The Meaning of Isaiah 32:6 Explained

Isaiah 32:6

KJV: For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

YLT: For a fool speaketh folly, And his heart doth iniquity, to do profanity, And to speak concerning Jehovah error, To empty the soul of the hungry, Yea, drink of the thirsty he causeth to lack.

Darby: for the vile man will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

ASV: For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise profaneness, and to utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For the vile person  will speak  villany,  and his heart  will work  iniquity,  to practise  hypocrisy,  and to utter  error  against the LORD,  to make empty  the soul  of the hungry,  and he will cause the drink  of the thirsty  to fail. 

What does Isaiah 32:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 32:1-8 - A Nobler Future For The Nation
Isaiah continues to denounce the contemplated alliance with Egypt. His compatriots put their trust in horses and chariots, and refused the help of their fathers' God. Yet was He not so wise as the Egyptians, and equally as strong! And were they not running a fearful risk in rejecting One who would not recall His words of threatened punishment to those who refused His help? At best, the Egyptians were men, and not God, and their cavalry, flesh. If only they would trust Him, God would defy their foes, as a lion defies a company of unarmed shepherds, Isaiah 31:4. The mother-bird hovers over her brood to protect it from the kestrel; so would He spread His covering wing over Jerusalem, Isaiah 31:5. We may have deeply revolted, yet we may turn back to God with the certainty that He will receive and rescue us, Isaiah 31:6.
Sennacherib fell by the sword of his sons. Compare Isaiah 32:8 with 2 Kings 19:36-37. How different is our glorious King, whose many-sided nature meets all our needs! Isaiah 32:2. Before Him all men are unveiled in their true characters. Only those who are royal in heart shall stand before Him, Isaiah 31:8. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 32

1  The blessings of Christ's kingdom
9  Desolation is foreshown
14  Restoration is promised to succeed

What do the individual words in Isaiah 32:6 mean?

For the foolish person foolishness will speak and his heart will work iniquity to practice ungodliness and to utter against Yahweh error to keep unsatisfied the soul the hungry and he will [cause] the drink of the thirsty to fail
כִּ֤י נָבָל֙ נְבָלָ֣ה יְדַבֵּ֔ר וְלִבּ֖וֹ יַעֲשֶׂה־ אָ֑וֶן לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת חֹ֗נֶף וּלְדַבֵּ֤ר אֶל־ יְהוָה֙ תּוֹעָ֔ה לְהָרִיק֙ נֶ֣פֶשׁ רָעֵ֔ב וּמַשְׁקֶ֥ה צָמֵ֖א יַחְסִֽיר

נָבָל֙  the  foolish  person 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: נָבָל  
Sense: foolish, senseless, fool.
נְבָלָ֣ה  foolishness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: נְבָלָה  
Sense: senselessness, folly.
יְדַבֵּ֔ר  will  speak 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
וְלִבּ֖וֹ  and  his  heart 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
יַעֲשֶׂה־  will  work 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
אָ֑וֶן  iniquity 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָוֶן 
Sense: trouble, wickedness, sorrow.
לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת  to  practice 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
חֹ֗נֶף  ungodliness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹנֶף  
Sense: hypocrisy, godlessness, hypocrite, profaneness.
וּלְדַבֵּ֤ר  and  to  utter 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
אֶל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
תּוֹעָ֔ה  error 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: תֹּועָה  
Sense: error, wandering, impiety, perversions.
לְהָרִיק֙  to  keep  unsatisfied 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: רִיק  
Sense: to make empty, empty out.
נֶ֣פֶשׁ  the  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
רָעֵ֔ב  the  hungry 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָעָב  
Sense: hungry.
וּמַשְׁקֶ֥ה  and  he  will  [cause]  the  drink 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַשְׁקֶה 
Sense: irrigation, drink.
צָמֵ֖א  of  the  thirsty 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: צָמֵא  
Sense: thirsty.
יַחְסִֽיר  to  fail 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָסֵר  
Sense: to lack, be without, decrease, be lacking, have a need.