Isaiah 9:17
in Isaiah 9Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men; He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows. For every one of them is godless and wicked, and every mouth speaks folly. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows; for every one is profane and an evil-doer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
KJV
Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
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This verse in Isaiah 9
Commentary
12 notes on this verse(Vers. 14 seqq.) And the Lord will scatter from Israel the head and the tail, the bend and the corrupt in one day. The venerable and honorable, he is the head; and the Prophet teaching falsehood, he is the tail. And there will be those who call this people blessed, deceiving, and those who are called blessed, being cast down. Therefore, the Lord will not rejoice over his young men, and will not have mercy on his orphans and widows, for every hypocrite is wicked, and every mouth has spoken foolishness.
This site's exposition
The head is the elder
on Isaiah 9:15-17
Verse 15 defines the head and tail, leaders at both ends sharing blame. Since the guides mislead and "every mouth speaks folly," the usual claims on mercy fail, with no compassion on orphans and widows. The refrain returns, "His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised."
This site's exposition
compassion on their fatherless and widows
Deuteronomy 10:18 names God the defender of orphans and widows. The young, the orphans and the widows are those who usually move mercy, as Aquinas lists them. The severity is that even those the Lord protects are counted with the rest, for "every one of them is godless and wicked."
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
316. Therefore. Here he threatens against persons who are useful for provoking mercy, either because of integrity of the flesh: their young, namely, virgins; or because of age: their orphans; or because of weakness, widows. And first, the punishment is set out: neither shall he …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Fatherless - Who are the special objects of his care and pity, and much less upon others. Everyone - Not precisely; for there were seven thousand elect persons among them, when they seemed to Elijah to be universally corrupt, but the body of the people. Hypocrite - For though they professed to worship God, yet indeed they had forsaken him.
): Every one is a hypocrite and an evil doer. If there be any that are good, they do not, they dare not appear, for every mouth speaks folly and villany; every one is profane towards God (so the word properly signifies) and an evil doer towards man.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men,....
The reason why the judgments of God are prolonged is because the point is not gained, sinners are not brought to repentance by them. The people turn not to him that smites them, and therefore he continues to smite them; for when God judges he will overcome, and the proudest stoutest sinner shall either bend or break.
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
None shall be spared for pity: He shall not have mercy on their fatherless and widows, though he is, in a particular manner, the patron and protector of such. They had corrupted their way like all the rest; and, if the poverty and helplessness of their state was not an argument with them to keep them from sin, they could not expect it should be an argument with God to protect them from judgments.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Shall have no joy - He shall not delight in them so as to preserve them. The parallel part of the verse shows that the phrase is used in the sense of having mercy. In their young men - The hope and strength of the nation. The word used here commonly denotes those who are chosen, particularly for purposes of war. The sense is, that the hope and strength of the nation, that on which the chief reliance would be placed, would be cut off.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
no joy--the parallelism, "neither . . . mercy," shows that this means, He shall have no such delight in their youthful warriors, however much they be the nation's delight and reliance, as to save them from the enemy's sword (Isa 31:8; compare Jer 18:21). fatherless, &c.--not even the usual objects of His pity (Ps 10:14, 18;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
The Lord “Jehovah” - For אדני Adonai, a great number of MSS. read יהוה Yehovah.
The words behind it
29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| עַל־ | ʾal- | there- | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כֵּ֨ן | ken | -fore | H3651 → | 771 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| בַּחוּרָ֜יו | bachurav | young men its | H970 → | 44 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִשְׂמַ֣ח׀ | yismach | he rejoices | H8055 → | 155 times |
| אֲדֹנָ֗י | ʾadonai | [the] Lord | H136 → | 440 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְתֹמָ֤יו | yetomav | fatherless ones its | H3490 → | 42 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אַלְמְנֹתָיו֙ | ʾalmenotav | widows its | H490 → | 56 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יְרַחֵ֔ם | yerachem | he has compassion on | H7355 → | 47 times |
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| כֻלּוֹ֙ | khulo | all of it | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| חָנֵ֣ף | chanef | [is] godless | H2611 → | 13 times |
| וּמֵרַ֔ע | umera' | and doing evil | H7489 → | 107 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| פֶּ֖ה | peh | mouth | H6310 → | 498 times |
| דֹּבֵ֣ר | dover | [is] speaking | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| נְבָלָ֑ה | nevalah | disgraceful folly | H5039 → | |
| בְּכָל־ | bekhol | for all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| זֹאת֙ | zot | this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| שָׁ֣ב | shav | it has turned back | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| אַפּ֔וֹ | ʾapo | anger his | H639 → | 276 times |
| וְע֖וֹד | veod | and still | H5750 → | 490 times |
| יָד֥וֹ | yado | hand his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| נְטוּיָֽה׃ | netuyah | [is] stretched out | H5186 → | 214 times |
עַל־there-
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
כֵּ֨ן-fore
kenH3651 →771 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
בַּחוּרָ֜יוyoung men its
bachuravH970 →44 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יִשְׂמַ֣ח׀he rejoices
yismachH8055 →155 times
אֲדֹנָ֗י[the] Lord
ʾadonaiH136 →440 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
יְתֹמָ֤יוfatherless ones its
yetomavH3490 →42 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
אַלְמְנֹתָיו֙widows its
ʾalmenotavH490 →56 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יְרַחֵ֔םhe has compassion on
yerachemH7355 →47 times
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
כֻלּוֹ֙all of it
khuloH3605 →5413 times
חָנֵ֣ף[is] godless
chanefH2611 →13 times
וּמֵרַ֔עand doing evil
umera'H7489 →107 times
וְכָל־and every
vekholH3605 →5413 times
פֶּ֖הmouth
pehH6310 →498 times
דֹּבֵ֣ר[is] speaking
doverH1696 →1141 times
נְבָלָ֑הdisgraceful folly
nevalahH5039 →
בְּכָל־for all
bekholH3605 →5413 times
זֹאת֙this
zotH2063 →603 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
שָׁ֣בit has turned back
shavH7725 →1056 times
אַפּ֔וֹanger his
ʾapoH639 →276 times
וְע֖וֹדand still
veodH5750 →490 times
יָד֥וֹhand his
yadoH3027 →1618 times
נְטוּיָֽה׃[is] stretched out
netuyahH5186 →214 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
Matthew 12:34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
it leads to
- Luke 6:45
The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow…
- Matthew 15:18
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.
- Ephesians 4:29
Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.
- 1 Samuel 24:13
As the old proverb says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand will never be against you.
- James 3:5–8
In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze.
- Luke 6:45
Through
Isaiah 5:25Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all…
it leads to
- Isaiah 9:21
Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 10:4
Nothing will remain but to crouch among the captives or fall among the slain. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
- 2 Kings 9:37
And Jezebel’s body will lie like dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one can say: This is Jezebel.’”
- Isaiah 9:21
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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); 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); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.
