Isaiah 1:6
Verse
Context
Judah’s Rebellion
5Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted. 6From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil.
Sermons







Summary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
They have not been closed, etc. "It hath not been pressed," etc. - The pharmaceutical art in the East consists chiefly in external applications: accordingly the prophet's images in this place are all taken from surgery. Sir John Chardin, in his note on Pro 3:8, "It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones," observes that "the comparison is taken from the plasters, ointments, oils, and frictions, which are made use of in the East upon the belly and stomach in most maladies. Being ignorant in the villages of the art of making decoctions and potions, and of the proper doses of such things, they generally make use of external medicines." - Harmer's Observations on Scripture, vol. 2 p. 488. And in surgery their materia medica is extremely simple, oil making the principal part of it. "In India," says Tavernier, "they have a certain preparation of oil and melted grease, which they commonly use for the healing of wounds." Voyage Ind. So the good Samaritan poured oil and wine on the wounds of the distressed Jew: wine, cleansing and somewhat astringent, proper for a fresh wound; oil, mollifying and healing, Luk 10:34. Kimchi has a judicious remark here: "When various medicines are applied, and no healing takes place, that disorder is considered as coming immediately from God." Of the three verbs in this sentence, one is in the singular number in the text; another is singular in two MSS., (one of them ancient), חבשה chubbeshah; and the Syriac and Vulgate render all of them in the singular number.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
This description of the total misery of every individual in the nation is followed by a representation of the whole nation as one miserably diseased body. "From the some of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it: cuts, and stripes, and festering wounds; they have not been pressed out, nor bound up, nor has there been any soothing with oil." The body of the nation, to which the expression "in it" applies (i.e., the nation as a whole), was covered with wounds of different kinds; and no means whatever had been applied to heal these many, various wounds, which lay all together, close to one another, and one upon the other, covering the whole body. Cuts (from פּצע to cut) are wounds that have cut into the flesh - sword-cuts, for example. These need binding up, in order that the gaping wound may close again. Stripes (Chabburâh, from Châbar, to stripe), swollen stripes, or weals, as if from a cut with a whip, or a blow with a fist: these require softening with oil, that the coagulated blood of swelling may disperse. Festering wounds, maccâh teriyâh, from târâh, to be fresh (a different word from the talmudic word t're, Chullin 45b, to thrust violently, so as to shake): these need pressing, for the purpose of cleansing them, so as to facilitate their healing. Thus the three predicates manifest an approximation to a chiasm (the crossing of the members); but this retrospective relation is not thoroughly carried out. The predicates are written in the plural, on account of the collective subject. The clause ולא רּכּכה בּשּׁמן, which refers to חבורה (stripes), so far as the sense is concerned (olive-oil, like all oleosa, being a dispersing medium), is to be taken as neuter, since this is the only way of explaining the change in the number: "And no softening has been effected with oil." Zoru we might suppose to be a pual, especially on account of the other puals near: it is not so, however, for the simple reason that, according to the accentuation (viz., with two pashtahs, the first of which gives the tone, as in tohu, Gen 1:2, so that it must be pronounced zóru), it has the tone upon the penultimate, for which it would be impossible to discover any reason, if it were derived from zârâh. For the assumption that the tone is drawn back to prepare the way for the strong tone of the next verb (Chubbâshu) is arbitrary, as the influence of the pause, though it sometimes reaches the last word but one, never extends to the last but two. Moreover, according to the usage of speech, zorâh signifies to be dispersed, not to be pressed out; whereas zur and zârar are commonly used in the sense of pressing together and squeezing out. Consequently zoru is either the kal of an intransitive zor in the middle voice (like boshu), or, what is more probable - as zoru, the middle voice in Psa 58:4, has a different meaning (abalienati sunt: cf., Isa 1:4) - the kal of zârar (= Arab. Constringere), which is here conjugated as an intransitive (cf., Job 24:24, rommu, and Gen 49:23, where robbu is used in an active sense). The surgical treatment so needed by the nation was a figurative representation of the pastoral addresses of the prophets, which had been delivered indeed, but, inasmuch as their salutary effects were dependent upon the penitential sorrow of the people, might as well have never been delivered at all. The people had despised the merciful, compassionate kindness of their God. They had no liking for the radical cure which the prophets had offered to effect. All the more pitiable, therefore, was the condition of the body, which was sick within, and diseased from head to foot. The prophet is speaking here of the existing state of things. He affirms that it is all over with the nation; and this is the ground and object of his reproachful lamentations. Consequently, when he passes in the next v. from figurative language to literal, we may presume that he is still speaking of his own times. It is Isaiah's custom to act in this manner as his own expositor (compare Isa 1:22 with Isa 1:23). The body thus inwardly and outwardly diseased, was, strictly speaking, the people and the land in their fearful condition at that time.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
From the lowest to the highest of the people; "the ancient and honorable, the head, the prophet that teacheth lies, the tail." See Isa 9:13-16. He first states their wretched condition, obvious to all (Isa 1:6-9); and then, not previously, their irreligious state, the cause of it. wounds--judicially inflicted (Hos 5:13). mollified with ointment--The art of medicine in the East consists chiefly in external applications (Luk 10:34; Jam 5:14).
