the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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King James Version
Isaiah 57:16
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For I will not contend forever,Nor will I always be angry;For the spirit would grow faint before Me,And the breath of those whom I have made.
"For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would grow faint before Me, And the breath of those whom I have made.
For I will not give punishment for ever, or be angry without end: for from me breath goes out; and I it was who made the souls.
For I chyde not euer, and am not wroth without ende: but the blasting goeth from me, and is included in the body, and I made the breath.
For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit would fail before me, and the souls [which] I have made.
For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would fail before Me, And the souls which I have made.
For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry, for the spirit would faint before Me, even the breaths I have made.
I will not accuse my people forever. I will not always be angry. If I continued to show my anger, then the human spirit, the life I gave them, would die before me.
For I will not contend forever, neither will I be always angry; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls who I have made.
For I will not contend for euer, neither will I be alwayes wroth: for the spirit should faile before me, and the soules which I haue made.
For I chide not euer, & am not wroth wt out ende. But ye blastinge goeth fro me, though I make the breath.
"For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For [if I did stay angry] the spirit [of man] would grow weak before Me, And the breath of those whom I have created.
For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls that I have made.
For I will not contend forever, neither will I always be angry; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls that I have made.
For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit would fail before me, and the souls [which] I have made.
I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry, because then human life would grow weak. Human beings, whom I created, would die.
For I will not be hostile forever or perpetually angry, for then man's spirit would grow faint before me, the life-giving breath I created.
My people, I won't stay angry and keep on accusing you. After all, I am your Creator. I don't want you to give up in complete despair.
For I will not fight them forever or always nurse my anger; otherwise their spirits would faint before me, the creatures I myself have made.
For I will not contende for euer, neither will I be alwayes wroth, for the spirite should fayle before me: and I haue made the breath.
I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit proceeds from before me, and the breath, I have made it.
For I will not contend forever, neither will I be always angry; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls who I have made.
For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit that enwrappeth itself is from Me, and the souls which I have made.
For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always be angry. If I were, all people would pass away— all the souls I have made.
I will keep on fighting against you, and will not always be angry, for then your spirit would become weak before Me, the ones to whom I gave life.
I will not take vengeance on you for ever, neither will I be always angry with you: for my Spirit shall go forth from me, and I have created all breath.
For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.
For I will not accuse you forever, nor will I always be angry; for then the spirit of man would grow weak before Me, with the breath of those I have made.
For I will not continually accuse, nor will I always be angry; for then the spirits would grow faint before me, even the souls that I have made.
For not age-abidingly, will I contend, Nor perpetually, will I be wroth, - For, spirit, before me, would faint, Even the breathing souls, which, I, had made.
For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be angry unto the end: because the spirit shall go forth from my face, and breathings I will make.
For I will not attack forever, and I will not be angry forever, for the spirit will grow faint before me, and the breaths that I myself I have made.
For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made.
"For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would grow faint before Me, And the breath of those whom I have made.
I gave my people life, and I will not continue to accuse them or be angry with them forever.
For I will not accuse you forever, and I will not always be angry; for then the spirit would grow weak before Me, even the breath of man, which I have made.
For Y schal not stryue with outen ende, nether Y schal be wrooth `til to the ende; for whi a spirit schal go out fro my face, and Y schal make blastis.
For I will not contend for ever, nor will I always be angry; for from me proceeds the spirit, and I have made the breath of life.
For, not to the age do I strive, nor for ever am I wroth, For the spirit from before Me is feeble, And the souls I have made.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
I will not: Psalms 78:38, Psalms 78:39, Psalms 85:5, Psalms 103:9-16, Jeremiah 10:24, Micah 7:18
the souls: Isaiah 42:5, Numbers 16:22, Job 34:14, Job 34:15, Ecclesiastes 12:7, Jeremiah 38:16, Zechariah 12:1, Hebrews 12:9
Reciprocal: Genesis 41:51 - Manasseh Numbers 17:12 - Behold 2 Samuel 24:16 - It is enough 2 Chronicles 20:6 - God in heaven Job 9:3 - he will contend Job 17:1 - my days Job 23:16 - For God Psalms 6:1 - rebuke Psalms 30:5 - For Psalms 138:7 - Though I walk Psalms 143:7 - my spirit Song of Solomon 5:6 - my soul Isaiah 19:3 - the spirit Isaiah 27:8 - measure Isaiah 54:8 - a little Jeremiah 3:5 - he reserve Jeremiah 31:20 - for Lamentations 3:31 - General Amos 1:11 - kept Mark 2:21 - seweth Mark 7:29 - General Luke 6:20 - Blessed Luke 16:9 - when Acts 17:25 - seeing
Gill's Notes on the Bible
For I will not contend for ever,.... By afflictive providences; with the humble and contrite, the end being in a great measure answered by their humiliation and contrition; when God afflicts his people, it shows that he has a controversy with them, for their good, and his own glory; and when these ends are obtained, he will carry it on no longer:
neither will I be always wroth; as he seems to be in the apprehensions of his people, when he either hides his face from them, or chastises them with a rod of affliction:
for the spirit should fail before me; the spirit of the afflicted, which not being able to bear up any longer under the affliction, would sink and faint, or be "overwhelmed", as the word c signifies:
and the souls which I have made; which are of God's immediate creation, and which are also renewed by his grace, and made new creatures. The proselytes Abraham made are called the souls he made in Haran,
Genesis 12:5, much more may this be said of the Father of spirits, the author both of the old and new creation. The Lord knowing the weakness of the human frame, therefore restrains his hand, or moderates or removes the affliction; see a like reason in Psalms 78:38, the last days of trouble to God's people, which will be the time of the slaying of the witnesses, will be such that if they are not shortened, no flesh can be saved, but for the elect's sake they will be shortened,
Matthew 24:22.
