Isaiah 65:4
who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat pig’s flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels;
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
These verses paint a stark picture of people engaging in practices forbidden by God's law—living near graves, eating forbidden foods like pork, and consuming broth made from "abominable things." This wasn't just about breaking dietary rules; it was about participating in idolatrous rituals and necromancy, attempting to commune with the dead and spirits for forbidden knowledge, essentially turning away from God to pursue hollow, defiling practices.
In this passage, God is exposing the corrupt and idolatrous practices of His people who have turned away from Him. They engage in forbidden rituals like sleeping in tombs to commune with the dead and practicing necromancy, while also disregarding Mosaic dietary laws by eating pork. These actions are not just about breaking rules; they represent a deeper rebellion and a turning to pagan customs and false gods instead of remaining faithful to the Lord.
Why would people spend the night in tombs or 'secret places'? What were they hoping to gain from the darkness and the dead?
Communing with the Unseen
The verse describes people who "sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places." This wasn't just about finding shelter; it points to ancient practices of necromancy and divination.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Isaiah 65:4 is available in the Sola app.
This pursuit of hidden knowledge through dark rituals reveals a deep dissatisfaction with relying on God's revealed will and a dangerous curiosity for the forbidden.
Why would eating pig's flesh and its broth be such a serious offense in God's eyes? What's the deeper meaning behind these forbidden foods?
More Than Just Diet
The mention of eating "pig’s flesh, and broth of tainted meat" goes far beyond a simple dietary restriction. For ancient Israel, these prohibitions were deeply tied to their identity and their covenant relationship with God.
This culinary rebellion wasn't just about food; it was a public declaration of allegiance to other gods and a rejection of the holy God who had set them apart.
Understand the original words
chazir · Hebrew Noun
The Mosaic Law identified swine as ceremonially unclean; eating pig’s flesh was a direct violation of covenant purity laws, serving as a sign of deliberate rejection of God's holiness.
The specific practices described in Isaiah 65:4—sitting in tombs, eating pig's flesh, and consuming broth from unclean meats—were not merely violations of the Mosaic Law but were deeply intertwined with pagan idolatry and necromancy prevalent in the ancient Near East, highlighting the profound spiritual compromise Isaiah was addressing.
c. 8th century BC
Prophetic Ministry of Isaiah
Isaiah prophesies during a period of political instability and spiritual decline in Judah, warning of judgment and offering glimpses of future restoration.
c. 8th century BC— this verse
Idolatrous Practices in Judah
The people of Judah engage in syncretistic worship, incorporating pagan rituals and beliefs alongside their adherence to Yahweh, including practices like necromancy and the eating of forbidden foods.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonian forces conquer Judah, destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, and exile many of the remaining population, a direct consequence of the disobedience and idolatry warned against.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
A remnant of Jews returns to Judah, led by figures like Zerubbabel, to rebuild the Temple and re-establish their community, though the spiritual struggles continue.
This verse explicitly prohibits the consumption of pork, making the act described in Isaiah a direct violation of Mosaic law and a sign of apostasy.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12These verses condemn practices like necromancy ('consulting the dead') and divination, which the commentators suggest are linked to the 'sitting in tombs' and 'spending the night in secret places' mentioned in Isaiah.
Ezekiel 8:14This passage describes women weeping for Tammuz, a pagan deity often associated with swine sacrifices, providing a potential link between eating pork and idolatrous worship, as alluded to in Isaiah.
1 Samuel 15:22This verse emphasizes that obedience to God is more valued than sacrifice, highlighting the core issue in Isaiah: a people choosing their own forbidden practices over God's commands.
Matthew 8:28This New Testament account shows people living in tombs, illustrating the literal reality of such dwelling places, which Isaiah's audience would have recognized as places of uncleanness and potential habitation for spirits.
barnesIsaiah 65:4: "Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;"
Which remain among the graves - That is, evidently for purposes of necromancy and divination. They do it to appear to hold converse with the dead, and to receive communications from them. The idea in necromancy was, that departed spirits must be acquainted with future events, or at least with the secret things of the invisible world where they dw…
gillIsaiah 65:4: "Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;"
Which remain among the graves,.... In order to practise necromancy, to consult the dead, where they imagined demons and departed spirits haunted, and of whom they fancied they might get knowledge of future things: and lodge in the monuments: whole nights for the same purposes. The Vulgate Latin version is, "that sleep in the temples of idols"; af…
These verses paint a stark picture of people engaging in practices forbidden by God's law—living near graves, eating forbidden foods like pork, and consuming broth made from "abominable things." This wasn't just about breaking dietary rules; it was about participating in idolatrous rituals and necromancy, attempting to commune with the dead and spirits for forbidden knowledge, essentially turning away from God to pursue hollow, defiling practices.
In this passage, God is exposing the corrupt and idolatrous practices of His people who have turned away from Him. They engage in forbidden rituals like sleeping in tombs to commune with the dead and practicing necromancy, while also disregarding Mosaic dietary laws by eating pork. These actions are not just about breaking rules; they represent a deeper rebellion and a turning to pagan customs and false gods instead of remaining faithful to the Lord.
In this passage, God is exposing the corrupt and idolatrous practices of His people who have turned away from Him. They engage in forbidden rituals like sleeping in tombs to commune with the dead and practicing necromancy, while also disregarding Mosaic dietary laws by eating pork. These actions are not just about breaking rules; they represent a deeper rebellion and a turning to pagan customs and false gods instead of remaining faithful to the Lord.
"who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat pig’s flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels;" — These verses paint a stark picture of people engaging in practices forbidden by God's law—living near graves, eating forbidden foods like pork, and consuming broth made from "abominable things." This…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
