Isaiah 59:15

"Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has fallen in the street, and uprightness can’t enter."

Key Reflection

In Isaiah 59:15, the prophet describes a society where justice and righteousness have been sorely lacking. The verse paints a vivid picture of a broken social order, where truth is absent and upright behavior struggles to gain a foothold in public life. This cultural context highlights the severity of sin's impact on communal values, suggesting that both legal decisions and moral conduct were deeply corrupted, reflecting the broader spiritual crisis of the nation.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Yea, truth faileth -That is, it is not to be found, it is missing. The word used here (fromעדר‛âdar) means “to be left, to remain”2 Samuel 17:22; then “to be missing or lacking”1 Samuel 30:19;Isaiah 40:26. Here it means that truth had no existence there. And he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey -Margin, ‘Is accounted mad.’ Noyes renders this, ‘And he that departeth from evil is plundered.’ Grotius renders it, ‘The innocent man lies open to injury from all.’ The Septuagint, ‘They took away the mind from understanding;’ or, ‘They substituted opinion in the place of knowledge.’ (Thompson’s Translation.)

Related Verses

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