Isaiah 30:1
Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:
Study Note
Study Note
Isaiah's 'woe oracle' against the Egyptian alliance opens with a blistering characterization of Judah's diplomatic policy as rebellion (sarah) and as addition of sin to sin — the very conduct they are warned against is compounded by doing it without divine consultation. The phrase 'cover with a covering' (nasach massekah) may refer specifically to treaty ratification rituals involving libations, making the indictment doubly precise: the covenant with Egypt excludes the Spirit and so is not a covenant at all but an anti-covenant. Isaiah's consistent critique of foreign alliances (7:1–9; 28:15; 31:1) rests on a theology of sole-source security in YHWH, making human political calculation a form of practical atheism. The verse addresses the perennial temptation of religious communities to supplement faith with equivalent worldly guarantees.
Other Translations
Woe to the rebellious children, saith Jehovah, that take counsel, but not of me; and that make a league, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin,
Woe <FI>to<Fi> apostate sons, The affirmation of Jehovah! To do counsel, and not from Me, And to spread out a covering, and not of My spirit, So as to add sin to sin.
Ho! uncontrolled children, says the Lord, who give effect to a purpose which is not mine, and who make an agreement, but not by my spirit, increasing their sin:
Cross References
And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers’ stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce …
Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that …
Ye have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you.
And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, …
So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which …
And enquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield …
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, …