59:1–2 “Behold” (or “surely”) introduces a truth that ought to be self-evident. God is not answering their prayers, and the people instantly assume the fault to be in him rather than them. As in 58:2–3 (cf. 1:10–20), they are going through the right motions, but their hearts are not right. Far from God’s power being impotent (“hand is not shortened”) or his attention wandering (“his ear dull”), he is as strong and all-seeing as ever—as is to become evident in 59:15b–16.

The real reason for the apparent divine absence is in the people’s “iniquities,” their twisted nature and the “sins” that are its product. These have erected a barrier between themselves and God and also have caused a personal alienation (“hidden his face from you”). They are far from him, in stark contrast to those who “seek the Lord while he may be found” (55:6). A similar point is made by Jeremiah (Jer. 5:25) and John (1 John 1:6). Unconfessed sin will always spoil one’s relationship with God.

59:3 The behaviors causing this alienation with God are now enumerated. Bloodshed characterizes them (cf. Isa. 1:15). This is emphasized by Isaiah’s use of “hands” (lit., “palms”), which suggests a personal taking hold of a weapon to harm others; “fingers” implies that the whole hand and thus the whole person is involved in violence. The sinning of the hand is compounded by the sinning of the “lips” and “tongue,” which suggests that every aspect of speech is corrupt. The people not only have uttered lies but have fostered a general culture of deception corresponding to the culture of violence. The reference to “lips” recalls 6:5, in which the prophet himself confessed the uncleanness of his speech; if these people are to be saved, they will require the same cleansing as the prophet’s.

59:4 This corruption is not confined to individuals—the whole of society is corrupt. Not only is justice perverted and the innocent condemned; the whole concept of justice itself has been corrupted. The essence of any good judicial system is its total equity—its refusal to allow the strong to bully the weak. But here the powerful manipulate the system for their own benefit and misuse their influence to protect themselves and destroy others. What is bred from this is not life but “mischief” (or “trouble”). The whole process is marked by tohu, the Hebrew word used in Genesis 1:2 of the chaos before the divine Word spoke and order and beauty resulted. Such tohu in Isaiah’s day will likewise require the activity of the Creator in order to be transformed.

59:5–6 Two illustrations provide a vivid picture of this corrupt society: poisonous eggs and flimsy webs. Some snake eggs are poisonous when consumed. The eating here may allude to the eating of the forbidden fruit in Eden; in any case, it is deadly. The crushing of the egg simply produces another deadly snake. Eggs are normally good to eat and healthy, but here they are deadly. The words of James are an appropriate commentary: “Desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:15).

Sin is flimsy as well as deadly, which is illustrated by a spiderweb. This clothing, unlike the divine warrior’s (Isa. 59:17), will not cover or protect. The works that spring from human sin have a self-destructive element; once again, “hands” suggest personal and deliberate involvement in sin. Far from the transformed landscape of 55:12–13, all that has been produced is a wasteland, as symbolized by the snake eggs and spiderwebs.

59:7–8 All restraints have gone; there is a mad rush to evil. Not only are “hands” involved, but the people’s “feet” carry them away, suggesting that the whole body is involved in evil and violence. Behind this are basic attitudes of thought that, like society, have become totally corrupt. “Highways” is a common metaphor in Isaiah (11:16; 19:23; 35:8; 40:3; 49:11; 62:10) for the ways to Zion and to the peace that sinful highways will never reach. Those who travel such sinful ways will achieve not peace but destruction. Paul’s use of these words in Romans 3:7–8 shows that this condition is a universal problem.

59:9 In a change to first-person plural the prophet speaks for those who have repented. “Therefore” indicates this change of heart to be a result of seeing the situation as God sees it and thus responding in deep humility. The prophet has already identified with his people’s sin (Isa. 6:5); now he speaks with and for them. This recalls Daniel’s prayer (Dan. 9:3–19) and Ezra’s (Ezra 9:6–15), in which again the leaders identify with the people. Even if they have not personally committed these particular sins, they are all too aware of the sinfulness of their own hearts. This prayer is bracketed by a preoccupation with “justice” and “righteousness” (Isa. 59:9, 14), with “justice” being the order of the new creation in which God’s perfect character will be revealed and “righteousness” being the saving activity that will bring about this order. Isaiah often uses “light” and “darkness” to characterize that heavenly kingdom (e.g., 2:5; 9:2). However, the present kingdom is in darkness; the light is yet to dawn.

59:10 The darkness is not only external but is part of human nature. Instead of walking in a straight path, people wander aimlessly and helplessly. Indeed, their condition is worse than blindness, as “those who have no eyes”; not only are they unable to see, but they have no possibility of seeing unless the Creator himself gives them eyes. They are experiencing one of the covenant curses pronounced by Moses (Deut. 28:29). They are not only blind but have no strength, stumbling like disembodied shadows among “those in full vigor.” Blindness is what the prophet was told would be the response to his message (Isa. 6:10); this blindness can only healed be by the Lord’s servant (42:7; 61:2). Spiritual blindness and death require a miracle akin to that of the first creation (2 Cor. 4:6).

