instead taken as permission to continue sinning.

Verse 12 is laced with irony. God will "declare" (אַגִּיד) their צִדְקָתֵךְ ("your righteousness") -- but this is sarcastic. Their so-called righteousness, consisting of pagan rituals and self-serving worship, will be exposed for what it is. Their מַעֲשַׂיִךְ ("works") וְלֹא יוֹעִילוּךְ ("will not profit you") -- the verb יעל means "to be of use, to avail." When judgment comes, their entire religious apparatus will prove useless.

Verse 13 draws the contrast to its sharpest point. The קִבּוּצַיִךְ ("your collections/companies") of idols are challenged to deliver them. But רוּחַ ("wind/spirit") will carry them all away, and הֶבֶל ("a breath, vanity") will take them. The word הֶבֶל is the same word used throughout Ecclesiastes for "vanity" or "meaninglessness" -- idols are as insubstantial as a puff of air. In contrast, וְהַחוֹסֶה בִי ("the one who takes refuge in me") will יִנְחַל אֶרֶץ ("inherit the land") and יִירַשׁ הַר קָדְשִׁי ("possess my holy mountain"). This echoes the beatitude of Psalm 37:11 ("the meek shall inherit the land"), which Jesus quotes in Matthew 5:5.

The High and Holy One with the Lowly (vv. 14--15)

¹⁴ And it will be said, "Build it up, build it up, prepare the way, take every obstacle out of the way of My people." ¹⁵ For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.

¹⁴ And he will say, "Build up, build up, clear the way! Remove every stumbling block from the way of my people." ¹⁵ For thus says the High and Exalted One, who dwells in eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with the crushed and lowly of spirit -- to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the crushed.

Notes

Verse 14 echoes the language of Isaiah 40:3 ("prepare the way of the LORD") and Isaiah 62:10, using the doubled imperative סֹלּוּ סֹלּוּ ("build up, build up") -- the verb means to cast up a highway, to prepare a road. The command הָרִימוּ מִכְשׁוֹל ("remove every obstacle/stumbling block") uses the same word that appears in Isaiah 8:14, where God himself becomes a stumbling block to the unfaithful. Now obstacles are to be removed from the path of עַמִּי ("my people").

Verse 15 packs extraordinary theological density into a single sentence. God is described with four attributes of transcendence: רָם וְנִשָּׂא ("high and exalted" -- the same language used of the LORD in the temple vision of Isaiah 6:1 and of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 52:13), שֹׁכֵן עַד ("dwelling in eternity" -- inhabiting forever, beyond time), and וְקָדוֹשׁ שְׁמוֹ ("and Holy is his name"). This God, who is utterly beyond the created order, who inhabits מָרוֹם וְקָדוֹשׁ ("the high and holy place"), also dwells וְאֶת דַּכָּא וּשְׁפַל רוּחַ ("with the crushed and lowly of spirit").

The God whose dwelling is in inaccessible heights chooses also to dwell with those who are דַּכָּא ("crushed, contrite") and שְׁפַל ("lowly, humble"). These are not merely modest people but people who have been broken -- by sin, by suffering, by the weight of their own unworthiness. The purpose of this dual dwelling is expressed with the infinitive לְהַחֲיוֹת ("to make alive, to revive") -- the same word used for resurrection and restoration throughout the prophets. God's nearness to the broken is not passive sympathy but active, life-giving power.

Interpretations

This verse has been central to theological reflection on the nature of God:

Reformed theology emphasizes the transcendence-immanence paradox: God is not one or the other but both simultaneously. His holiness and his compassion are not in tension but are both fully expressed. This shapes the Reformed understanding of worship -- awe and intimacy together.
Pietist and Wesleyan traditions have gravitated toward the second half of the verse, emphasizing God's special presence with the humble and contrite. This informs their emphasis on personal devotion, heartfelt repentance, and the experience of God's nearness in suffering.
Liberation theology reads the verse as a programmatic statement: God's preferential identification is with the crushed and lowly, and this has social and political implications for how the community of faith should orient itself toward the marginalized.

God's Healing and Restraint (vv. 16--19)

¹⁶ For I will not accuse you forever, nor will I always be angry; for then the spirit of man would grow weak before Me -- the breath of life I have made. ¹⁷ I was enraged by his sinful greed, so I struck him and hid My face in anger; yet he kept turning back to the desires of his heart. ¹⁸ I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, ¹⁹ bringing praise to their lips. Peace, peace to those far and near," says the LORD, "and I will heal them."

