King James Version
What Does Isaiah 1:7 Mean?
“Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. overthrown: Heb. the overthrow of”
Context
5
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. revolt: Heb. increase revolt
6
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. ointment: or, oil
7
Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. overthrown: Heb. the overthrow of
8
And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
9
Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Commentary
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers(7) **Your country is desolate **. . .—It is natural to take the words as describing the actual state of things when the prophet wrote. There had been such invasions in the days of Ahaz, in which Israel and Syria (Isaiah 7:1), Edom and the Philistines, had been conspicuous (2Chronicles 28:17-18); and the reign of Hezekiah already had witnessed that of Sargon (Isaiah 20:1).
The Hebrew has no copulative verb, but joins subject and predicate together with the emphasis of abruptness: *Your land*—*a desolation, *and so on. The repetition of the word “strangers” is characteristic of Isaiah’s style.
**As overthrown by strangers.**—Conjectural readings give (1) “as the overthrow of Sodom;” (2) “as the overthrow of (*i.e., *wrought by) a rain-storm.” The word rendered “overthrown” is elsewhere applied only to the destruction of the cities of the plain (Deuteronomy 29:23; Amos 4:11; Jeremiah 49:18). So taken, the clause prepares the way for the fuller comparison of Isaiah 1:9-10.
Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.
Historical Context
This verse is found in the book of Isaiah. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Theological Significance
Isaiah 1:7 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
Cross-References
Verses related to Isaiah 1:7
Cross-references from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge