Isaiah 59:15 Explained in Context

Read It With

• Isaiah 59:9–15

Read Isaiah 59:15 with 59:9–15. By itself, “Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, historical horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: The speakers acknowledge stumbling at noon, growling and mourning, multiplied transgressions, departure from God, oppressive speech, and truth fallen in the street.

Why This Verse Appears Here

Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “Violence and Falsehood, Not Divine Weakness, Block Communion” into “The Community Confesses Darkness and Failed Justice.” Its non-interchangeable movement is: The speakers acknowledge stumbling at noon, growling and mourning, multiplied transgressions, departure from God, oppressive speech, and truth fallen in the street. This verse's placement is specific: The prayer or lamenting voice states or reports “Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it…” at Isaiah 59:15 as a specific part of “The Community Confesses Darkness and Failed Justice.”