¹⁶ "For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry, for the spirit would grow faint before me -- the very breath of life that I myself have made. ¹⁷ Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry; I struck him, I hid my face and was angry, but he went on turning away, in the way of his own heart. ¹⁸ I have seen his ways, and I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, ¹⁹ creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace to the far and to the near," says the LORD, "and I will heal him."

Notes

Verse 16 reveals a remarkable divine self-restraint. God declares לֹא לְעוֹלָם אָרִיב ("I will not contend forever") and וְלֹא לָנֶצַח אֶקְּצוֹף ("nor will I always be angry"). The verb רִיב is the covenant lawsuit term -- God is saying he will not prosecute his case against his people indefinitely. The reason is not that they deserve clemency but that prolonged anger would destroy them: כִּי רוּחַ מִלְּפָנַי יַעֲטוֹף ("for the spirit would grow faint before me"). The רוּחַ ("spirit") and נְשָׁמוֹת ("breath of life" -- the same word used in Genesis 2:7 for the breath God breathed into Adam) are both God's creation. He will not destroy what he himself has made.

Verse 17 describes the cycle of sin and judgment: God was angry (קָצַפְתִּי) at עֲוֺן בִּצְעוֹ ("the iniquity of his unjust gain" -- the same בֶּצַע used of the greedy shepherds in Isaiah 56:11). He struck him (וְאַכֵּהוּ) and hid his face (הַסְתֵּר). Yet the person וַיֵּלֶךְ שׁוֹבָב בְּדֶרֶךְ לִבּוֹ ("went on turning away, in the way of his own heart"). The word שׁוֹבָב ("backsliding, turning away") is painfully ironic -- instead of שׁוּב ("returning") to God, he keeps turning back to his own desires.

Verse 18 contains a striking reversal. Despite seeing the relentless waywardness, God says: דְּרָכָיו רָאִיתִי וְאֶרְפָּאֵהוּ -- "I have seen his ways, and I will heal him." The expected conclusion would be "I have seen his ways, and I will punish him." Instead, God chooses רפא ("to heal"). He will אַנְחֵהוּ ("lead him, guide him") and אֲשַׁלֵּם נִחֻמִים ("restore/repay comforts") to him and to לַאֲבֵלָיו ("his mourners"). The verb שׁלם ("repay, restore") suggests compensation -- God will make up for the suffering caused by the necessary discipline.

Verse 19 introduces the unusual phrase בּוֹרֵא נִיב שְׂפָתָיִם ("creating the fruit of the lips"). God is the creator (בּוֹרֵא -- the same verb used in Genesis 1:1) of praise itself. The doubled שָׁלוֹם שָׁלוֹם ("peace, peace") is emphatic and echoes Isaiah 26:3 ("you keep him in perfect peace [shalom shalom] whose mind is stayed on you"). This peace extends לָרָחוֹק וְלַקָּרוֹב ("to the far and to the near") -- language the apostle Paul applies to the inclusion of Gentiles alongside Jews in Ephesians 2:17: "He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near." The final declaration וּרְפָאתִיו ("and I will heal him") forms an inclusio with verse 18, enclosing the promise of restoration in the repeated language of divine healing.

No Peace for the Wicked (vv. 20--21)

²⁰ But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waves churn up mire and muck. ²¹ "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

²⁰ But the wicked are like the storm-driven sea, for it cannot be still, and its waters churn up mire and mud. ²¹ "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

Notes

The chapter closes with a stark contrast. The wicked (הָרְשָׁעִים) are compared to כַּיָּם נִגְרָשׁ ("the storm-driven sea") -- a sea that is הַשְׁקֵט לֹא יוּכָל ("unable to be still"). The verb נגרשׁ means "to be driven out, tossed about, agitated." Where the righteous enter peace (v. 2) and receive "peace, peace" (v. 19), the wicked experience perpetual turbulence. Their waters cast up רֶפֶשׁ וָטִיט ("mire and mud") -- their inner restlessness produces nothing but filth. This image of the unquiet sea will recur in Jude 1:13 ("wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame").

Verse 21 delivers the final verdict: אֵין שָׁלוֹם אָמַר אֱלֹהַי לָרְשָׁעִים -- "There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked." This echoes Isaiah 48:22, which uses nearly identical words to close the second major section of Isaiah (chapters 40--48). Here it closes the unit that began with the critique of leaders in Isaiah 56:9. The triple refrain -- Isaiah 48:22, 57:21, and implicitly Isaiah 66:24 -- divides the latter half of Isaiah into three sections, each ending with a reminder that the peace offered so freely to the repentant is utterly unavailable to those who persist in wickedness. The שָׁלוֹם that was doubled for the repentant in verse 19 is flatly denied to the wicked in verse 21. The contrast is total and unsparing.