Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just about mistakes in judgment, but a deliberate reversal of what's right and wrong. It's about actively calling what is truly dark "light" and what is truly bitter "sweet," indicating a deep-seated moral confusion where truth itself has been inverted.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
English Standard Version (ESV)
Isaiah has just condemned the wealthy elite for their greed and oppression, likening their actions to a vineyard that yields wild grapes instead of fruit. This verse delivers a "woe" against those who, as a result of this corrupt spiritual state, have lost their moral compass entirely and deliberately confuse right with wrong. They actively promote darkness as light and bitter as sweet, indicating a willful embrace of error and sin over truth and righteousness.
Ever feel like the world's moral compass is spinning wildly? Isaiah powerfully warns against a deep-seated corruption: calling evil good and good evil. This isn't just a mistake; it's a dangerous spiritual disease.
Blurring the Lines
The prophet Isaiah cries out, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil!" This verse highlights a profound inversion of values. It's about intentionally blurring the clear distinctions between right and wrong.
Isaiah doesn't just point out confusion; he reveals a deep-seated preference for what is destructive. The final image of swapping bitter for sweet speaks volumes about our choices and their ultimate taste.
The Taste of Sin
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The repetition of contrasting pairs – darkness/light, bitter/sweet – emphasizes the deliberate nature of this perversion. It's not accidental ignorance, but a willful choice.
Understand the original words
ra · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
Anything that is morally corrupt, wicked, or ethically deficient, standing in opposition to the nature and will of God.
tob · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
That which conforms to the nature of God; it is morally excellent, beneficial, and acceptable in His sight.
choshek · Hebrew Noun
A symbol of ignorance, secrecy, sin, and separation from God; it is the absence of divine revelation or moral truth.
or · Hebrew Noun
A symbol of God’s presence, truth, holiness, and revelation; it exposes sin and guides the righteous in the way of life.
Isaiah's warning in this verse is set against a backdrop of political turmoil and national crisis. The people of Judah are facing the devastating consequences of rejecting God's ways, even as their leaders and society increasingly blur the lines between right and wrong, embracing corruption and injustice.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Dominance over Israel
The Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah were under the oppressive influence and often direct rule of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. This period saw increasing political instability and spiritual compromise.
c. 740 BC
Isaiah's Call to Prophetic Ministry
Isaiah receives his vision in the temple, where God commissions him to prophesy, particularly to the Judahite people and their leaders. He is tasked with confronting their sin and calling them to repentance.
c. 734-732 BC
Syro-Ephraimite War
Pekah of Israel and Rezin of Aram attempt to force Judah, under King Ahaz, into an anti-Assyrian coalition. Ahaz, against Isaiah's advice, appeals to Assyria for help, further entangling Judah.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The Northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire under Shalmaneser V and Sargon II, leading to the exile of its population and the scattering of the ten tribes.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
King Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah, capturing many cities and besieking Jerusalem. He withdraws without conquering the city, but Judah is left severely weakened and tributary.
This passage describes people who, despite knowing God, exchanged the truth about God for a lie, showing a similar willful distortion of reality.
Matthew 23:25-26Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for purifying the outside of their cups while being full of greed and self-indulgence, a parallel to calling something 'good' when its core is rotten.
Proverbs 17:15This proverb directly echoes Isaiah, stating that justifying the wicked and condemning the righteous are both abominations to the Lord, highlighting the severity of mislabeling good and evil.
1 John 1:5-6This passage contrasts walking in the light with practicing darkness and claiming fellowship with God, showing how claiming to be 'good' while living in 'darkness' is a deception.
Ephesians 5:11Paul urges believers not to participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, but to expose them, implying that failing to distinguish between light and darkness leads to complicity.
gillIsaiah 5:20: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil,.... That call evil actions good, and good actions evil; that excuse the one, and reproach the other; or that call evil men good, and good men evil; to which the Targum agrees. Some understand this of false prophets rejecting the true worship of God, and recommending false worship;…
barnesIsaiah 5:20: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
Wo unto them that call evil good ... - This is the fourth class of sins denounced. The sin which is reprobated here is that of "perverting and confounding" things, especially the distinctions of morality and religion. They prefer erroneous and fake doctrines to the true; they prefer an evil to an upright course of conduct. The Cha…
This verse isn't just about mistakes in judgment, but a deliberate reversal of what's right and wrong. It's about actively calling what is truly dark "light" and what is truly bitter "sweet," indicating a deep-seated moral confusion where truth itself has been inverted.
Isaiah has just condemned the wealthy elite for their greed and oppression, likening their actions to a vineyard that yields wild grapes instead of fruit. This verse delivers a "woe" against those who, as a result of this corrupt spiritual state, have lost their moral compass entirely and deliberately confuse right with wrong. They actively promote darkness as light and bitter as sweet, indicating a willful embrace of error and sin over truth and righteousness.
Isaiah has just condemned the wealthy elite for their greed and oppression, likening their actions to a vineyard that yields wild grapes instead of fruit. This verse delivers a "woe" against those who, as a result of this corrupt spiritual state, have lost their moral compass entirely and deliberately confuse right with wrong. They actively promote darkness as light and bitter as sweet, indicating a willful embrace of error and sin over truth and righteousness.
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" — This verse isn't just about mistakes in judgment, but a deliberate reversal of what's right and wrong. It's about actively calling what is truly dark "light" and what is truly bitter "sweet," ind…
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Last reviewed October 2026