John Gill Bible Commentary
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it,.... Every member of the body politic was afflicted in one way or another, or sadly infected with the disease of sin; see Psa 28:3. So the Targum, "from the rest of the people, even unto the princes, there is none among them who is perfect in my fear;'' see Dan 9:8. but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores; to which either public calamities on a city or nation may be compared, Hos 5:13 or the sins and transgressions both of single persons, and of whole bodies of men, Psa 38:5. The Targum is, "they are all stubborn and rebellious, they are defiled with sins as an ulcerous plaster.'' They have not been closed; that is, the wounds and sores have not been healed; or "they have not been pressed" or "squeezed" (c), in order to get the purulent matter out of them: neither bound up; with bands, after the matter is squeezed out, and a plaster laid on: neither mollified with ointment; which is used for the supplying and healing of wounds; see Luk 10:34. The sense either is, that they were not reformed by their afflictions; or that they did not repent of their sins, nor seek to God for healing and pardon, nor make use of any means for their more healthful state and condition. The Targum paraphrases the words thus, "they do not leave their haughtinesses, nor are they desirous of repentance, nor have they any righteousness to protect them.'' (c) "non expessa fuere a" "exprimere humorem, hoc significari clarum est ex" Jud. vi. 38. Gusset. Comment. Ling. Ebr. p. 227. So Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
1:6 without any soothing ointments or bandages: Judah’s national condition was like the body of an injured person who had not received medical care.
Isaiah 1:6
Judah’s Rebellion
5Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted. 6From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
Dating Sermon
By Paul Washer23K1:34:25DatingISA 1:6MAT 6:331CO 13:11EPH 6:12PHP 1:62TI 2:22HEB 13:17In this sermon, the speaker discusses the issue of young men in today's society, referring to them as "mall waifs" who spend their time playing video games and hanging out at malls. The speaker emphasizes the importance of men working, striving, fighting, studying, and thinking. He also mentions the world's perspective on beauty and contrasts it with what the Bible says about beauty. The speaker then transitions to discussing the qualities of a godly husband, including laying down his life for his wife, having integrity and respect for her, and providing for her economically. The sermon concludes with a personal anecdote about an art exhibit the speaker visited in Lima, Peru, where he encountered a provocative image of a naked woman in a bathtub.
Worship Beyond Prayer and Praise
By Leonard Ravenhill9.8K1:13:57WorshipEXO 24:92KI 20:12CH 29:36ISA 1:6REV 5:7In this sermon, the speaker reflects on his personal journey of preparing a sermon on the theme of worship. He shares that he began preparing this sermon in 1951 while lying in a hospital bed, feeling sick and downcast. During this time, he discovered that even though he couldn't preach or pray, he could still worship God. He emphasizes the importance of worship in the life of a believer and suggests that it is often overlooked in churches. The speaker also mentions a book by a prominent figure who claimed to have never witnessed true worship in churches in America or England.
Psalm 130
By Carl Armerding1.0K38:32PsalmsPSA 130:1ISA 1:6ISA 6:5In this sermon, the speaker reflects on the late hours of the night when he returns home after preaching. He talks about the weight of sin and how it accumulates like a national debt, emphasizing that good deeds cannot cancel out our wrongdoings. The speaker then shifts the focus to the Word of the Lord and the promise of Jesus' return. He highlights the intensity with which we should wait for the Lord, comparing it to David's anticipation of the morning sacrifice. The sermon concludes with a personal anecdote about getting caught in a political situation and a mention of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust.
Deliverance of Power
By Paris Reidhead96237:40PowerISA 1:6LUK 19:10ROM 5:6In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the love of Christ and the significance of His death for humanity. The speaker highlights four characteristics of mankind: being without strength, without a God, sinners, and enemies. The speaker emphasizes that Christ died for those who were hopeless and unable to change their hearts or past actions. The sermon concludes with a challenge for individuals to reflect on whether they have truly experienced the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Christmas and the Shed Blood
By Rolfe Barnard95025:05ChristmasISA 1:6ISA 64:6MAT 6:33ROM 3:10ROM 3:23HEB 9:222PE 1:11In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the desperate condition of mankind as described in the Bible. He emphasizes that man is unable to save himself or change his heart, and therefore needs a Savior who can bear his sins and provide salvation. The preacher highlights the importance of preaching the blood of Jesus and the need for sinners to recognize their helpless state in order to fully appreciate the redeeming power of Christ's shed blood. He concludes by emphasizing the concept of substitution, pointing to Jesus as the ultimate substitute who was born in Bethlehem to be the Savior of the world.
We Need the Breakings of God
By R. Edward Miller90939:48BreakingPSA 51:17PRO 23:7ISA 1:6ISA 57:15JER 17:9REV 3:15In this sermon, the preacher discusses the importance of breaking the emotions and will in order to have a true and genuine relationship with God. He emphasizes the need to release emotions and not be bound by stoicism or fear of showing emotion. However, he also acknowledges that breaking the emotions alone is not enough, as there needs to be a deeper breaking of the will. The preacher highlights the importance of having a broken and contrite heart, which allows for repentance, penitence, and a true understanding of the awfulness of sin. He references Psalm 38 and Jeremiah to support his points about the deceitfulness and wickedness of the human heart.
(Christ in Isaiah) Part 4
By Tom Orr77251:17ISA 1:6ISA 6:10ISA 53:1ISA 53:5ISA 63:1ISA 64:6JHN 12:37In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the concept of the servant in the book of Isaiah, specifically in chapters 52 and 53. The preacher emphasizes the importance of spreading the message of the good news and asks who has believed their report. The preacher highlights the significance of Jesus as the servant who startled many nations and the test of faith that he faced. The sermon concludes with a discussion of Isaiah 53, where the speaker explores the question of who has believed the report of the servant and the revelation of the arm of the Lord.
Sin
By J.C. Ryle0Understanding SinGrace and RedemptionISA 1:6JER 17:9MAT 5:21LUK 12:48ROM 5:12ROM 6:232CO 4:6EPH 2:3HEB 3:131JN 3:4J.C. Ryle emphasizes the critical importance of understanding sin as the foundation of Christian holiness. He argues that a clear view of sin is essential for grasping doctrines like justification and sanctification, as it reveals the true nature of human corruption inherited from Adam. Ryle warns against the deceitfulness of sin, which often leads individuals to underestimate its severity and their own guilt before God. He concludes that recognizing the depth of sin should lead to greater humility and a deeper appreciation for the grace of God found in Jesus Christ, who provides the remedy for our sinful condition.
Christ a Physician
By William Plumer0ISA 1:6William Plumer, an American Presbyterian minister, delves into the metaphor of sin as a disease and God, particularly Christ, as the Physician in his book 'The Rock of our Salvation.' Sin is portrayed as a dreadful, universal, hereditary, and perpetual disease that corrupts human nature entirely. Plumer emphasizes that sin is the worst disease, as it leads to spiritual death and eternal damnation. However, he offers hope by highlighting the remedy for sin found in the work and death of Christ, who justifies and sanctifies believers, reconciling them to God. Plumer describes Jesus Christ as a tender, approachable, and skilled Physician who is always ready to heal sin-sick souls without charge, showcasing his love, wisdom, and efficacy in saving even the chief of sinners.
Moral Insanity
By Aaron Hills0GEN 6:5PRO 1:7ECC 9:3ISA 1:6MRK 5:15LUK 15:17ROM 6:231TH 5:23HEB 3:15REV 3:17Aaron Hills preaches about the wickedness and moral insanity of the human heart as described in the Bible. He emphasizes how sinners are full of evil and behave as if morally insane, neglecting eternal treasures for temporary pleasures, harming their loved ones, and treating reality as fiction while embracing lies. Hills points out that sinners disregard their spiritual possessions, attempt impossibilities, and reject counsel, ultimately leading to their impending doom. Despite this moral madness, Jesus has the power to cure completely and restore sanity through conversion and sanctification.
