1 The righteous perish, and no one lays it to heart. Merciful men are taken away, and no one considers that the righteous is taken away from the evil.
2 He enters into peace. They rest in their beds, each one who walks in his uprightness.
3 “But draw near here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes.
4 Whom do you mock? Against whom do you make a wide mouth and stick out your tongue? Aren’t you children of disobedience and offspring of falsehood,
5 you who inflame yourselves among the oaks, under every green tree; who kill the children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion. They, they are your lot. You have even poured a drink offering to them. You have offered an offering. Shall I be appeased for these things?
7 On a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed. You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
8 You have set up your memorial behind the doors and the posts, for you have exposed yourself to someone besides me, and have gone up. You have enlarged your bed and made a covenant for yourself with them. You loved what you saw on their bed.
9 You went to the king with oil, increased your perfumes, sent your ambassadors far off, and degraded yourself even to Sheol.
10 You were wearied with the length of your ways; yet you didn’t say, ‘It is in vain.’ You found a reviving of your strength; therefore you weren’t faint.
11 “Whom have you dreaded and feared, so that you lie, and have not remembered me, nor laid it to your heart? Haven’t I held my peace for a long time, and you don’t fear me?
12 I will declare your righteousness; and as for your works, they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry, let those whom you have gathered deliver you, but the wind will take them. A breath will carry them all away, but he who takes refuge in me will possess the land, and will inherit my holy mountain.”
14 He will say, “Build up, build up, prepare the way! Remove the stumbling-block out of the way of my people.”
15 For the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 For I will not contend forever, neither will I always be angry; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls whom I have made.
17 I was angry because of the iniquity of his covetousness and struck him. I hid myself and was angry; and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him. I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners.
19 I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace, to him who is far off and to him who is near,” says Yahweh; “and I will heal them.”
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea; for it can’t rest and its waters cast up mire and mud.
21 “There is no peace”, says my God, “for the wicked.”
7 passages from writers of 2 traditions, in their own words, each with their dates and tradition. The site doesn’t say who is right: read them beside the verses. About these
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Justin Martyrc. 110–165Early church, EastThe First Apology · on Isaiah 57:1–2And how it was predicted by the Spirit of prophecy that He and those who hoped in Him should be slain, hear what was said by Isaiah. These are the words: "Behold now the righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and just men are taken away, and no man considereth. From the presence of wickedness is the righteous man taken, and his burial shall be in peace: he is taken from our midst."
And how it was predicted by the Spirit of prophecy that He and those who hoped in Him should be slain, hear what was said by Isaiah. These are the words: "Behold now the righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and just men are taken away, and no man considereth. From the presence of wickedness is the righteous man taken, and his burial shall be in peace: he is taken from our midst."
Justin Martyr, The First Apology, First Apology 48; translated for the Ante-Nicene Christian Library (Edinburgh, 1867), as printed in the Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (Buffalo, 1885); the text of the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The edition
A Greek philosopher from Samaria who became a Christian and taught in Rome, where he was put to death for his faith. His First Apology, addressed to the emperor, defends the Christians and shows them the prophets’ words about Christ.
John Calvin1509–1564ReformedCommentaries · on Isaiah 57:19To them that are far off. This is added, because the people who had been carried into captivity did not think that these things belonged to them, (because they were "far off,") but perhaps to those who were at home … But the Prophet foretells that, though they are at a great distance, yet they shall be partakers of this grace. … Paul appears to have glanced at this passage, when he says that Christ "brought peace to them that are near, and to them that are far off." (Ephesians 2:17) He speaks of Gentiles and Jews; for the Jews were "near," because God had entered into a covenant with them; but the Gentiles were "far off," because they were strangers to that covenant. But the Prophet appears to speak of Jews only. I reply, Paul adheres to the true meaning of the Prophet, if the whole be but carefully examined; for the Jews are said, in this passage, to be "far off," because the Lord appeared to have driven them out of his house; and in that respect they resembled the Gentiles.
To them that are far off. This is added, because the people who had been carried into captivity did not think that these things belonged to them, (because they were "far off,") but perhaps to those who were at home … But the Prophet foretells that, though they are at a great distance, yet they shall be partakers of this grace. … Paul appears to have glanced at this passage, when he says that Christ "brought peace to them that are near, and to them that are far off." (Ephesians 2:17) He speaks of Gentiles and Jews; for the Jews were "near," because God had entered into a covenant with them; but the Gentiles were "far off," because they were strangers to that covenant. But the Prophet appears to speak of Jews only. I reply, Paul adheres to the true meaning of the Prophet, if the whole be but carefully examined; for the Jews are said, in this passage, to be "far off," because the Lord appeared to have driven them out of his house; and in that respect they resembled the Gentiles.
