Isaiah 1:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy.

NIV: I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities.

NASB: I will also turn My hand against you, And smelt away your impurities as with lye; And I will remove all your slag.

CSB: I will turn my hand against you and will burn away your dross completely; I will remove all your impurities.

NLT: I will raise my fist against you. I will melt you down and skim off your slag. I will remove all your impurities.

KJV: And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:

NKJV: I will turn My hand against you, And thoroughly purge away your dross, And take away all your alloy.

Isaiah has described the catastrophic spiritual state of God's people, even within the borders of the once faithful city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 1:21). Instead of being like pure silver (Isaiah 1:22) Jerusalem has become like diluted silver full of impurities known as "dross." This is because of the rebellion and corruption among God's people.

The Lord has declared His intention to change this corruption. He has said that He will avenge Himself among His people. (Isaiah 1:24) Now He says that will act against them, removing everyone who is not faithful to Him. Describing a painful process, the Lord announces that He will remove all impurities. The metaphor of silver and dross hinges on this refining technique: heating silver until the impure elements are melted out or burned away.

This painful process points to God's coming judgment in the form of the Babylonian invasion of Judah and the exile from Israel. As well as the time after when a remnant of the faithful will be restored (Isaiah 1:26) .

Isaiah 1:21–31 focuses on the city of Jerusalem as representative of the people of Judah in Israel. Once faithful to God and known for justice, the city has become a prostitute and a town in which murderers walk free and leaders are friends with thieves. The Lord declares that He will purify the corruption from the city and return it to a place of justice. Those who repent will be redeemed. Those who don't will be broken and consumed. Those who have worshipped false gods will be embarrassed and then destroyed.

After identifying himself as the son of Amoz, Isaiah begins his vision from the Lord with the introduction of God's lawsuit against the people of Israel. His children are living in rebellion against Him. They are saturated in sin and have forsaken the Lord. Their spiritual sickness will lead to their destruction, though a few will be saved. Their offerings are meaningless because of their sinful lifestyles. If they repent now, they will be redeemed. If not, they will be destroyed. The Lord will restore justice to once righteous Jerusalem. All who do not repent will be consumed.

Isaiah 1 begins Isaiah's massive book of prophecy with the Lord presenting a lawsuit against His people Israel in Judah for breach of covenant. They live in rebellion against Him and are saturated in sin. They refuse to treat their spiritual illness and will be decimated by their enemies. Their offerings are meaningless. They must stop doing evil and start doing what is good. The Lord will burn off the corrupt from Jerusalem and return it to a place of justice and righteousness. Those who refuse to repent will be broken and destroyed.

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 5/2/2024 3:05:45 PM