c יעטוף "obrueretur", Junius Tremellius, Vitriuga "in deliquium incideret", Piscator, Gataker.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
For I will not contend for ever - I will not be angry with my people forever, nor always refuse to pardon and comfort them (see Psalms 103:9). This is to be regarded as having been primarily addressed to the Jews in their long and painful exile in Babylon. It is, however, couched in general language; and the idea is, that although God would punish his people for their sins, yet his wrath would not be perpetual. If they were his children, he would visit them again in mercy, and would restore to them his favor.
For the spirit should fail before me - Critics have taken a great deal of pains on this part of the verse, which they suppose to be very obscure. The simple meaning seems to be, that if God should continue in anger against people they would be consumed. The human soul could not endure a long-continued controversy with God. Its powers would fail; its strength decay; it must sink to destruction. As God did not intend this in regard to his own people; as he meant that his chastisements should not be for their destruction, but for their salvation; and as he knew how much they could bear, and how much they needed, he would lighten the burden, and restore them to his favor. And the truth taught here is, that if we are his children, we are safe. We may suffer much and long. We may suffer so much that it seems scarcely possible that we should endure more. But he knows how much we can bear; and he will remove the lead, so that we shall not be utterly crushed. A similar sentiment is found in the two following elegant passages of the Psalms, which are evidently parallel to this, and express the same idea:
But he being full of compassion,
Forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not;
Yea many a time burned he his anger away,
And did not stir up all his wrath.
For he remembered that they were but flesh;
A wind that passeth away and returneth not again.
Psalms 78:38-39
He will not always chide;
Neither will he keep his anger forever.
Like as a father pitieth his children,
So the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
For he knoweth our frame;
He remembereth that we are dust.
Psalms 103:9, Psalms 103:13-14
The Hebrew word which is rendered here ‘should fail’ (עטף ‛âṭaph), means properly to cover, as with a garment; or to envelope with anything, as darkness. Then it is used in the sense of having the mind covered or muffled up with sorrow; and means to languish, to be faint or feeble, to fail. Thus it is used in Psalms 61:2; Psalms 107:5; Psalms 142:3; Lamentations 2:11-12, Lamentations 2:19; Jonah 2:7. Other interpretations of this verse may be seen in Rosenmuller; but the above seems to be the true sense. According to this, it furnishes ground of encouragement and comfort to all the children of God who are afflicted. No sorrow will be sent which they will not be able to endure, no calamity which will not be finally for their own good. At the same time, it is a passage full of alarm to the sinner. How can he contend forever with God? How can he struggle always with the Almighty? And what must be the state in that dreadful world, where God shall contend for ever with the soul, and where all its powers shall be crushed beneath the vengeance of his eternal arm!
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Isaiah 57:16. For I will not contend for ever — The learned have taken a great deal of pains to little purpose on the latter part of this verses which they suppose to be very obscure. After all their labours upon it, I think the best and easiest explication of it is given in the two following elegant passages of the Psalms, which I presume are exactly parallel to it, and very clearly express the same sentiment.
"But he in his tender mercy will forgive their sin
And will not destroy them;
Yea, oftentimes will he turn away his wrath,
And will not rouse up his indignation:
For he remembereth that they are but flesh,
A breath that passeth, and returneth not."
Psalms 78:38-39.
"He will not always contend
Neither will he for ever hold his wrath:
As a father yearneth towards his children,
So is JEHOVAH tenderly compassionate towards them
that fear him:
For he knoweth our frame;
He remembereth that we are but dust."
Psalms 103:9; Psalms 103:13-14.
In the former of these two passages the second line seems to be defective both in measure and sense. I suppose the word אותם otham, them, is lost at the end; which seems to be acknowledged by the Chaldee and Vulgate, who render as if they had read ולא ישחית אותם velo yaschith otham. - L.
For the spirit — רוח ruach, the animal life.
And the souls — נשמות neshamoth, the immortal spirits. The Targum understands this of the resurrection. I will restore the souls of the dead, i.e., to their bodies.
