Isaiah 1:21-31

Isaiah 1:21-31

[21] How is the faithful  city  become an harlot!  of judgment;  righteousness  lodged  in it; but now murderers.  [22] Thy silver  is become dross,  thy wine  mixed  with water:  [23] Thy princes  are rebellious,  and companions  of thieves:  every one loveth  gifts,  and followeth  after rewards:  they judge  not the fatherless,  neither doth the cause  of the widow  come  unto them. [24] Therefore saith  the Lord,  the LORD  of hosts,  the mighty One  of Israel,  Ah,  I will ease  me of mine adversaries,  and avenge  me of mine enemies:  [25] And I will turn  my hand  purge away  thy dross,  and take away  all thy tin:  [26] And I will restore  thy judges  as at the first,  and thy counsellors  as at the beginning:  afterward  thou shalt be called,  The city  of righteousness,  the faithful  city.  [27] Zion  shall be redeemed  with judgment,  and her converts  with righteousness.  [28] And the destruction  of the transgressors  and of the sinners  shall be together,  and they that forsake  the LORD  shall be consumed.  [29] For they shall be ashamed  of the oaks  which ye have desired,  and ye shall be confounded  for the gardens  that ye have chosen.  [30] For ye shall be as an oak  whose leaf  fadeth,  and as a garden  that hath no water.  [31] And the strong  shall be as tow,  and the maker  of it as a spark,  and they shall both  burn  together,  and none shall quench  them.

What does Isaiah 1:21-31 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

While God"s invitation to repent was genuine ( Isaiah 1:16-20), the nation had so thoroughly departed from Him that repentance was not forthcoming and discipline was inevitable. The prophet bemoaned the depth of Israel"s apostasy and announced that the Lord would have to purify His people in the furnace of affliction before they would become what He intended them to be. The structural form of Isaiah 1:21-26 is palistrophic, with Isaiah 1:23-24 forming the center and focal point of the chiasm.