Isaiah 57 · Verse 5

Isaiah 57:5

Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?
Isaiah 57:5, King James Version

Isaiah 57:5 in other translations

BSBwho burn with lust among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?
WEByou who inflame yourselves among the oaks, under every green tree; who kill the children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?
ASVye that inflame yourselves among the oaks, under every green tree; that slay the children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?
YLTWho are inflamed among oaks, under every green tree, Slaughtering the children in valleys, Under clefts of the rocks.
DARBYinflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks?
BBEYou who are burning with evil desire among the oaks, under every green tree; putting children to death in the valleys, under the cracks of the rocks?
WebsterInflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the cliffs of the rocks?

What does Isaiah 57:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. Enflaming yourselves--burning with lust towards idols [Gesenius]; or else (compare Margin), in the terebinth groves, which the Hebrew and the parallelism favor (see on Is 1:29) [Maurer]. under ... tree--(2Ki 17:10). The tree, as in the Assyrian sculptures, was probably made an idolatrous symbol of the heavenly hosts. slaying ... children--as a sacrifice to Molech, &c. (2Ki 17:31; 2Ch 28:3; 33:6). in ... valleys--the valley of the son of Hinnom. Fire was put within a hollow brazen statue, and the child was put in his heated arms; kettle drums (Hebrew, toph) were beaten to drown the child's cries; whence the valley was called Tophet (2Ch 33:6; Jr 7:3). under ... clifts--the gloom of caverns suiting their dark superstitions.

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

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 57:3-12

The Lord here calls apostates and hypocrites to appear before him. When reproved for their sins, and threatened with judgments, they ridiculed the word of God. The Jews were guilty of idolatry before the captivity; but not after that affliction. Their zeal in the worship of false gods, may shame our indifference in the worship of the true God. The service of sin is disgraceful slavery; those who thus debase…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 57:3-12 →

Isaiah 57:5 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.

הַנֵּֽחָמִים֙ha.ne.cha.Mimwho inflame yourselvesH2552
בָּֽאֵלִ֔יםba.'e.Limamong the oaksH352
תַּ֖חַתTa.chatunderH8478
כָּל\־kol-everyH3605
עֵ֣ץ'etztreeH6086
רַעֲנָ֑ןra.'a.NanluxuriantH7488
שֹׁחֲטֵ֤יsho.cha.Tei[who] slaughterH7819
הַיְלָדִים֙hay.la.Dim<of the> childrenH3206
בַּנְּחָלִ֔יםba.ne.cha.Limin the wadisH5158
תַּ֖חַתTa.chatunderH8478
סְעִפֵ֥יse.'i.Fei[the] clefts ofH5585
הַסְּלָעִֽים\׃ha.se.la.'Imthe cliffsH5553

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

Cross references for Isaiah 57:5

  • 2 Kings 16:3-4

    But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

  • Isaiah 1:29

    For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.

  • Ezekiel 16:20

    Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,

  • Jeremiah 7:31

    And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.

  • 2 Kings 23:10

    And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.

  • Leviticus 18:21

    And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.

  • Jeremiah 2:20

    For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.

  • Jeremiah 3:13

    Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord.

  • Numbers 25:1-2

    And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.

  • Deuteronomy 12:2

    Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:

  • Hosea 7:4-7

    They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened. In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners. For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire. They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.

  • Psalms 106:37-38

    Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Inflaming.
Ex 32:6; Nu 25:1,2,6; Jer 50:38; 51:7; Ho 4:11-13; 7:4-7; Am 2:7,8
Re 17:1-5; 18:3
with idols. or, among the oaks.
1:29
under.
De 12:2; 1Ki 14:23; 2Ki 16:3,4; 17:10; Jer 2:20; 3:6,13; 17:2
Eze 6:13
slaying.
Le 18:21; 20:2-5; 2Ki 16:3; 23:10; 2Ch 28:3; Jer 7:31; 32:35
Eze 16:20; 20:26,31

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

Context

  • Isaiah 57:4

    Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood,

  • Isaiah 57:5

    Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?

  • Isaiah 57:6

    Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these?

Read all of Isaiah 57

Isaiah 57:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Que os enfervorizáis con los ídolos debajo de todo árbol umbroso, que sacrificáis los hijos en los valles, debajo de los peñascos?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
vous enflammant avec les idoles sous tout arbre vert, égorgeant les enfants dans les vallées, sous les fentes des rochers?
German
Elberfelder 1871
die ihr für die Götzen entbranntet unter jedem grünen Baume, die ihr Kinder in den Tälern schlachtetet unter den Klüften der Felsen?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
qui consolamini in diis subter omne lignum frondosum, immolantes parvulos in torrentibus, subter eminentes petras?