Isaiah 66:17
in Isaiah 66“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves—to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats—will perish together,” declares the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves to go unto the gardens, behind one in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, they shall come to an end together, saith Jehovah.
KJV
They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord.
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This verse in Isaiah 66
Commentary
3 notes on this verse(Verse 17.) Those who were sanctified and considered themselves clean in gardens afterwards: those who ate pork, abomination, and mouse, will be consumed together, says the Lord. LXX: Those who are sanctified and purified in gardens and thresholds: eating pork, abominations, and mouse: they will be consumed together, says the Lord.
This site's exposition
with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind
on Isaiah 66:15-17
The Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind answers the gentle nursing imagery of the previous unit with its opposite, the same chapter holding comfort for the servants and fire for the enemies within a few verses of each other. By fire and by sword the Lord will plead with all flesh names a judgment reaching beyond Israel to every nation, and the slain of the Lord shall be many states the scale in plain terms rather than figure. The syncretists singled out for this judgment are named by the same practices condemned earlier in the book, purifying themselves in the gardens behind one tree, eating swine's flesh, the abomination, and the mouse, Gill identifying the mouse as an animal eaten in certain pagan rites and forbidden under the law in Leviticus eleven.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
They that sanctify themselves - That is, who attempt to purify themselves by idolatrous rites, by ablutions, and lustrations. The design here is, to describe those who will be exposed to the wrath of God when he shall come to execute vengeance. And purify themselves in the gardens - (See the notes at Isa 65:3). Behind one tree in the midst - This passage has not a little exercised the ingenuity of commentators. It is quite evident that our translators were not able to satisfy themselves with regard to its meaning.
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַמִּתְקַדְּשִׁ֨ים | hamitkadeshim | who consecrate themselves | H6942 → | 171 times |
| וְהַמִּֽטַּהֲרִ֜ים | vehamitaharim | and who purify themselves | H2891 → | |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַגַּנּ֗וֹת | haganot | the gardens | H1593 → | 12 times |
| אַחַ֤ר | ʾachar | after | H310 → | 715 times |
| אַחַת֙ | ʾechad | one | H259 → | 971 times |
| בַּתָּ֔וֶךְ | batavekh | in the middle | H8432 → | 418 times |
| אֹֽכְלֵי֙ | ʾokhelei | [those who] eat | H398 → | 810 times |
| בְּשַׂ֣ר | besar | <of> [the] flesh of | H1320 → | 270 times |
| הַחֲזִ֔יר | hachazir | the pig | H2386 → | 7 times |
| וְהַשֶּׁ֖קֶץ | vehasheketz | and the detestable thing | H8263 → | |
| וְהָעַכְבָּ֑ר | vehaakhbar | and the mouse | H5909 → | |
| יַחְדָּ֥ו | yachdav | all together | H3162 → | 141 times |
| יָסֻ֖פוּ | yasufu | they will come to an end | H5486 → | |
| נְאֻם־ | neum- | [the] utterance of | H5002 → | 376 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
הַמִּתְקַדְּשִׁ֨יםwho consecrate themselves
hamitkadeshimH6942 →171 times
וְהַמִּֽטַּהֲרִ֜יםand who purify themselves
vehamitaharimH2891 →
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַגַּנּ֗וֹתthe gardens
haganotH1593 →12 times
אַחַ֤רafter
ʾacharH310 →715 times
אַחַת֙one
ʾechadH259 →971 times
בַּתָּ֔וֶךְin the middle
batavekhH8432 →418 times
אֹֽכְלֵי֙[those who] eat
ʾokheleiH398 →810 times
בְּשַׂ֣ר<of> [the] flesh of
besarH1320 →270 times
הַחֲזִ֔ירthe pig
hachazirH2386 →7 times
וְהַשֶּׁ֖קֶץand the detestable thing
vehasheketzH8263 →
וְהָעַכְבָּ֑רand the mouse
vehaakhbarH5909 →
יַחְדָּ֥וall together
yachdavH3162 →141 times
יָסֻ֖פוּthey will come to an end
yasufuH5486 →
נְאֻם־[the] utterance of
neum-H5002 →376 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
About Isaiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.