The Meaning of Isaiah 65:7 Explained

Isaiah 65:7

KJV: Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.

YLT: Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, said Jehovah, Who have made perfume on the mountains, And on the heights have reproached Me, And I have measured their former work into their bosom.'

Darby: your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith Jehovah, who have burned incense upon the mountains, and outraged me upon the hills; and I will measure their former work into their bosom.

ASV: your own iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith Jehovah, that have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills; therefore will I first measure their work into their bosom.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Your iniquities,  and the iniquities  of your fathers  together,  saith  the LORD,  which have burned incense  upon the mountains,  and blasphemed  me upon the hills:  therefore will I measure  their former  work  into their bosom. 

What does Isaiah 65:7 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Repayment would be for the sins of all His people, since dependence on cultic righteousness had long been their sin. They had heaped up guilt from generation to generation, and failure to break with the past resulted in their having to accept the inheritance of the past. They had worshipped Yahweh at mountain shrines for a long time, and this amounted to scorning, not worshipping, the Lord. He would, therefore, pay them back in measure for their sins.
"If they gave a little more attention to the real character of their religion, they might be less hasty in begging him to split the heavens and come down." [1]
The Israelites had prayed for God to deliver them, but He explained that if He did respond it would be with punishment rather than deliverance.

Context Summary

Isaiah 65:1-12 - A Seed Rescued From Destruction
The prophet now enumerates the reasons that forced the Lord to turn aside from the Chosen People, and call in the Gentiles to occupy the place and perform the mission which they had despised and forfeited. Paul makes memorable reference to this passage. See Romans 10:20-21. Their gardens were scenes of debauchery; their altars were covered by polluting engravings; they practiced necromancy in the graveyards, and ate swine's flesh, Isaiah 65:3-4. Fortune and destiny were their chosen deities, Isaiah 65:11, r.v. While professing greater holiness than others, the land was filled with abominations.
But the Lord ever discriminates between the righteous and the wicked. Did He not spare Noah and Lot and Caleb? There has always been a faithful remnant, and these become the seed germs of a new nation. Ponder Isaiah 65:8-10. Then ask that your life may be like the new young grapes of the vineyard, on which the blessing of God rests! [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 65

1  The calling of the Gentiles,
2  and the rejection of the Jews, for their incredulity, idolatry, and hypocrisy
8  A remnant shall be saved
11  Judgments on the wicked, and blessings on the godly
17  The blessed state of the new Jerusalem

What do the individual words in Isaiah 65:7 mean?

Your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together says Yahweh that who have burned incense on the mountains and on the hills blasphemed Me therefore I will measure their work former - into their bosom -
עֲ֠וֺנֹתֵיכֶם וַעֲוֺנֹ֨ת אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֤ם יַחְדָּו֙ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר קִטְּרוּ֙ עַל־ הֶ֣הָרִ֔ים וְעַל־ הַגְּבָע֖וֹת חֵרְפ֑וּנִי וּמַדֹּתִ֧י פְעֻלָּתָ֛ם רִֽאשֹׁנָ֖ה [על־] (אֶל־) חֵיקָֽם ס

עֲ֠וֺנֹתֵיכֶם  Your  iniquities 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: עָוֹן  
Sense: perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity.
וַעֲוֺנֹ֨ת  and  the  iniquities 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common plural construct
Root: עָוֹן  
Sense: perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity.
אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֤ם  of  your  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
יַחְדָּו֙  together 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יַחַד 
Sense: union, unitedness adv.
אָמַ֣ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֲשֶׁ֤ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
קִטְּרוּ֙  who  have  burned  incense 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מֻקְטָר 
Sense: .
הֶ֣הָרִ֔ים  the  mountains 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
וְעַל־  and  on 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַגְּבָע֖וֹת  the  hills 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: גִּבְעָה  
Sense: hill.
חֵרְפ֑וּנִי  blasphemed  Me 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person common plural, first person common singular
Root: חָרַף 
Sense: to reproach, taunt, blaspheme, defy, jeopardise, rail, upbraid.
וּמַדֹּתִ֧י  therefore  I  will  measure 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: מָדַד  
Sense: to measure, stretch.
פְעֻלָּתָ֛ם  their  work 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: פְּעֻלָּה  
Sense: work, recompense, reward.
רִֽאשֹׁנָ֖ה  former 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רִאשֹׁון  
Sense: first, primary, former.
[על־]  - 
Parse: Preposition
(אֶל־)  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
חֵיקָֽם  their  bosom 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation