Isaiah 1:23

“Thy princes [are] rebellious, &c.] Stubborn and obstinate, refused to receive and acknowledge the Messiah; such were the Jewish rulers, civil and ecclesiastical, in the times of Christ. And companions of thieves: who devoured widows’ houses; made the temple, which was a house of prayer, a den of thieves; and took away the key of knowledge from the people, and would not suffer them to attend the ministry of the Gospel, (<402113>Matthew 21:13 23:13,14 <421152>Luke 11:52) everyone loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards. The Targum paraphrases it, “everyone says to his neighbour, do me a favour in my cause, I will return “it” to thee in thy cause;” and so justice was perverted: they judge not…”

“companions of thieves--by connivance (Pro 29:24). gifts-- (Eze 22:12). A nation's corruption begins with its rulers.”

“Thy princes ... - This is an explanation of the previous verse. Princes mean here those attached to the royal family; those who by rank, or office, had an influence over the people. Rebellious - Against God. The corruption of a nation commonly begins with the rulers. Companions of thieves - That is, they connive at the doings of robbers; they do not bring them to justice; they are their accomplices, and are easily bribed to acquit them. Every one loveth gifts - Every magistrate can be bribed. Followeth afar rewards - רדף rodēph. This word denotes the act of pursuing after in order to obtain something; and means here that they made it an object to obtain rewards by selling or betraying…”

“Rebellious - Against me their sovereign Lord. Companions of thieves - Partly by giving them connivance and countenance, and partly by practising the same violence, and cruelty, and injustice that thieves used to do. Gifts - That is, bribes given to pervert justice. Isaiah 1:25”

“princes: Isa 3:14; Ch2 24:17-21, Ch2 36:14; Jer 5:5; Eze 22:6-12; Dan 9:5, Dan 9:6; Hos 7:3-5, Hos 9:15; Mic 3:1-3, Mic 3:11; Act 4:5-11 companions: Pro 29:24; Mat 21:13; Mar 11:17; Luk 19:46 every: Isa 33:15; Exo 23:8; Deu 16:19; Pro 17:23; Jer 22:17; Eze 22:12; Hos 4:18; Mic 7:3 they judge: Isa 10:1, Isa 10:2; Jer 5:28, Jer 5:29; Zac 7:10; Mal 3:5; Luk 18:2-5 Isaiah 1:24”

“In Isa 1:23 the prophet says this without a figure: "Thy rulers are rebellious, and companions of thieves; every one loveth presents, and hunteth after payment; the orphan they right not, and the cause of the widow has no access to them." In two words the prophet depicts the contemptible baseness of the national rulers (sârim). He describes first of all their baseness in relation to God, with the alliterative sorerim: rebellious, refractory; and then, in relation to men, companions of thieves, inasmuch as they allowed themselves to be bribed by presents of stolen goods to acts of injustice towards those who had been robbed. They not only willingly accepted such bribes, and that not merely a…”