God's Remedy for Man's Malady
By James Smith0PSA 50:22ISA 1:6ISA 53:5JER 17:9JHN 4:14JHN 6:37JHN 6:44ROM 5:8EPH 2:4REV 21:8James Smith preaches about the sinful nature of mankind, infected with a dreadful disease that affects every aspect of the soul, leading to enmity with God and condemnation. However, God, in His great love and mercy, has provided a remedy through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who heals, cleanses, and saves sinners freely. By coming to Jesus and receiving His grace through faith, sinners can be internally transformed, externally consistent, and eternally saved, experiencing joy, thanksgiving, and the restoration of paradise in their hearts.
The Crisis, or the Uncertain Doom of Kingdoms at Particular Times
By Samuel Davies0ISA 1:6ISA 32:13JER 25:7JON 3:9MIC 7:4LUK 11:9Samuel Davies preaches about the uncertainty and anxiety faced by nations in times of crisis, using the example of Nineveh's impending doom due to sin. He emphasizes the importance of repentance, reformation, and earnest prayer as the only hopeful way for a nation to escape divine judgment. Drawing parallels to the present war with France, he warns of the consequences of national sin and the need for a collective turning to God. Davies urges for a deep humility before God, a thorough reformation, and a reliance on the Holy Spirit for true repentance and national restoration.
Early Lessons for Christ's Disciples
By Raymond Golsworthy0EXO 21:5DEU 32:2PSA 119:18ISA 1:6ISA 52:11ISA 53:6MRK 1:17MRK 9:7MRK 16:15LUK 6:12JHN 1:1JHN 6:63JHN 14:122CO 5:21EPH 5:8EPH 6:11PHP 2:121TI 1:11TIT 2:14HEB 1:31PE 2:241JN 1:1Raymond Golsworthy preaches on the lessons from Mark 1:16-45, focusing on the events that followed Christ's call to His first disciples. The sermon highlights seven vital spiritual lessons illustrated through the disciples' experiences with Jesus, emphasizing the importance of listening to His teachings, recognizing the reality of spiritual warfare, understanding the power of prayer and unity, discerning true versus false testimonies, learning the essential secret of spending time in prayer with the Master, embracing the call to reach out to all in need, and reflecting on the profound cleansing accomplished by Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
They have not been closed, etc. "It hath not been pressed," etc. - The pharmaceutical art in the East consists chiefly in external applications: accordingly the prophet's images in this place are all taken from surgery. Sir John Chardin, in his note on Pro 3:8, "It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones," observes that "the comparison is taken from the plasters, ointments, oils, and frictions, which are made use of in the East upon the belly and stomach in most maladies. Being ignorant in the villages of the art of making decoctions and potions, and of the proper doses of such things, they generally make use of external medicines." - Harmer's Observations on Scripture, vol. 2 p. 488. And in surgery their materia medica is extremely simple, oil making the principal part of it. "In India," says Tavernier, "they have a certain preparation of oil and melted grease, which they commonly use for the healing of wounds." Voyage Ind. So the good Samaritan poured oil and wine on the wounds of the distressed Jew: wine, cleansing and somewhat astringent, proper for a fresh wound; oil, mollifying and healing, Luk 10:34. Kimchi has a judicious remark here: "When various medicines are applied, and no healing takes place, that disorder is considered as coming immediately from God." Of the three verbs in this sentence, one is in the singular number in the text; another is singular in two MSS., (one of them ancient), חבשה chubbeshah; and the Syriac and Vulgate render all of them in the singular number.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
This description of the total misery of every individual in the nation is followed by a representation of the whole nation as one miserably diseased body. "From the some of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it: cuts, and stripes, and festering wounds; they have not been pressed out, nor bound up, nor has there been any soothing with oil." The body of the nation, to which the expression "in it" applies (i.e., the nation as a whole), was covered with wounds of different kinds; and no means whatever had been applied to heal these many, various wounds, which lay all together, close to one another, and one upon the other, covering the whole body. Cuts (from פּצע to cut) are wounds that have cut into the flesh - sword-cuts, for example. These need binding up, in order that the gaping wound may close again. Stripes (Chabburâh, from Châbar, to stripe), swollen stripes, or weals, as if from a cut with a whip, or a blow with a fist: these require softening with oil, that the coagulated blood of swelling may disperse. Festering wounds, maccâh teriyâh, from târâh, to be fresh (a different word from the talmudic word t're, Chullin 45b, to thrust violently, so as to shake): these need pressing, for the purpose of cleansing them, so as to facilitate their healing. Thus