Isaiah 1:16–17

Context

The first chapter of the Book of Isaiah opens with the vision that Isaiah the son of Amoz received concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Isaiah 1:1). God calls heaven and earth as witnesses to indict the people for their rebellion (1:2) and addresses the leaders and people of Jerusalem as "ye rulers of Sodom" and "ye people of Gomorrah" (1:10). He then declares that He will not accept their sacrifices, their feasts, or even their prayers, and He gives the reason: "your hands are full of blood" (1:15). Verses 16–17 are the commands that follow this indictment. Verse 16 calls on the people to renounce evil, and verse 17 calls on them to learn to do good and to protect the vulnerable. Immediately afterward comes the invitation of 1:18: though their sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.

Interpretation

• As a critique of worship: Many commentators hold that the passage does not seek to abolish sacrifice itself. They read it instead as a rejection of worship divorced from justice. The same theme appears in other prophets of the period, such as Amos and Micah.
• As the substance of repentance: The verbs "wash," "put away," and "cease" are read as concrete expressions of repentance. The passage is often used to show that repentance must not stop at inward remorse but must be evident in a change of conduct.
• As social justice: In ancient Israel, orphans and widows represented the vulnerable who lacked a legal protector. The commands to "judge" the fatherless (that is, to vindicate them and redress their wrongs) and to "plead for" the widow are forensic terms calling for their rights to be defended in court. The passage is cited as a basis for the church's works of relief and social service. Methodist and Holiness churches in the Wesleyan tradition emphasize texts such as this one, holding that personal holiness issues in the practice of mercy toward one's neighbor.
• In connection with baptism: Justin Martyr, a second-century Church Father, is known to have cited this passage in explaining baptism.

Questions of Application

• "Wash you" and grace: The command to "wash you" (that is, "wash yourselves") raises the question of whether people can make themselves clean by their own strength. The Reformed tradition holds that the command serves to awaken a sense of responsibility to repent, while the actual cleansing from sin is God's work. Wesleyan theology explains that people respond to this command by means of prevenient grace, the grace God gives beforehand so that people are able to respond to Him. Neither tradition reads the passage as teaching salvation by works.
• Charity or just institutions?: Some read the passage as referring to personal assistance to the vulnerable, while others read it as encompassing fairness in courts and institutions as well. Which aspect is emphasized varies among churches and scholars.
• Translation: The Hebrew word mishpat, rendered "judgment" in the KJV, denotes a just verdict, that is, justice. The Hebrew behind "relieve the oppressed" can, depending on how it is read, also be translated "correct the oppressor," so English versions differ at this point.

Related Passages

• Amos 5:21–23
• Micah 6:6–8
• Ezekiel 36:25–27
• Matthew 23:23
• James 2:15–17