The chilling insight here is that this isn't a literal pact with the underworld. Instead, their "covenant with death" and "agreement with Sheol" is a dangerous self-deception, a spoken confidence in falsehoods that acts as their false refuge. They've convinced themselves they're immune to divine judgment, believing their lies are a solid shield against any approaching "scourge."
Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement, when the overwhelming whip passes through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
English Standard Version (ESV)
Isaiah is rebuking the proud leaders of Jerusalem, who are drunk with a false sense of security. They boast that they've made a pact with death and the grave, believing they are immune to any coming disaster, like an overwhelming military invasion. This verse reveals their delusion: they're relying on deceit and lies, not on God, to protect them.
Have you ever felt so sure about something that you almost felt invincible? The people in Isaiah’s day felt that way, but their confidence was built on a dangerous illusion.
The people of Judah were facing imminent threat, likely from the Assyrian empire. Yet, instead of turning to God, they boasted about their security. They declared, 'We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement.' This wasn't a literal contract, but a proverb expressing absolute confidence in their ability to escape disaster. It was like saying, 'Death and the grave have promised not to touch us!' They believed their political alliances, their clever schemes, or perhaps their religious rituals would shield them from any 'overwhelming whip' of judgment.
This highlights a common human tendency: to create a sense of security based on things that cannot ultimately protect us. Whether it's misplaced trust in wealth, power, or even faulty religious practices, we can find ourselves making 'covenants' with things that offer only the illusion of safety.
If their 'covenant' with death wasn't real, what were they relying on? Isaiah reveals the shaky ground of their confidence.
The people’s 'agreement' with death and Sheol wasn't built on any divine promise, but on 'lies' and 'falsehood.' They had chosen to hide in deception. This could refer to several things:
Ask a follow-up
Whatever specific form these 'lies' took, the result was the same: a shelter built on sand. When the 'overwhelming whip' of judgment came, their refuge would crumble, proving that trust in anything other than God is ultimately futile.
Understand the original words
bərîth · Hebrew Noun
A solemn, binding agreement or treaty, often established by God with His people, characterized by mutual obligations or divine promises of faithfulness.
she’ôl · Hebrew Noun
The realm of the dead or the underworld in the Old Testament, representing the grave or the place where human existence apart from God's presence continues in a shadowy state.
machseh · Hebrew Noun
A place of protection or safety, often used metaphorically for trust in God, but here used ironically to describe the false security found in deceit.
sheqer · Hebrew Noun
Intentional deception, untruth, or vanity; that which is not real or lasting and stands in opposition to the truth of God.
The people of Judah, facing the imminent threat of the Assyrian invasion and destruction (c. 701 BC), were foolishly boasting of their security. They believed they had made a pact with death itself, impervious to any 'scourge' that might pass through. Their 'refuge' and 'shelter' were lies and falsehoods, likely referring to their misplaced trust in diplomatic alliances (perhaps with Egypt, as noted in some commentaries) or their own perceived cleverness, rather than in the Lord.
c. 734-732 BC
Syro-Ephraimitic War
Assyria, under Tiglath-Pileser III, invades the northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim). Many Israelites are deported, and the northern kingdom is devastated, foreshadowing future calamities.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The capital city of Israel, Samaria, falls to the Assyrian Empire. This marks the end of the northern kingdom and the deportation of its people.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Assyrian Invasion of Judah
King Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah, conquering many fortified cities and besieging Jerusalem. The Assyrians are known for their devastating military campaigns.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon conquers Jerusalem, deporting some of the royal family and elite to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's Babylonian exile.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem
Babylonian forces destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the kingdom of Judah and exiling most of its remaining population.
This passage uses a similar proverbial expression to describe a false sense of security, suggesting a league with the natural world, mirroring Israel's 'covenant with death.'
Hosea 13:14This verse directly parallels the idea of a 'covenant with death' and a pact with 'Sheol' (the grave), questioning where death's sting and the grave's power can be found in light of God's redemptive power.
Isaiah 29:15-17This passage further illustrates the folly of relying on human schemes ('lies' and 'falsehood') as a refuge, contrasting it with God's ultimate judgment that will sweep away such deceptions.
Jeremiah 8:11This verse condemns prophets who claim to heal the 'wound of my people lightly,' which is akin to making 'lies their refuge' instead of addressing the deep-seated sin and covenant-breaking.
1 Corinthians 15:55This New Testament passage offers the ultimate fulfillment of overcoming death and the grave, directly contrasting with the vain 'covenant with death' described in Isaiah by relying on Christ's resurrection.
barnesIsaiah 28:15: "Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:"
We have made a covenant with death - We are not to suppose that they had formally said this, but that their conduct was as if they had said it; they lived as securely as if they had entered into a compact with death not to destroy them,…
clarkeIsaiah 28:15: "Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:"
A covenant with death - To be in covenant with, is a kind of proverbial expression to denote perfect security from evil and mischief of any sort: - "For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field; And the beasts of the field sh…
The chilling insight here is that this isn't a literal pact with the underworld. Instead, their "covenant with death" and "agreement with Sheol" is a dangerous self-deception, a spoken confidence in falsehoods that acts as their false refuge. They've convinced themselves they're immune to divine judgment, believing their lies are a solid shield against any approaching "scourge."
Isaiah is rebuking the proud leaders of Jerusalem, who are drunk with a false sense of security. They boast that they've made a pact with death and the grave, believing they are immune to any coming disaster, like an overwhelming military invasion. This verse reveals their delusion: they're relying on deceit and lies, not on God, to protect them.
Isaiah is rebuking the proud leaders of Jerusalem, who are drunk with a false sense of security. They boast that they've made a pact with death and the grave, believing they are immune to any coming disaster, like an overwhelming military invasion. This verse reveals their delusion: they're relying on deceit and lies, not on God, to protect them.
"Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement, when the overwhelming whip passes through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in fal…" — The chilling insight here is that this isn't a literal pact with the underworld. Instead, their "covenant with death" and "agreement with Sheol" is a dangerous self-deception, a spoken confidence in…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