the three predicates manifest an approximation to a chiasm (the crossing of the members); but this retrospective relation is not thoroughly carried out. The predicates are written in the plural, on account of the collective subject. The clause ולא רּכּכה בּשּׁמן, which refers to חבורה (stripes), so far as the sense is concerned (olive-oil, like all oleosa, being a dispersing medium), is to be taken as neuter, since this is the only way of explaining the change in the number: "And no softening has been effected with oil." Zoru we might suppose to be a pual, especially on account of the other puals near: it is not so, however, for the simple reason that, according to the accentuation (viz., with two pashtahs, the first of which gives the tone, as in tohu, Gen 1:2, so that it must be pronounced zóru), it has the tone upon the penultimate, for which it would be impossible to discover any reason, if it were derived from zârâh. For the assumption that the tone is drawn back to prepare the way for the strong tone of the next verb (Chubbâshu) is arbitrary, as the influence of the pause, though it sometimes reaches the last word but one, never extends to the last but two. Moreover, according to the usage of speech, zorâh signifies to be dispersed, not to be pressed out; whereas zur and zârar are commonly used in the sense of pressing together and squeezing out. Consequently zoru is either the kal of an intransitive zor in the middle voice (like boshu), or, what is more probable - as zoru, the middle voice in Psa 58:4, has a different meaning (abalienati sunt: cf., Isa 1:4) - the kal of zârar (= Arab. Constringere), which is here conjugated as an intransitive (cf., Job 24:24, rommu, and Gen 49:23, where robbu is used in an active sense). The surgical treatment so needed by the nation was a figurative representation of the pastoral addresses of the prophets, which had been delivered indeed, but, inasmuch as their salutary effects were dependent upon the penitential sorrow of the people, might as well have never been delivered at all. The people had despised the merciful, compassionate kindness of their God. They had no liking for the radical cure which the prophets had offered to effect. All the more pitiable, therefore, was the condition of the body, which was sick within, and diseased from head to foot. The prophet is speaking here of the existing state of things. He affirms that it is all over with the nation; and this is the ground and object of his reproachful lamentations. Consequently, when he passes in the next v. from figurative language to literal, we may presume that he is still speaking of his own times. It is Isaiah's custom to act in this manner as his own expositor (compare Isa 1:22 with Isa 1:23). The body thus inwardly and outwardly diseased, was, strictly speaking, the people and the land in their fearful condition at that time.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
From the lowest to the highest of the people; "the ancient and honorable, the head, the prophet that teacheth lies, the tail." See Isa 9:13-16. He first states their wretched condition, obvious to all (Isa 1:6-9); and then, not previously, their irreligious state, the cause of it. wounds--judicially inflicted (Hos 5:13). mollified with ointment--The art of medicine in the East consists chiefly in external applications (Luk 10:34; Jam 5:14).
John Gill Bible Commentary
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it,.... Every member of the body politic was afflicted in one way or another, or sadly infected with the disease of sin; see Psa 28:3. So the Targum, "from the rest of the people, even unto the princes, there is none among them who is perfect in my fear;'' see Dan 9:8. but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores; to which either public calamities on a city or nation may be compared, Hos 5:13 or the sins and transgressions both of single persons, and of whole bodies of men, Psa 38:5. The Targum is, "they are all stubborn and rebellious, they are defiled with sins as an ulcerous plaster.'' They have not been closed; that is, the wounds and sores have not been healed; or "they have not been pressed" or "squeezed" (c), in order to get the purulent matter out of them: neither bound up; with bands, after the matter is squeezed out, and a plaster laid on: neither mollified with ointment; which is used for the supplying and healing of wounds; see Luk 10:34. The sense either is, that they were not reformed by their afflictions; or that they did not repent of their sins, nor seek to God for healing and pardon, nor make use of any means for their more healthful state and condition. The Targum paraphrases the words thus, "they do not leave their haughtinesses, nor are they desirous of repentance, nor have they any righteousness to protect them.'' (c) "non expessa fuere a" "exprimere humorem, hoc significari clarum est ex" Jud. vi. 38. Gusset. Comment. Ling. Ebr. p. 227. So Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
1:6 without any soothing ointments or bandages: Judah’s national condition was like the body of an injured person who had not received medical care.