John Calvin, Commentaries, on 57:19; Calvin Translation Society (Edinburgh, 1843–1855); the text of the Free Use Bible API. The edition
The French reformer of Geneva, from whose teaching the Reformed and Presbyterian churches come.
John Calvin1509–1564ReformedCommentaries · on Isaiah 57:20–21That metaphor of "the sea" is elegant and very well fitted to describe the uneasiness of the wicked; for of itself "the sea is troubled." Though it be not beaten by the wind or agitated by frightful tempests, its billows carry on mutual war, and dash against each other with terrible violence. In the same manner wicked men are "troubled" by inward distress, which is deeply seated in their hearts. … Whoever then wishes to avoid these alarms and this frightful agony of heart, let him not reject that peace which the Lord offers to him. … for, until men have been reconciled to God, conscience will never cease to annoy and carry on war with them.
That metaphor of "the sea" is elegant and very well fitted to describe the uneasiness of the wicked; for of itself "the sea is troubled." Though it be not beaten by the wind or agitated by frightful tempests, its billows carry on mutual war, and dash against each other with terrible violence. In the same manner wicked men are "troubled" by inward distress, which is deeply seated in their hearts. … Whoever then wishes to avoid these alarms and this frightful agony of heart, let him not reject that peace which the Lord offers to him. … for, until men have been reconciled to God, conscience will never cease to annoy and carry on war with them.
John Calvin, Commentaries, on 57:20–21; Calvin Translation Society (Edinburgh, 1843–1855); the text of the Free Use Bible API. The edition
The French reformer of Geneva, from whose teaching the Reformed and Presbyterian churches come.
Matthew Henry1662–1714English PresbyterianCommentary on the Whole Bible · on Isaiah 57:1–2The righteous, as to this world, perish; they are gone and their place knows them no more. … Righteousness delivers from the sting of death, but not from the stroke of it. They are said to perish because they are utterly removed from us, and to express the great loss which this world sustains by the removal of them, not that their death is their undoing … They are taken away from the evil to come, then when it is just coming … In compassion to them, that they may not see the evil (Kg2 22:20), nor share in it, nor be in temptation by it. … Their souls then enter into peace, into the world of peace, where peace is in perfection and where there is no trouble. … Their bodies rest in their beds. Note, The grave is a bed of rest to all the Lord's people; there they rest from all their labours, Rev 14:13. … This bed is made in the darkness, but that makes it the more quiet; it is a bed out of which they shall rise refreshed in the morning of the resurrection.
The righteous, as to this world, perish; they are gone and their place knows them no more. … Righteousness delivers from the sting of death, but not from the stroke of it. They are said to perish because they are utterly removed from us, and to express the great loss which this world sustains by the removal of them, not that their death is their undoing … They are taken away from the evil to come, then when it is just coming … In compassion to them, that they may not see the evil (Kg2 22:20), nor share in it, nor be in temptation by it. … Their souls then enter into peace, into the world of peace, where peace is in perfection and where there is no trouble. … Their bodies rest in their beds. Note, The grave is a bed of rest to all the Lord's people; there they rest from all their labours, Rev 14:13. … This bed is made in the darkness, but that makes it the more quiet; it is a bed out of which they shall rise refreshed in the morning of the resurrection.
Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, on 57:1–2; 1706–1714; the text of the Free Use Bible API. The edition
An English Presbyterian minister whose commentary on the whole Bible Protestants have read for three centuries.
John Wesley1703–1791MethodistExplanatory Notes upon the Old Testament · on Isaiah 57:19I create - I will by my almighty power produce. Peace - That peace which is not wrought by mens hands, but only by God's lips or word. … Far off - To the Gentiles who are far from God, as well as to the Jews, who are called a people near unto God, Psal 148:14.
I create - I will by my almighty power produce. Peace - That peace which is not wrought by mens hands, but only by God's lips or word. … Far off - To the Gentiles who are far from God, as well as to the Jews, who are called a people near unto God, Psal 148:14.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament, on 57:19; Bristol, 1765. The edition
The Anglican priest who began the Methodist movement; his notes on the Bible were written for ordinary readers.
