The Meaning of Isaiah 28:15 Explained

Isaiah 28:15

KJV: Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

YLT: Because ye have said: 'We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a provision, An overflowing scourge, when it passeth over, Doth not meet us, Though we have made a lie our refuge, And in falsehood have been hidden.'

Darby: For ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol have we made an agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.

ASV: Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Because ye have said,  We have made  a covenant  with death,  and with hell  are we  at agreement;  when the overflowing  scourge  shall pass through  {08675;05674:08804}, it shall not come  unto us: for we have made  lies  our refuge,  and under falsehood  have we hid  ourselves: 

What does Isaiah 28:15 Mean?

Study Notes

hell
Heb. "Sheol,"
Sheol is, in the O.T., the place to which the dead go.
(1) Often, therefore, it is spoken of as the equivalent of the grave, merely, where all human activities cease; the terminus toward which all human life moves (e.g. Genesis 42:38 grave Job 14:13 grave Psalms 88:3 grave
(2) To the man "under the sun," the natural man, who of necessity judges from appearances, sheol seems no more than the grave-- the end and total cessation, not only of the activities of life, but of life itself. Ecclesiastes 9:5 ; Ecclesiastes 9:10
(3) But Scripture reveals sheol as a place of sorrow 2 Samuel 22:6 ; Psalms 18:5 ; Psalms 116:3 ; in which the wicked are turned Psalms 9:17 and where they are fully conscious; Isaiah 14:9-17 ; Ezekiel 32:21 see, especially, Jonah 2:2 what the belly of the great fish was to Jonah that sheol is to those who are therein). The sheol of the O.T. and hades of the N.T. (See Scofield " Luke 16:23 ") are identical.

Context Summary

Isaiah 28:14-29 - Truth The Only Refuge
In the beginning of Hezekiah's reign the Jewish leaders had made an alliance with Assyria, on whom they relied to protect them against any and all foes. But the prophet told them plainly that they would be disappointed, and that when the Assyrian scourge passed through the land toward Egypt, it would involve them also in disaster, Isaiah 28:18. Then he broke out with this sublime description of the only foundation of security that could never fail. The deep meaning of this prediction of the precious corner-stone is unfolded in later Scriptures, Matthew 21:42; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:7. Christ was tried by Satan and by man: He is precious: He unites the walls of Jew and Gentile that were at right-angles to each other. All our excuses and professions are too short and too narrow when God enters into judgment. Outside of Christ there is neither peace nor safety. See that thou buildest Him a holy character of gold, silver, and precious stones, 1 Corinthians 3:10, etc. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 28

1  The prophet threatens Ephraim for their pride and drunkenness
5  The residue shall be advanced in the kingdom of Christ
7  He rebukes their error
9  Their unwillingness to learn
14  And their security
16  Christ the sure foundation is promised
17  Their security shall be tried
23  They are incited to the consideration of God's providence

What do the individual words in Isaiah 28:15 mean?

Because you have said we have made a covenant with death and with Sheol we are in agreement - the scourge overflowing when - passes through not it will come to us for we have made lies our refuge and under falsehood have we hidden ourselves -
כִּ֣י אֲמַרְתֶּ֗ם כָּרַ֤תְנֽוּ בְרִית֙ אֶת־ מָ֔וֶת וְעִם־ שְׁא֖וֹל עָשִׂ֣ינוּ חֹזֶ֑ה [שיט] (שׁ֣וֹט) שׁוֹטֵ֤ף כִּֽי־ [עבר] (יַֽעֲבֹר֙) לֹ֣א יְבוֹאֵ֔נוּ כִּ֣י שַׂ֧מְנוּ כָזָ֛ב מַחְסֵ֖נוּ וּבַשֶּׁ֥קֶר נִסְתָּֽרְנוּ ס

כִּ֣י  Because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אֲמַרְתֶּ֗ם  you  have  said 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
כָּרַ֤תְנֽוּ  we  have  made 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: כָּרַת  
Sense: to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant.
בְרִית֙  a  covenant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: בְּרִית  
Sense: covenant, alliance, pledge.
מָ֔וֶת  death 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
וְעִם־  and  with 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
שְׁא֖וֹל  Sheol 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: שְׁאֹול  
Sense: sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit.
עָשִׂ֣ינוּ  we  are 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
חֹזֶ֑ה  in  agreement 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹזֶה 
Sense: seer.
[שיט]  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
(שׁ֣וֹט)  the  scourge 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שַׁיִט  
Sense: rowing.
שׁוֹטֵ֤ף  overflowing 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שֹׁוט 
Sense: scourge, whip.
[עבר]  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
(יַֽעֲבֹר֙)  passes  through 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
יְבוֹאֵ֔נוּ  it  will  come  to  us 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
שַׂ֧מְנוּ  we  have  made 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
כָזָ֛ב  lies 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כָּזָב  
Sense: a lie, untruth, falsehood, deceptive thing.
מַחְסֵ֖נוּ  our  refuge 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: מַחְסֶה  
Sense: refuge, shelter.
וּבַשֶּׁ֥קֶר  and  under  falsehood 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁקֶר  
Sense: lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood.
נִסְתָּֽרְנוּ  have  we  hidden  ourselves 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: סָתַר  
Sense: to hide, conceal.
ס    - 
Parse: Punctuation