Isaiah 22:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore I said: “Look away from me; let me weep bitter tears; do not labor to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.”

NIV: Therefore I said, 'Turn away from me; let me weep bitterly. Do not try to console me over the destruction of my people.'

NASB: Therefore I say, 'Look away from me, Let me weep bitterly, Do not try to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.'

CSB: Therefore I said, "Look away from me! Let me weep bitterly! Do not try to comfort me about the destruction of my dear people."

NLT: That’s why I said, 'Leave me alone to weep; do not try to comfort me. Let me cry for my people as I watch them being destroyed.'

KJV: Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.

NKJV: Therefore I said, “Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Do not labor to comfort me Because of the plundering of the daughter of my people.”

The people of Jerusalem seem to be in full party mode. The tightly packed city is full of celebration. Commentators say this is either because they escaped the siege of the Assyrians, in 701 BC, or because they don't know about Isaiah's vision of Jerusalem's upcoming destruction in 586 BC (Isaiah 22:1–2).

In either interpretation, the prophet refuses to join in on these celebrations. He tells the people to leave him alone. He wants to be left to mourn for his people. He doesn't want to be comforted about the destruction. He may be overcome with sorrow about the finality of the suffering and loss to come. Or perhaps Isaiah is gripped with sadness about all who have recently died at the hands of the Assyrians. This, even though the people of Jerusalem escaped in the end.

Ecclesiastes 3 says that there is a time for mourning and a time for celebration (Ecclesiastes 3:4). Isaiah tells the people of Jerusalem that they do not know what time it is. If they could see what he saw, they would be in mourning. Even more, they might be in repentance, bowing before the Lord in gratitude and in prayer for future salvation.

Chapter 22:1–14 describes how the people of Jerusalem partied and feasted in the face of certain destruction during a siege. Isaiah condemns them, especially for failing to mourn and cry out to the Lord for help when all seemed lost. He weeps for those who have died. The prophet calls the people to soberly understand what has happened to them instead of partying on their rooftops. The Lord says that the sins of the people in this moment will not be atoned for until they die.

Isaiah presents a prophecy against the city of Jerusalem: "the valley of vision." The prophet condemns the people for partying, perhaps following an astonishing deliverance from the Lord. Instead, they should remember all who died. They should be sobered to realize how helpless they had been. When destruction seemed certain, they should have mourned and cried out to the Lord to save them. Instead, they reveled like nothing mattered. The Lord condemns the steward of the king's house for carving out his tomb instead of trusting God. He puts a man named Eliakim in that position. Eliakim serves with great integrity, faithfulness, and excellence. Yet, he, too, falls away.

Isaiah has recorded several prophecies in preceding chapters. These spoke of nations such as Egypt as well as various tribes. Chapter 22 is an oracle against the city of Jerusalem. Isaiah condemns the people for celebrating instead of mourning and seeking the Lord's help. This could be either before or after a great siege of the city. The prophet weeps for the lost and calls the people to repent. The Lord condemns the king's steward for faithlessness. His replacement, Eliakim, serves with strength and integrity. The next oracles concern Tyre and Sydon, before addressing the entire world.

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).