Adam Clarkec. 1760–1832MethodistCommentary on the Holy Bible · on Isaiah 57:1I feel inclined to follow the grammatical meaning of the word "perish," pereo. So the Vulgate, justus periit, from per, By or Through, and eo, to Go. In his death the righteous man may be said to have passed through life, and to have passed by men, i.e., gone or passed before them into the eternal world. A similar mode of speech is used by our Saxon ancestors to express death: he went out of sight; and he went away; and to fare forth, to die. There are very few places in Isaiah where Jesus Christ is not intended; and I am inclined to think that He is intended here, That Just One … Merciful men - If the first refers to Christ, this may well refer to the apostles.
I feel inclined to follow the grammatical meaning of the word "perish," pereo. So the Vulgate, justus periit, from per, By or Through, and eo, to Go. In his death the righteous man may be said to have passed through life, and to have passed by men, i.e., gone or passed before them into the eternal world. A similar mode of speech is used by our Saxon ancestors to express death: he went out of sight; and he went away; and to fare forth, to die. There are very few places in Isaiah where Jesus Christ is not intended; and I am inclined to think that He is intended here, That Just One … Merciful men - If the first refers to Christ, this may well refer to the apostles.
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Holy Bible, on 57:1; 1810–1826; the text of the Free Use Bible API. The edition
A Methodist preacher and scholar from Ulster, whose commentary on the whole Bible took him nearly forty years.
Keil and Delitzsch1807–1888 and 1813–1890LutheranBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament · on Isaiah 57:15the Holy One is also the Merciful One, and not only has a manifestation of glory on high, but also a manifestation of grace below. … He inflicts punishment in His wrath; but to those who suffer themselves to be urged thereby to repentance and the desire for salvation, He is most inwardly and most effectually near with His grace. For the heaven of heavens is not too great for Him, and a human heart is not too small for Him to dwell in. And He who dwells upon cherubim, and among the praises of seraphim, does not scorn to dwell among the sighs of a poor human soul.
the Holy One is also the Merciful One, and not only has a manifestation of glory on high, but also a manifestation of grace below. … He inflicts punishment in His wrath; but to those who suffer themselves to be urged thereby to repentance and the desire for salvation, He is most inwardly and most effectually near with His grace. For the heaven of heavens is not too great for Him, and a human heart is not too small for Him to dwell in. And He who dwells upon cherubim, and among the praises of seraphim, does not scorn to dwell among the sighs of a poor human soul.
Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, on 57:15; translated by James Martin and others (Edinburgh, 1866–1891); the text of the Free Use Bible API. The edition
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, two German Lutheran scholars of Hebrew whose commentary on the Old Testament is still read for its learning.
Isaiah 57
Isaiah 57:1–21, World English Bible
Isaiah 57 in the Bible · Told in the Story: Chapter 15, Arise, Shine
What others have written
7 passages from writers of 2 traditions, in their own words, each with their dates and tradition. The site doesn’t say who is right: read them beside the verses. About these
Oldest first.
Justin Martyrc. 110–165Early church, EastThe First Apology · on Isaiah 57:1–2And how it was predicted by the Spirit of prophecy that He and those who hoped in Him should be slain, hear what was said by Isaiah. These are the words: "Behold now the righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and just men are taken away, and no man considereth. From the presence of wickedness is the righteous man taken, and his burial shall be in peace: he is taken from our midst."
Justin Martyr, The First Apology, First Apology 48; translated for the Ante-Nicene Christian Library (Edinburgh, 1867), as printed in the Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (Buffalo, 1885); the text of the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The edition
A Greek philosopher from Samaria who became a Christian and taught in Rome, where he was put to death for his faith. His First Apology, addressed to the emperor, defends the Christians and shows them the prophets’ words about Christ.
John Calvin1509–1564ReformedCommentaries · on Isaiah 57:19To them that are far off. This is added, because the people who had been carried into captivity did not think that these things belonged to them, (because they were "far off,") but perhaps to those who were at home … But the Prophet foretells that, though they are at a great distance, yet they shall be partakers of this grace. … Paul appears to have glanced at this passage, when he says that Christ "brought peace to them that are near, and to them that are far off." (Ephesians 2:17) He speaks of Gentiles and Jews; for the Jews were "near," because God had entered into a covenant with them; but the Gentiles were "far off," because they were strangers to that covenant. But the Prophet appears to speak of Jews only. I reply, Paul adheres to the true meaning of the Prophet, if the whole be but carefully examined; for the Jews are said, in this passage, to be "far off," because the Lord appeared to have driven them out of his house; and in that respect they resembled the Gentiles.
