Isaiah 5:23

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹⁸Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes, ¹⁹to those who say, "Let Him hurry and hasten His work so that we may see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come so that we may know it!" ²⁰Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter. ²¹Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. ²²Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, and champions in mixing beer, ²³who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of justice.²⁴Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes straw and dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. ²⁵Therefore the LORD's anger burns against His people; He has raised His hand against them and struck them; the mountains quaked, and their corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Yet through all this, His anger is not spent, and His hand is still upraised. ²⁶He lifts a banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold-how speedily and swiftly they come! ²⁷None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap is broken.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

justify: Exodus 23:6-9, Proverbs 17:15, Proverbs 24:24, Proverbs 31:4, Proverbs 31:5

for reward: Isaiah 1:23, Deuteronomy 16:19, 2 Chronicles 19:7, Proverbs 17:23, Micah 3:11, Micah 7:3

take: Isaiah 10:2, 1 Kings 21:13, Psalms 94:21, Matthew 23:35, Matthew 27:24, Matthew 27:25, James 5:6

Reciprocal: Exodus 23:8 - thou shalt take Deuteronomy 25:1 - General Psalms 50:17 - castest Psalms 50:18 - consentedst Proverbs 18:5 - to overthrow Isaiah 32:7 - instruments Isaiah 59:14 - General Hosea 7:5 - made Amos 2:6 - because Habakkuk 2:5 - he transgresseth John 7:24 - General Acts 8:33 - judgment

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Which justify the wicked for reward,.... This is either spoken of judges, and civil magistrates, who gave the cause in favour of the wicked, that bribed them, contrary to law, Deuteronomy 16:19 or rather of the Scribes and Pharisees, who pronounced the wicked righteous men, provided they kept the traditions of the elders, and paid tithes of all they possessed, and gave them money for their long prayers, Matthew 23:14:

and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him; by condemning them as unrighteous persons: so the Jews did Christ and his apostles; they pronounced them wicked, and condemned them to death; and as much as in them lay took away their righteousness from them, by taking away their character from them as righteous persons among men; though their righteousness itself could not be taken away, it being an everlasting one.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Which justify - This refers, doubtless, to magistrates. They gave unjust decisions.

For reward - For bribes.

And take away the righteousness - That is, they do not decide the cause in favor of those who have just claims, but are determined by a bribe; see the note at Isaiah 1:23. It is remarkable, that this is introduced in immediate connection with their being mighty to mingle strong drink. One effect of intemperance is to make a man ready to be “bribed.” Its effect is seen as clearly in courts of justice, and in the decisions of such courts, as any where. A man that is intemperate, or that indulges in strong drink, is not qualified to be a judge.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 5:23. The righteous — צדיק tsaddik, singular, Sept. Vulg., and two editions.