Isaiah 31:6
in Isaiah 31Return to the One against whom you have so blatantly rebelled, O children of Israel.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Turn ye unto him from whom ye have deeply revolted, O children of Israel.
KJV
Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.
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This verse in Isaiah 31
Commentary
9 notes on this verseTurn ye unto him,.... From the Egyptians, to whom they sought for help, unto the Lord, they had neglected; from evil ways and practices, idolatry and impiety, by repentance and reformation; to the true worship of God, to his word and ordinances, statutes and commands. The Targum is, "turn to the law;'' which they had rejected and broken.
This site's exposition
so blatantly rebelled
on Isaiah 31:6-7
The oracle turns to Israel’s own heart: "Return to the One against whom you have so blatantly rebelled". The alliance is named a revolt against the LORD. The answer is plain: "every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold that your own hands have sinfully made".
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
In place of the last clause ["But you have played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, says the Lord."] the true Hebrew text (which is not preserved in the Greek and Latin versions) gives the following: "you have forsaken me, yet return, and I will receive you, says the Lord." Isaiah also speaking in the same sense uses almost the same words: "Return," he cries, "O children of Israel, you who devise a deep and sinful counsel. Return to me, and I will redeem you. I am God, and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is nothing beside me. Look to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth." Remember this and show yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O you transgressors. Return in heart and remember the former things of old: for I am God and there is none else."
(Verse 6 onwards) Return, as you have deeply strayed, O children of Israel. For on that day a man will cast away the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which your own hands have made for yourselves to sin. And Assur will fall by the sword, not of a man; and a sword, not of a human, will devour him. He will flee not from the face of the sword, and his young men will become forced labor.
The Medieval Church1 voice
696. Second, he sets out the destruction of their enemies, promising counsel for meriting this: return, to me: the wicked man, when he is come into the depths of sins, contemns (Prov 18:3); as you have yielded your members to serve iniquity, unto iniquity: so …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
They have deeply revolted, with great address as they supposed ( the revolters are profound, Hos. v. 2 ); but the issue will prove that they have revolted dangerously. The stain of their sins has gone deeply into their nature, not to be easily got out, like the blackness of the Ethiopian.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Have deeply revolted “Have so deeply engaged in revolt” - All the ancient Versions read תעמיקו taamiku, in the second person, instead of העמיקו heemiku, they have deeply revolted, etc.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The power and love of Jehovah, just mentioned, are the strongest incentives for returning to Him (Eze 16:62, 63; Israel--The change of person marks that when they return to the Lord, He will address them in more direct terms of communion in the second person; so long as they were revolters, God speaks of them, as more at a distance, in the third person, rather than to them.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Turn ye unto him - In view of the fact that he will assuredly defend Jerusalem, commit yourselves unto him rather than seek the aid of Egypt. Have deeply revolted - For the meaning of this phrase, see the note at Isa 29:15.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Return To the One about Whom you have thought deeply how to turn away from Him, now return to Him.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
passing over (פָּסוֹחַ) passing over. Alternatively, it may be interpreted as an expression of sparing.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שׁ֗וּבוּ | shuvu | return | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| לַאֲשֶׁ֛ר | laasher | to [the one] whom | H834 → | 5497 times |
| הֶעְמִ֥יקוּ | he'miku | they have made deep | H6009 → | 9 times |
| סָרָ֖ה | sarah | rebellion | H5627 → | 8 times |
| בְּנֵ֥י | benei | [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
שׁ֗וּבוּreturn
shuvuH7725 →1056 times
לַאֲשֶׁ֛רto [the one] whom
laasherH834 →5497 times
הֶעְמִ֥יקוּthey have made deep
he'mikuH6009 →9 times
סָרָ֖הrebellion
sarahH5627 →8 times
בְּנֵ֥י[the] people of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 55:7Let the wicked man forsake his own way and the unrighteous man his own thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely…
it leads to
- Proverbs 28:13
He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.
- James 4:8–10
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
- Ezekiel 18:21–23
But if the wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die.
- Isaiah 44:22
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
- Luke 15:10
In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”
- Proverbs 28:13
Through
Acts 26:20First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of…
it leads to
- Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,
- Acts 3:19
Through
Jeremiah 3:22“Return, O faithless children, and I will heal your faithlessness.” “Here we are. We come to You, for You are the LORD our God.
it leads to
- Hosea 14:1
Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity.
- Hosea 14:4
I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them.
- Hosea 14:1
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, LETTER 122.2; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.