Isaiah 22:12
in Isaiah 22On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And in that day did the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
KJV
And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
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This verse in Isaiah 22
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And in that day - In the invasion of Sennacherib. It might be rendered, ‘And the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, on such a day calls to weeping;’ intimating that in such a time it was a general truth that God required those who were thus afflicted to weep, and fast, and pray. Call to weeping - That is, by his providence; or, it was “proper” that at such a time they should weep. Affliction, oppression, and calamity are indications from God “always” that we ought to be humbled, and to prostrate ourselves before Him.
This site's exposition
called for weeping and wailing
on Isaiah 22:12-14
The LORD "called for weeping", and the city answers with "joy". Its slogan, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die", is the line Paul cites at 1 Corinthians 15:32 of life with no resurrection. "Until your dying day, this sin of yours will never be atoned for".
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
(Verse 12-14) And the Lord God of hosts shall call in that day to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth. And behold joy and gladness, killing calves, and slaying sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die. And it was revealed in my ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts. In the present captivity and siege of Jerusalem, when the city was being pressed by sword, famine, and thirst, Jeremiah called the people to repentance (Jeremiah 34). On the other hand, kings, princes, and the miserable populace, in their desperate state, devoted themselves to feasting. However, nothing offends God more than a neck raised after sins, and being despised out of desperation. This is also spoken by Amos: I will not turn away from him for three or four transgressions; because he has thought and done them and has not repented, moreover he has taught evil. Wherefore now it is said: If this iniquity remain unpunished to you, until ye die. (Amos I, 4). Allegorical interpreters say it is about the passion of Christ, that God has called even after the crucifixion of the Lord and Saviour an unfaithful people to repentance, and nevertheless that people has delivered itself to despair and pleasure. The beginning of this vision, where it says: Full of outcry, a populous city, a joyful town, refers to that time when the people, instigated by the Pharisees, echoed with the same voice against Jesus: Crucify, crucify such a one: we have no king but Caesar. (John XIX, 6, 7). The Apostle also made use of this testimony, writing to the Corinthians about the resurrection: If the dead do not rise again, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die (I Cor. XV, 32).
(Verse 12 and following) And on that day the Lord God of hosts will call for weeping and mourning, for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth; and behold, joy and gladness, killing calves and slaughtering rams, eating meat and drinking wine: 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.' And it was revealed in my ears by the Lord of hosts: 'Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die,' says the Lord God of hosts.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Second, as to divine counsel, which they held in contempt: and he shall call. And concerning this, he sets out three things. First, the counsel itself: to weeping, of the eyes; to beating, of the hands; to baldness, according to the custom of the ancients, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And in that day did the Lord God of hosts,....
To this God called them by his prophet's explaining his providences, and by his providences awakening them to regard what his prophets said. Note, When God threatens us with his judgments he expects and requires that we humble ourselves under his mighty hand, that we tremble when the lion roars, and in a day of adversity consider.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
And a ditch you made A pool of water, to be a defense (lit., strength) for the city.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And behold, joy and happiness The Holy One, blessed be He, so to speak, is mourning, and you are eating and rejoicing.
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. 2 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
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקְרָ֗א | vaiyikra' | and he called | H7121 → | 733 times |
| אֲדֹנָ֧י | ʾadonai | [the] Lord | H136 → | 440 times |
| יְהוִ֛ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3069 → | 306 times |
| צְבָא֖וֹת | tzevaot | of hosts | H6635 → | 485 times |
| בַּיּ֣וֹם | baiyom | in the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַה֑וּא | hahu' | <the> that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| לִבְכִי֙ | livkhi | for weeping | H1065 → | 30 times |
| וּלְמִסְפֵּ֔ד | ulemisped | and for wailing | H4553 → | |
| וּלְקָרְחָ֖ה | ulekarechah | and for baldness | H7144 → | 11 times |
| וְלַחֲגֹ֥ר | velachagor | and for girding of | H2296 → | 44 times |
| שָֽׂק׃ | sak | sackcloth | H8242 → | 49 times |
וַיִּקְרָ֗אand he called
vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times
אֲדֹנָ֧י[the] Lord
ʾadonaiH136 →440 times
יְהוִ֛הYahweh
yahwehH3069 →306 times
צְבָא֖וֹתof hosts
tzevaotH6635 →485 times
בַּיּ֣וֹםin the day
baiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַה֑וּא<the> that
hahu'H1931 →1879 times
לִבְכִי֙for weeping
livkhiH1065 →30 times
וּלְמִסְפֵּ֔דand for wailing
ulemispedH4553 →
וּלְקָרְחָ֖הand for baldness
ulekarechahH7144 →11 times
וְלַחֲגֹ֥רand for girding of
velachagorH2296 →44 times
שָֽׂק׃sackcloth
sakH8242 →49 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
James 5:1Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
it leads to
- Proverbs 11:28
He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.
- 1 Timothy 6:9–10
Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
- Proverbs 11:4
Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
- Proverbs 11:28
Through
Ecclesiastes 3:4a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
it leads to
- Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
- Psalms 30:5
For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.
- James 4:9
Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.
- Psalms 126:5–6
Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.
- Psalms 126:1–2
When the LORD restored the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers.
- Romans 12:15
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; 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.