John Calvin, Commentaries, on 57:19; Calvin Translation Society (Edinburgh, 1843–1855); the text of the Free Use Bible API. The edition
The French reformer of Geneva, from whose teaching the Reformed and Presbyterian churches come.
John Calvin1509–1564ReformedCommentaries · on Isaiah 57:20–21That metaphor of "the sea" is elegant and very well fitted to describe the uneasiness of the wicked; for of itself "the sea is troubled." Though it be not beaten by the wind or agitated by frightful tempests, its billows carry on mutual war, and dash against each other with terrible violence. In the same manner wicked men are "troubled" by inward distress, which is deeply seated in their hearts. … Whoever then wishes to avoid these alarms and this frightful agony of heart, let him not reject that peace which the Lord offers to him. … for, until men have been reconciled to God, conscience will never cease to annoy and carry on war with them.
John Calvin, Commentaries, on 57:20–21; Calvin Translation Society (Edinburgh, 1843–1855); the text of the Free Use Bible API. The edition
The French reformer of Geneva, from whose teaching the Reformed and Presbyterian churches come.
Matthew Henry1662–1714English PresbyterianCommentary on the Whole Bible · on Isaiah 57:1–2The righteous, as to this world, perish; they are gone and their place knows them no more. … Righteousness delivers from the sting of death, but not from the stroke of it. They are said to perish because they are utterly removed from us, and to express the great loss which this world sustains by the removal of them, not that their death is their undoing … They are taken away from the evil to come, then when it is just coming … In compassion to them, that they may not see the evil (Kg2 22:20), nor share in it, nor be in temptation by it. … Their souls then enter into peace, into the world of peace, where peace is in perfection and where there is no trouble. … Their bodies rest in their beds. Note, The grave is a bed of rest to all the Lord's people; there they rest from all their labours, Rev 14:13. … This bed is made in the darkness, but that makes it the more quiet; it is a bed out of which they shall rise refreshed in the morning of the resurrection.
Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, on 57:1–2; 1706–1714; the text of the Free Use Bible API. The edition
An English Presbyterian minister whose commentary on the whole Bible Protestants have read for three centuries.
John Wesley1703–1791MethodistExplanatory Notes upon the Old Testament · on Isaiah 57:19I create - I will by my almighty power produce. Peace - That peace which is not wrought by mens hands, but only by God's lips or word. … Far off - To the Gentiles who are far from God, as well as to the Jews, who are called a people near unto God, Psal 148:14.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament, on 57:19; Bristol, 1765. The edition
The Anglican priest who began the Methodist movement; his notes on the Bible were written for ordinary readers.
Adam Clarkec. 1760–1832MethodistCommentary on the Holy Bible · on Isaiah 57:1I feel inclined to follow the grammatical meaning of the word "perish," pereo. So the Vulgate, justus periit, from per, By or Through, and eo, to Go. In his death the righteous man may be said to have passed through life, and to have passed by men, i.e., gone or passed before them into the eternal world. A similar mode of speech is used by our Saxon ancestors to express death: he went out of sight; and he went away; and to fare forth, to die. There are very few places in Isaiah where Jesus Christ is not intended; and I am inclined to think that He is intended here, That Just One … Merciful men - If the first refers to Christ, this may well refer to the apostles.
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Holy Bible, on 57:1; 1810–1826; the text of the Free Use Bible API. The edition
A Methodist preacher and scholar from Ulster, whose commentary on the whole Bible took him nearly forty years.
Keil and Delitzsch1807–1888 and 1813–1890LutheranBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament · on Isaiah 57:15the Holy One is also the Merciful One, and not only has a manifestation of glory on high, but also a manifestation of grace below. … He inflicts punishment in His wrath; but to those who suffer themselves to be urged thereby to repentance and the desire for salvation, He is most inwardly and most effectually near with His grace. For the heaven of heavens is not too great for Him, and a human heart is not too small for Him to dwell in. And He who dwells upon cherubim, and among the praises of seraphim, does not scorn to dwell among the sighs of a poor human soul.
Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, on 57:15; translated by James Martin and others (Edinburgh, 1866–1891); the text of the Free Use Bible API. The edition
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, two German Lutheran scholars of Hebrew whose commentary on the Old Testament is still read for its learning.