For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse isn't just describing Israel's adoption of foreign practices, but their filling up with them, suggesting an overwhelming abundance and preference for these eastern superstitions and alliances over their covenant with God. This emphasis highlights how deeply these foreign influences had infiltrated their lives, making their rejection by God a consequence of their full embrace of them.
For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Isaiah has just described a glorious future vision of Mount Zion as the center of God's worship for all nations. Now, in contrast to that ideal future, he turns to the grim reality of Judah's present spiritual state. He laments that the people of Jacob have abandoned God, filling themselves with foreign superstitions and practices from the East, mirroring the Philistines' divination, and forming alliances with other nations.
The verse describes the House of Jacob being 'replenished from the east' and delighting in 'children of strangers.' This sounds like more than just everyday mistakes.
A Deepening Corruption
The prophet Isaiah points to a pervasive spiritual ailment within the house of Jacob. The phrase 'replenished from the east' suggests an absorption of foreign customs and superstitions, likely from neighboring pagan cultures like Syria and Mesopotamia. This wasn't a superficial acquaintance with other traditions; it was a filling, a saturation.
Similarly, 'soothsayers like the Philistines' highlights a turning to forbidden practices – divination, sorcery, and seeking guidance from sources other than God. This was explicitly outlawed in the Law (Deuteronomy 18:10-14).
The phrase 'strike hands with the children of strangers' (or 'please themselves in the children of strangers') carries the weight of forming alliances, both national and matrimonial, with foreign peoples. This broke God's command to remain a distinct and separate people (Exodus 23:32; Nehemiah 13:23).
These weren't isolated incidents but a pattern of turning away from God's covenant, embracing practices and people that compromised their identity and relationship with Him.
The verse begins with a weighty statement: 'For you have rejected your people...'. What does this mean, and what leads to such a divine pronouncement?
A Divine Turning Away
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The statement, 'For you have forsaken your people, the house of Jacob,' is profound. It's not that God wants to forsake His people, but that their actions have created a condition where He must withdraw His favor and protection. This isn't abandonment of His covenant promises, but a response to persistent rebellion.
Think of it like a parent who has disciplined a child repeatedly for the same offense. Eventually, the parent might have to step back, not out of a lack of love, but because the child's choices force a consequence. God's 'forsaking' here signifies His turning away from their sinful ways, withdrawing His blessing and presence as a righteous judgment.
This turning away is directly linked to their embrace of foreign customs and alliances. By filling themselves with the 'east' and 'strangers,' they were effectively rejecting God, the source of their true strength and identity. God's response, therefore, is to allow them to experience the consequences of their chosen path.
Understand the original words
ya‘aqov · Hebrew Proper Noun
A term describing the covenantal people of Israel, descending from the patriarch Jacob, chosen by God to be a light to the nations and the vehicle of redemptive history.
‘onenim · Hebrew Noun
Those who practice occult arts, divination, or spiritism to ascertain the future or gain forbidden knowledge, strictly forbidden in Old Testament law as an affront to God’s sovereignty.
yaspiqu · Hebrew Verb
A traditional legal or covenantal gesture signifying a binding agreement, alliance, or partnership, often condemned in Scripture when it implies compromising religious loyalty to God.
This prophecy addresses the people of Judah during a time of spiritual and political crisis, likely in the 8th century BC. The nation was embracing foreign superstitions and engaging in questionable alliances, leading the prophet Isaiah to warn them of impending judgment while also pointing toward a future restoration.
c. 760-740 BC
Reign of Uzziah
Under King Uzziah, Judah experienced a period of prosperity and military success, expanding its territory and influence, including contact with the Philistines.
c. 740-732 BC
Reign of Jotham
Jotham's reign continued the prosperity of his father's, with continued building and expansion, fostering trade and likely increased interaction with foreign nations.
c. 732-722 BC— this verse
Reign of Ahaz
King Ahaz's reign was marked by military crisis, including invasion by Syria and Israel. He sought aid from Assyria, adopting foreign religious practices and even sacrificing his own son.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians, leading to the exile of many Israelites and a general sense of crisis in the region.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Invasion under Sennacherib
Assyrian king Sennacherib invaded Judah, conquering many cities and besieging Jerusalem, though the city was miraculously spared.
This passage also condemns prophets and priests for their greed and deceit, mirroring Isaiah's critique of the people's corrupted practices and trust in false means.
Ezekiel 8:10-12This vision vividly describes the hidden idolatry and detestable practices within the temple, showing a similar corruption of worship and seeking of forbidden knowledge as Isaiah describes with 'things from the east' and 'soothsayers'.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12This passage explicitly lists the forbidden practices that Isaiah denounces, such as divination and sorcery, highlighting the direct transgression of God's commands by the people of Jacob.
Hosea 4:1-3Similar to Isaiah's lament, Hosea indicts Israel for their lack of faithfulness, truth, and knowledge of God, attributing their downfall to false worship and reliance on deceptive practices and foreign alliances.
Micah 6:16This verse directly references the sins of Ahab and the practices of the surrounding nations, showing that the 'ways of Omri' and the customs from the east that Isaiah condemns were part of a pattern of national apostasy.
gillIsaiah 2:6: "Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers."
Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob,.... These words contain a reason of the divine conduct, in calling the Gentiles, and rejecting the Jews, because of the sins of the latter hereafter mentioned; though some, as the Targum and R. Moses, refer this to the Isr…
jfbIsaiah 2:6: "Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers."
- Therefore—rather, "For": reasons why there is the more need of the exhortation in Isa 2:5.thou—transition to Jehovah: such rapid transitions are natural, when the mind is full of a subject.replenished—rather, filled, namely, with the superstitions of the East, Syria, and Chaldea.…
The verse isn't just describing Israel's adoption of foreign practices, but their filling up with them, suggesting an overwhelming abundance and preference for these eastern superstitions and alliances over their covenant with God. This emphasis highlights how deeply these foreign influences had infiltrated their lives, making their rejection by God a consequence of their full embrace of them.
The prophet Isaiah has just described a glorious future vision of Mount Zion as the center of God's worship for all nations. Now, in contrast to that ideal future, he turns to the grim reality of Judah's present spiritual state. He laments that the people of Jacob have abandoned God, filling themselves with foreign superstitions and practices from the East, mirroring the Philistines' divination, and forming alliances with other nations.
The prophet Isaiah has just described a glorious future vision of Mount Zion as the center of God's worship for all nations. Now, in contrast to that ideal future, he turns to the grim reality of Judah's present spiritual state. He laments that the people of Jacob have abandoned God, filling themselves with foreign superstitions and practices from the East, mirroring the Philistines' divination, and forming alliances with other nations.
"For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners." — The verse isn't just describing Israel's adoption of foreign practices, but their filling up with them, suggesting an overwhelming abundance and preference for these eastern superstitions and all…
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Last reviewed October 2026