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Isaiah 1:20

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 1:20 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.
Isaiah 1:20 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 1

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
17learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
18Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
20but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.
21How is the faithful city become a harlot! she that was full of justice! righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.
22Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water.
23Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; every one loveth bribes, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
← Isaiah 1:19Isaiah 1:21 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“But if ye refuse and rebel, &c.] The Targum is, “and do not receive my Word”; the Messiah, when come, neither his person, nor his doctrines and ordinances: ye shall be devoured with the sword; of the Roman armies, as they were under Titus Vespasian; (see <402207>Matthew 22:7 <421944>Luke 19:44) for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken [it]; now, by Isaiah, as well as in former times, (<032625>Leviticus 26:25,33).”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Lord hath spoken it--Isaiah's prophecies rest on the law (Lev 26:33). God alters not His word Numbers 23. 19).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“But if ye refuse, ye shall be devoured with the sword - Your enemies shall come in, and lay waste the land. This prediction was fulfilled, in consequence of their continuing to rebel, when the land was desolated by Nebuchadnezzar, and the nation was carried captive to Babylon. It illustrates a general principle of the divine government, that if people persevere in rebelling against God, they shall be destroyed. The word devour is applied to the sword, as if it were insatiable for destruction. Whatever destroys may be figuratively said to devour; see the notes at Isaiah 34:5-6; compare Isaiah 5:24; Lamentations 2:3; Ezekiel 15:4; Joel 2:3; Revelation 11:5 - where fire is said to devour. The…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“1:20 I, the Lord, have spoken! This statement marks the solemnity of what God has just promised. The phrase is used eleven times in Isaiah.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“if ye refuse: Isa 3:11; Sa1 12:25; Ch2 36:14-16; Heb 2:1-3 for the mouth: Isa 40:5, Isa 58:14; Lev 26:33; Num 23:19; Sa1 15:29; Tit 1:2 Isaiah 1:21”
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Related study paths

Read Isaiah 1 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification