Isaiah 28 · Verse 15

Isaiah 28:15

Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Isaiah 28:15, King James Version

Isaiah 28:15 in other translations

BSBFor you said, “We have made a covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol. When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us, because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”
WEB“Because you have said, ‘We have made a covenant with death, and we are in agreement with Sheol. When the overflowing scourge passes through, it won’t come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and we have hidden ourselves under falsehood.’”
ASVBecause ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
YLTBecause ye have said: ‘We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a provision, An overflowing scourge, when it passeth over, Doth not meet us, Though we have made a lie our refuge, And in falsehood have been hidden.'
DARBYFor ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol have we made an agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.
BBEBecause you have said, We have made death our friend, and with the underworld we have made an agreement; when the overflowing waters come through they will not come near us; for we are looking to false words for help, taking cover in what is untrue:
WebsterBecause ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we in agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not reach us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

What does Isaiah 28:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
15. said--virtually, in your conduct, if not in words. covenant--There may be a tacit reference to their confidence in their "covenant" with the Assyrians in the early part of Hezekiah's prosperous reign, before he ceased to pay tribute to them, as if it ensured Judah from evil, whatever might befall the neighboring Ephraim (Is 28:1). The full meaning is shown by the language ("covenant with death--hell," or sheol) to apply to all lulled in false security spiritually (Psa 12:4; Ec 8:8; Jr 8:11); the godly alone are in covenant with death (Job 5:23; Ho 2:18; 1Co 3:22). overflowing scourge--two metaphors: the hostile Assyrian armies like an overwhelming flood. pass through--namely, through Judea on their way to Egypt, to punish it as the protector of Samaria (2Ki 17:4). lies--They did not use these words, but Isaiah designates their sentiments by their true name (Am 2:4).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 15 A covenant with death - To be in covenant with, is a kind of proverbial expression to denote perfect security from evil and mischief of any sort: - "For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field; And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee." Job 5:23. "And I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field. And with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground." Hos 2:18. That is, none of these shall hurt them. But Lucan, speaking of the Psylli, whose peculiar property it was to be unhurt by the bite of serpents, with which their country abounded, comes still nearer to the expression of Isaiah in this place: - Gens unica terras Incolit a saevo serpentum innoxia morsu Marmaridae Psylli. - Pax illis cum morte data est. Pharsal. 9:891. "Of all who scorching Afric's sun endure, None like the swarthy Psyllians are secure: With healing gifts and privileges graced, Well in the land of serpents were they placed: Truce with the dreadful tyrant death they have, And border safely on his realm the grave." Rowe. We have made a covenant with death and with hell are we at agreement - עשינו חזה asinu chozeh, we have made a vision, we have had an interview, struck a bargain, and settled all preliminaries. So they had made a covenant with hell by diabolic sacrifice, כרתנו ברית carathnu beritth. "We have cut the covenant sacrifice;" they divided it for the contracting parties to pass between the separated victim; for the victim was split exactly down the middle, so that even the spinal marrow was exactly divided through its whole length; and being set opposite to each other, the contracting parties entered, one at the head part, the other at the feet; and, meeting in the center, took the covenant oath. Thus, it is intimated, these bad people made an agreement with שאול sheol, with demons, with whom they had an interview; i.e., meeting them in the covenant sacrifice! To such a pitch had the Israelitish idolatry reached at that time!

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 28:5-15

The prophet next turns to Judah, whom he calls the residue of his people. Happy are those alone, who glory in the Lord of hosts himself. Hence his people get wisdom and strength for every service and every conflict. But it is only in Christ Jesus that the holy God communicates with sinful man. And whether those that teach are drunk with wine, or intoxicated with false doctrines and notions concerning the kingdom and…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 28:5-15 →

Isaiah 28:15 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כִּ֣יkiforH3588
אֲמַרְתֶּ֗ם'a.mar.Temyou have saidH559
כָּרַ֤תְנֽוּka.Rat.nuwe have madeH3772
בְרִית֙ve.Rita covenantH1285
אֶת\־'et-withH854
מָ֔וֶתMa.vetdeathH4194
וְעִם\־ve.'im-and withH5973
שְׁא֖וֹלshe.'olSheolH7585
עָשִׂ֣ינוּ'a.Si.nuwe have madeH6213
חֹזֶ֑הcho.Zehan agreementH2374
שׁ֣וֹטshita scourgeH7752
שׁוֹטֵ֤ףsho.TefoverflowingH7857
כִּֽי\־ki-ifH3588
יַֽעֲבֹר֙a.varit will pass byH5674
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
יְבוֹאֵ֔נוּye.vo.'E.nuit will come to usH935
כִּ֣יkiforH3588
שַׂ֧מְנוּSam.nuwe have madeH7760
כָזָ֛בkha.ZavfalsehoodH3577
מַחְסֵ֖נוּmach.Se.nurefuge ourH4268
וּבַשֶּׁ֥קֶרu.va.She.kerand in <the> deceptionH8267
נִסְתָּֽרְנוּ\׃\ \סnis.Ta.re.nuwe have hidden ourselvesH5641

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 28:15

  • Isaiah 8:7-8

    Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks: And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

  • Hosea 2:18

    And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

  • Daniel 11:22

    And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.

  • Ecclesiastes 8:8

    There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

  • Jeremiah 5:31

    The 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?

  • Amos 2:4

    Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:

  • Isaiah 28:18

    And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

  • Ezekiel 13:22

    Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:

  • Job 15:25-27

    For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty. He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers: Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.

  • Isaiah 30:28

    And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

  • Jeremiah 44:17

    But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

  • Ezekiel 8:12

    Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
We have.To be in covenant with a thing, says Bp. Lowth, is a proverbial expression to denote perfect security from mischief or evil of which it is the cause.
5:18,19; Ec 8:8; Job 5:23; 15:25-27; Jer 44:17; Eze 8:12; Ho 2:18
Zep 1:12
when.
8:7,8; Da 11:22
we have made.
30:10; Jer 5:31; 14:13; 16:19; 28:15-17; Eze 13:16,22; Am 2:4
Jon 2:8; 2Th 2:9-11

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 28:14

    Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

  • Isaiah 28:15

    Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

  • Isaiah 28:16

    Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Read all of Isaiah 28

Isaiah 28:15 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque habéis dicho: Concierto tenemos hecho con la muerte, é hicimos acuerdo con la sepultura; cuando pasare el turbión del azote, no llegará á nosotros, pues que hemos puesto nuestra acogida en la mentira, y en la falsedad nos esconderemos:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Car vous avez dit: Nous avons fait une alliance avec la mort, et nous avons fait un pacte avec le shéol: si le fléau qui inonde passe, il n’arrivera pas jusqu’à nous; car nous avons fait du mensonge notre abri, et nous nous sommes cachés sous la fausseté.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Denn ihr sprechet: Wir haben einen Bund mit dem Tode geschlossen und einen Vertrag mit dem Scheol gemacht: Wenn die überflutende Geißel hindurchfährt, wird sie an uns nicht kommen; denn wir haben die Lüge zu unserer Zuflucht gemacht und in der Falschheit uns geborgen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixistis enim: Percussimus fœdus cum morte, et cum inferno fecimus pactum: flagellum inundans cum transierit, non veniet super nos quia posuimus mendacium spem nostram, et mendacio protecti sumus.