59:11 Such is the people’s condition that they are reduced to witless muttering—again, a condition that only the Spirit can remove. This is seen by Paul as part of the groaning of creation and the church’s desire to be set free from the curse (Rom. 8:22–23). It is only the Spirit who can take these inarticulate longings and present them in the court of heaven (Rom. 8:26). “Justice” and “salvation” seem far away. It is only when we become aware of our helplessness that our waiting can come to an end.

59:12 A court scene like that of Isaiah 1:2 is envisaged, this time with sin as the prosecutor. The indictment is comprehensive: “transgressions” are acts of rebellion, “sins” are specific actions, and “iniquities” are the fallen nature from which these proceed. These cannot be ignored or denied, for they are “with us,” part of us and our constant companions. “We know” refers to far more than bare knowledge; these sins and attitudes are personal to us and an intimate part of who we are.

59:13 The confession continues, its comprehensive nature indicated by the grammar. The verbs are infinitive absolutes, denoting habitual activity. The first three verbs express rebellion against Yahweh; the next three describe sins against other humans. We have defied God: we have been treacherous to him and have wandered away from him. As far as humans are concerned, our words have shown the sin in our hearts. We have used words to bully and intimidate, to stir up sedition and create a climate of deception. We have not a shred of goodness to present before the Lord, as our hearts are totally corrupt; we do not even mean well.

59:14–15a The language here utilizes personification to make the point as strongly as possible (rather in the way Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly are portrayed in Proverbs 7–9). The great gifts of God—righteousness, justice, truth, uprightness—are outside us and strangers to us. “Justice” is forcefully prevented from entering our gates. “Righteousness” does not even try to come in. “Truth” falls in the public squares, the place where business is transacted. And “uprightness” (or “integrity”) finds no welcome. “Truth” is absent, in the sense both of God’s truth and of personal honesty. Anyone who tries to resist the prevailing evil loses out.

59:15b “The Lord saw” is the key to the solution to this desperate situation. This is the clause used in Exodus 2:23–25 of the Lord’s looking on his people in Egypt before launching a rescue operation. Here he is looking in judgment—but this itself is reassuring, as the evils described must be removed before any blessing can result.

59:16 No mere human, however gifted, could resolve this crisis; God recognizes that it requires his personal intervention. His arm must be revealed, as in Isaiah 51:9; 53:1. This arm is now to be seen working on behalf of his fallen people. His “righteousness” is his character to which he must be consistently faithful, not least in fulfilling his promises.

59:17 Here God is the divine warrior (à la the “Mighty God” of 9:6), whose zeal will destroy evil and establish his kingdom. His attributes are seen as military clothing, a passage echoed in Ephesians 6:13–17; 1 Thessalonians 5:8. Clothes are typically in Scripture an outward expression of some inner quality; the picture begins in Eden with Adam and Eve clothed with garments of skin and culminates with the bride of the Lamb clothed in white linen (Rev. 19:8). Here the military clothing shows God as going to war with the forces of evil. It is probably unnecessary to press every detail of the picture; instead, we ought to see this as an overall metaphor for the divine warrior. Similarly, God is “robed in majesty” (Ps. 93:1) as he sits enthroned above the raging waters and “clothed with splendor and majesty” and “covered . . . with light as with a garment” (Ps. 104:1–2). “Vengeance” is no arbitrary behavior but a necessary component of restoring righteousness and justice.

59:18 Justice here is not merely the punishment for the corrupt practices of the early part of the chapter but a true repayment of all that has been done to spoil God’s creation. “Wrath” is the burning anger of God against sin. Unlike human anger, it is never disproportionate because God is “slow to anger” (Ex. 34:6). His wrath is directed against those whose enmity and hostility to him is implacable. This is worldwide (cf. note on “coastlands” in the comment on 40:15).

59:19 God’s defeat of his enemies will result in worldwide fear of his name and the realization that his glory visibly fills the earth (Isa. 6:3). “Fear” is both terror for those who disobey and allegiance for those who repent. His coming will be like a torrent pouring through a narrow valley. Water is often a symbol of the Spirit (cf. John 4:14; 7:37–39).

59:20 The warrior is also the Redeemer; judgment on sin opens the way for him to be the Redeemer. He has come to Zion and by dying and rising again has opened the kingdom of heaven to all who believe. In Isa. 58:1 the sinful “house of Jacob” was condemned for its sin; here the remnant in Jacob who turn from their sin will be forgiven.

59:21 In 55:3–5 God had said that his covenant with David would call all nations to come, and that idea is not absent here, although the main emphasis is on the Spirit’s empowerment of the people and their offspring across the world and throughout the generations to spread his Word. These are the offspring of the servant (53:10). The repetition of “says the Lord” shows the certainty of this prophecy’s fulfillment.