Woes Pronounced on the Wicked

8 Wo 'to' those joining house to house, Field to field they bring near, till there is no place, And ye have been settled by yourselves In the midst of the land! 9 By the weapons of Jehovah of Hosts Do not many houses a desolation become? Great and good without inhabitant! 10 For ten acres of vineyard do yield one bath, And an homer of seed yieldeth an ephah. 11 Wo 'to' those rising early in the morning, Strong drink they pursue! Tarrying in twilight, wine inflameth them! 12 And harp, and psaltery, tabret, and pipe, And wine, have been their banquets, And the work of Jehovah they behold not, Yea, the work of His hands they have not seen. 13 Therefore my people removed without knowledge, And its honourable ones are famished, And its multitude dried up of thirst. 14 Therefore hath Sheol enlarged herself, And hath opened her mouth without limit. And gone down hath its honour, and its multitude, And its noise, and its exulting one—into her. 15 And bowed down is the low, and humbled the high, And the eyes of the haughty become low, 16 And Jehovah of Hosts is high in judgment, And the Holy God sanctified in righteousness, 17 And fed have lambs according to their leading, And waste places of the fat ones Do sojourners consume.

18 Wo 'to' those drawing out iniquity with cords of vanity, And as 'with' thick ropes of the cart—sin. 19 Who are saying, 'Let Him hurry, Let Him hasten His work, that we may see, And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel Draw near and come, and we know.' 20 Wo 'to' those saying to evil 'good,' And to good 'evil,' Putting darkness for light, and light for darkness, Putting bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. 21 Wo 'to' the wise in their own eyes, And—before their own faces—intelligent! 22 Wo 'to' the mighty to drink wine, And men of strength to mingle strong drink. 23 Declaring righteous the wicked for a bribe, And the righteousness of the righteous They turn aside from him.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Isaiah 5:8-23

Commentary on Isaiah 5:8-23

(Read Isaiah 5:8-23)

Here is a woe to those who set their hearts on the wealth of the world. Not that it is sinful for those who have a house and a field to purchase another; but the fault is, that they never know when they have enough. Covetousness is idolatry; and while many envy the prosperous, wretched man, the Lord denounces awful woes upon him. How applicable to many among us! God has many ways to empty the most populous cities. Those who set their hearts upon the world, will justly be disappointed. Here is woe to those who dote upon the pleasures and the delights of sense. The use of music is lawful; but when it draws away the heart from God, then it becomes a sin to us. God's judgments have seized them, but they will not disturb themselves in their pleasures. The judgments are declared. Let a man be ever so high, death will bring him low; ever so mean, death will bring him lower. The fruit of these judgments shall be, that God will be glorified as a God of power. Also, as a God that is holy; he shall be owned and declared to be so, in the righteous punishment of proud men. Those are in a woful condition who set up sin, and who exert themselves to gratify their base lusts. They are daring in sin, and walk after their own lusts; it is in scorn that they call God the Holy One of Israel. They confound and overthrow distinctions between good and evil. They prefer their own reasonings to Divine revelations; their own devices to the counsels and commands of God. They deem it prudent and politic to continue profitable sins, and to neglect self-denying duties. Also, how light soever men make of drunkenness, it is a sin which lays open to the wrath and curse of God. Their judges perverted justice. Every sin needs some other to conceal it.