Isaiah 1:5
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
Original Language Analysis
עַ֣ל
H5921
עַ֣ל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
1 of 12
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
מֶ֥ה
H4100
מֶ֥ה
Strong's:
H4100
Word #:
2 of 12
properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and
תֻכּ֛וּ
Why should ye be stricken
H5221
תֻכּ֛וּ
Why should ye be stricken
Strong's:
H5221
Word #:
3 of 12
to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)
ע֖וֹד
H5750
ע֖וֹד
Strong's:
H5750
Word #:
4 of 12
properly, iteration or continuance; used only adverbially (with or without preposition), again, repeatedly, still, more
תּוֹסִ֣יפוּ
more and more
H3254
תּוֹסִ֣יפוּ
more and more
Strong's:
H3254
Word #:
5 of 12
to add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing)
סָרָ֑ה
any more ye will revolt
H5627
סָרָ֑ה
any more ye will revolt
Strong's:
H5627
Word #:
6 of 12
apostasy, crime; figuratively, remission
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
7 of 12
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
רֹ֣אשׁ
the whole head
H7218
רֹ֣אשׁ
the whole head
Strong's:
H7218
Word #:
8 of 12
the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.)
וְכָל
H3605
וְכָל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
10 of 12
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
Cross References
Ezekiel 24:13In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.Isaiah 31:6Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.Jeremiah 5:3O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.Jeremiah 5:31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?Jeremiah 9:3And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.Jeremiah 2:30In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.Nehemiah 9:34Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
Historical Context
Judah had experienced invasions, political instability, and economic hardship as covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28), yet responded with increased apostasy rather than repentance.
Questions for Reflection
- Have you become desensitized to God's corrective discipline in your life?
- What patterns of persistent sin require you to examine whether your heart has hardened?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
God questions the futility of continued chastisement when it produces only further rebellion. The medical imagery (sick head, faint heart) depicts terminal spiritual illness. The rhetorical question implies both divine grief and the hardening that accompanies persistent sin, anticipating Paul's description of being 'given over' to sin's consequences (Romans 1:24-28).