Isaiah 5:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes,

NIV: Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes,

NASB: Woe to those who drag wrongdoing with the cords of deceit, And sin as if with cart ropes;

CSB: Woe to those who drag iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes,

NLT: What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart!

KJV: Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:

NKJV: Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as if with a cart rope;

The prophet now pronounces another official "woe" of warning. This time, it is aimed at those in Jerusalem and Judah who practice willful sins. The picture is extremely specific. Isaiah is not talking about the kind of sin that someone steps into or samples on occasion. He is describing intentional actions which one deliberately chooses and carries along. This is a very conscious activity. The "cords of falsehood" may be about denying that the sin is, in fact, sin at all.

God's judgment was not coming on Judah because they were naively participating in the sins of their culture. This was a willful disregarding of God's law to live their lives how they wanted to live. The people were openly defiant of God's commands.

Isaiah 5:8–30 contains Isaiah's dire predictions about the upcoming judgment of Israel. The first "woes" are to the greedy and the pleasure-seeking drinkers. They will go into exile and to the grave for refusing to acknowledge God. The Lord then will be exalted for restoring justice and righteousness. The next woes are to those who embrace sin and mock the coming judgment. These are also those people who have mixed evil and good and believe they know better than God. The final listed woes are those who make it a point of pride how much alcohol they can drink, as well as how they can work the system with bribes. The Lord will summon the armies of the nations to bring judgment on His people.

Isaiah 5 begins with a parable about a farmer who builds a vineyard that produces sour grapes. The owner says he will lay waste to the vineyard. Isaiah reveals the owner to be the Lord and the vineyard to be Israel. Israel's bad fruit includes the greed of the wealthy and the hedonism of the people. They will go hungry and thirsty, into exile, and the grave. The Lord will be exalted for His righteousness. Isaiah pronounces woe on the sinners, the mockers, and the unjust rulers. The Lord will summon the nations to judge His people.

Early chapters (Isaiah 1—4) established a prophetic message given to the people of Israel. Isaiah 5 begins a new section with a parable about a vineyard that produces wild grapes despite all the work the owner has done. The vineyard is Israel, and the owner is the Lord. He will lay waste to the vineyard for the greed and drunkenness of the people. They will go into exile and the grave. The Lord will be exalted, but woe to those who embrace sin, and mock God's judgment. As well as those who take bribes against the poor. He has summoned the nations. Judgment is coming. The next chapter includes one of the Bible's most famous visions (Isaiah 6).

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 9/7/2024 8:17:19 PM