Isaiah 28:15

If we be at peace with God, and have made a covenant with him, we have in effect made a covenant with death that it shall come in the fittest time, that whenever it comes, it shall be no terror to us, nor do us any real damage; death is ours if we be Christ's ( 1 Cor. iii.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

We - We are as safe from death, and hell, or the grave, as if they had entered into covenant with us. The scourge - The judgment of God. For - We shall secure ourselves by lying and dissimulation.

Because ye have said,.... Within themselves; they thought so, if they did not say it in express words; and their conduct and behaviour showed that these were the sentiments and presumptions of their minds: We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement: as safe from death, and secure from hell, or the grave, as if a covenant and compact had been formally entered into between them. The phrases are expressive of their being fearless of them, and of their confidence and assurance that they should not be hurt by them.

We have made a covenant with death - We are not to suppose that they had formally said this, but that their conduct was as if they had said it; they lived as securely as if they had entered into a compact with death not to destroy them, and with hell not to devour them. The figure is a very bold one, and is designed to express the extraordinary stupidity of the nation. It is most strikingly descriptive of the great mass of people.

The full meaning is shown by the language ("covenant with death--hell," or sheol) to apply to all lulled in false security spiritually (Ps 12:4; Jer 8:11); the godly alone are in covenant with death (Job 5:23;

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

A covenant with death - To be in covenant with, is a kind of proverbial expression to denote perfect security from evil and mischief of any sort: - “For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field; And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.” Job 5:23. “And I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field. And with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground.” Hos 2:18. That is, none of these shall hurt them. But Lucan, speaking of the Psylli, whose peculiar property it was to be unhurt by the bite of serpents, with which their country abounded, comes still nearer to the expression of Isaiah in this place: - Gens unica terras Incolit a saevo serpentum innoxia morsu Marmaridae Psylli. - Pax illis cum morte data est. Pharsal. 9:891. “Of all who scorching Afric’s sun endure, None like the swarthy Psyllians are secure: With healing gifts and privileges graced, Well in the land of serpents were they placed: Truce with the dreadful tyrant death they have, And border safely on his realm the grave.” Rowe. We have made a covenant with death and with hell are we at agreement - עשינו חזה asinu chozeh, we have made a vision, we have had an interview, struck a bargain, and settled all preliminaries. So they had made a covenant with hell by diabolic sacrifice, כרתנו ברית carathnu beritth. “We have cut the covenant sacrifice;” they divided it for the contracting parties to pass between the separated victim; for the victim was split exactly down the middle, so that even the spinal marrow was exactly divided through its whole length; and being set opposite to each other, the contracting parties entered, one at the head part, the other at the feet; and, meeting in the center, took the covenant oath. […]