Isaiah 32:6
in Isaiah 32For a fool speaks foolishness; his mind plots iniquity. He practices ungodliness and speaks falsely about the LORD; he leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise profaneness, and to utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
KJV
For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
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This verse in Isaiah 32
Commentary
11 notes on this verseThe vile person will speak villany “The fool will still utter folly” - A sort of proverbial saying, which Euripides (Bacchae, 369) has expressed in the very same manner and words: Μωρα γαρ μωρος λεγει· “The fool speaks folly. “Of this kind of simple and unadorned proverb or parable, see De S. Poes, Hebr. Praelect. xxiv. Against the Lord “Against Jehovah” - For אל El, two MSS. read אל al, more properly; but both are of nearly the same meaning.
This site's exposition
No longer will a fool be called noble
on Isaiah 32:5-8
Under the righteous king, "No longer will a fool be called noble, nor a scoundrel be respected". The fool "leaves the hungry empty", the scoundrel "hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies". Matthew Henry noted that the promise corrects common speech, so that flattering names no longer cover greed.
This site's exposition
a fool speaks foolishness
The line reads like a proverb, and Adam Clarke found the same saying in Euripides. The fool's words, plans and deeds all run one way. In the end he leaves the needy hungry and thirsty.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
And they [our opponents] even joined in censuring us, as if we thought the opposite to the things that we have already written. But I learn that they say this also, namely, that recently we have accepted a doctrinal statement, or a new creed, perhaps, I suppose, because we lightly esteem the ancient and august one. "The fool will say foolish things, and his heart will think nonsense." However, we say this, that no individuals have demanded an explanation from us, nor have we accepted one newly coined by others.
(Chapter 32, Verses 1 onwards) Behold, the king shall reign with justice, and princes shall rule with judgment. And a man shall be like one who hides from the wind, and conceals himself from the storm: like streams of water in a dry place, and the shadow of a towering rock in a barren land. The eyes of those who see shall not be dim, and the ears of those who hear shall listen carefully. And the heart of fools shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of stammerers shall speak quickly and clearly.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Second, he describes the manner of liberation: for the fool. And first, he describes the affliction; second, the liberation: until the spirit be poured upon us (Isa 32:15). Concerning the first, he does two things: first, he describes the enemy who persecutes them; second, the …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
They labour at it; their hearts are intent upon it, and with a great deal of art and application they work iniquity. They devise wicked devices with all the subtlety of the old serpent and a great deal of deliberation, which makes the sin exceedingly sinful; and the more there is of plot and management in a sin the more there is of Satan in it.
For the vile person will speak villainy,....
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
A prophecy of the great disturbance that would be given to the kingdom in the middle of his reign by the Assyrian invasion,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
vile . . . villainy--rather, "the (irreligious) fool . . . (his) folly." will speak--rather, "present"; for (so far is the "fool" from deserving the epithet "noble-minded") the fool "speaketh" folly and "worketh," &c. hypocrisy--rather, "profligacy" [HORSLEY]. error--impiety, perverse arguments. hungry--spiritually (Mt 5:6).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
For the vile person - Hebrew, ‘The fool.’ This word more properly expresses the idea than ‘vile person.’ The Hebrews Used the name fool to denote not only one destitute of understanding, but a knave, a dishonest man - regarding sin as the highest folly (see 1Sa 25:25; 2Sa 3:33; Job 2:10). Will speak villainy - Hebrew, ‘Will speak folly.’ That is, he will act in accordance with his nature; it is his nature to speak folly, and he will do it. Under a wicked and unjust administration such persons might be the subjects flattery Isa 32:5, and might be raised to office and power. But under the administration of a virtuous king they would not be admitted to favor; and the reason was, that they would act out their nature, and would corrupt all around them. A monarch, therefore, who regarded the honor of his own throne, and the welfare of his subjects, would exclude them from his counsels. To make empty the soul of the hungry - Probably this refers to spiritual hunger and thirst; and means that such a person would take away the means of knowledge from the people, and leave them to error, ignorance, and want. The sense is, that if such persons were raised to office, they would corrupt the nation and destroy their confidence in God; and this was a reason why a virtuous prince would exclude them from any participation in his government.
The words behind it
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נָבָל֙ | naval | a fool | H5036 → | |
| נְבָלָ֣ה | nevalah | folly | H5039 → | |
| יְדַבֵּ֔ר | yedaber | he speaks | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| וְלִבּ֖וֹ | velibo | and heart his | H3820 → | 595 times |
| יַעֲשֶׂה־ | yaaseh- | it does | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אָ֑וֶן | ʾaven | wickedness | H205 → | 77 times |
| לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת | laasot | by doing | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| חֹ֗נֶף | chonef | godlessness | H2612 → | |
| וּלְדַבֵּ֤ר | uledaber | and by speaking | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | concerning | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| תּוֹעָ֔ה | toah | error | H8442 → | |
| לְהָרִיק֙ | leharik | by keeping empty | H7324 → | |
| נֶ֣פֶשׁ | nefesh | [the] appetite of | H5315 → | 754 times |
| רָעֵ֔ב | raev | [the] hungry | H7457 → | 20 times |
| וּמַשְׁקֶ֥ה | umashkeh | and drink | H4945 → | |
| צָמֵ֖א | tzame' | [the] thirsty | H6771 → | 9 times |
| יַחְסִֽיר׃ | yachsir | he deprives | H2637 → |
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
נָבָל֙a fool
navalH5036 →
נְבָלָ֣הfolly
nevalahH5039 →
יְדַבֵּ֔רhe speaks
yedaberH1696 →1141 times
וְלִבּ֖וֹand heart his
veliboH3820 →595 times
יַעֲשֶׂה־it does
yaaseh-H6213 →2628 times
אָ֑וֶןwickedness
ʾavenH205 →77 times
לַעֲשׂ֣וֹתby doing
laasotH6213 →2628 times
חֹ֗נֶףgodlessness
chonefH2612 →
וּלְדַבֵּ֤רand by speaking
uledaberH1696 →1141 times
אֶל־concerning
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
תּוֹעָ֔הerror
toahH8442 →
לְהָרִיק֙by keeping empty
leharikH7324 →
נֶ֣פֶשׁ[the] appetite of
nefeshH5315 →754 times
רָעֵ֔ב[the] hungry
raevH7457 →20 times
וּמַשְׁקֶ֥הand drink
umashkehH4945 →
צָמֵ֖א[the] thirsty
tzame'H6771 →9 times
יַחְסִֽיר׃he deprives
yachsirH2637 →
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
Matthew 15:19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.
it leads to
- Mark 7:21–23
For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
- Galatians 5:19–21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery;
- Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
- Titus 3:2–6
to malign no one, and to be peaceable and gentle, showing full consideration to everyone.
- James 1:13–15
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.
- Mark 7:21–23
Through
Matthew 23:13Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.
it leads to
- Luke 11:52
Woe to you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
- Matthew 23:29
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.
- Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced…
- Luke 11:52
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
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, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Cyril of Alexandria, LETTER 40:7; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.