Isaiah 59:4
No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse isn't just about a general lack of justice; it highlights a perversion of legal processes. It paints a picture where lawsuits are initiated not for truth, but for advantage, and where legal arguments are built on falsehoods, demonstrating a deep-seated corruption in how people pursue their claims and resolve disputes.
In the preceding verses, God's hand is revealed not to be too short to save, nor his ear too deaf to hear, but rather that the people's iniquities have separated them from Him. Now, Isaiah confronts their moral decay, focusing on how the legal system and public life have become corrupted by injustice and deceit, setting the stage for God's righteous judgment.
Understand the original words
amal · Hebrew Noun
Deceptive or harmful plans generated in the heart. It often refers to evil schemes or social injustice devised against others.
Isaiah's prophecy in chapter 59 addresses a Judah steeped in corruption, where legal systems are perverted and justice is abandoned. This historical context of military threats and internal decay highlights the urgency of his message.
c. 740 BC— this verse
Isaiah's Prophetic Ministry
Isaiah delivers his prophecies in Judah during a time of political instability and moral decay. He warns of impending judgment due to the people's unfaithfulness.
c. 734-732 BC
Syro-Ephraimitic War
The northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) and Syria attack Judah. Isaiah advises King Ahaz to trust God, not foreign alliances, but Judah's leadership compromises its integrity.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern kingdom of Israel, exiling its people. This serves as a stark warning to Judah about the consequences of their sin.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Invasion of Judah
King Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah and besieces Jerusalem. Despite the crisis, the people's moral and spiritual corruption, as described by Isaiah, remains rampant.
This passage echoes Isaiah's lament, describing leaders who 'hate good and love evil,' consuming God's people like flesh, which directly relates to the injustice and deceit described in Isaiah 59:4.
Job 15:35This verse uses the exact same imagery of 'conceiving mischief and bringing forth iniquity,' highlighting the deep-rooted, active nature of wickedness that the prophets consistently condemned.
Proverbs 10:19This proverb warns that 'sin is not without punishment,' contrasting with Isaiah's depiction of people acting wickedly without apparent consequence, underscoring the perverted moral landscape of Isaiah's audience.
Jeremiah 5:1-6Similar to Isaiah, Jeremiah describes a society where justice is absent and truth is nowhere to be found, emphasizing the widespread corruption and the divine judgment that follows such societal breakdown.
gillIsaiah 59:4: "None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity."
None calleth for justice,.... Or, "righteousness"; not for civil justice in courts of judicature, as if there were no advocates for it there; or that put those in mind of it, to whom the administration of it belongs; or that see to put the laws against sin in execution, and to relieve those that are oppressed; though of this there may be ju…
ellicottIsaiah 59:4: "None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity."
(4) None calleth for justice. —Better, none preferreth his suit with truthfulness. The words point chiefly to the guilt of unrighteous prosecutions, but may include that of false witness also. They trust in vanity.—Literally, in chaos—the characteristic tohu of both parts of Isaiah (Isaiah 24:10; Isaiah 29:21; Isaiah 40:17; Isaiah 40:23).
The verse isn't just about a general lack of justice; it highlights a perversion of legal processes. It paints a picture where lawsuits are initiated not for truth, but for advantage, and where legal arguments are built on falsehoods, demonstrating a deep-seated corruption in how people pursue their claims and resolve disputes.
In the preceding verses, God's hand is revealed not to be too short to save, nor his ear too deaf to hear, but rather that the people's iniquities have separated them from Him. Now, Isaiah confronts their moral decay, focusing on how the legal system and public life have become corrupted by injustice and deceit, setting the stage for God's righteous judgment.
In the preceding verses, God's hand is revealed not to be too short to save, nor his ear too deaf to hear, but rather that the people's iniquities have separated them from Him. Now, Isaiah confronts their moral decay, focusing on how the legal system and public life have become corrupted by injustice and deceit, setting the stage for God's righteous judgment.
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"No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity." — The verse isn't just about a general lack of justice; it highlights a perversion of legal processes. It paints a picture where lawsuits are initiated not for truth, but for advantage, and where legal…
