The Meaning of Isaiah 59:6 Explained

Isaiah 59:6

KJV: Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

YLT: Their webs become not a garment, Nor do they cover themselves with their works, Their works are works of iniquity, And a deed of violence is in their hands.

Darby: Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works; their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

ASV: Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Their webs  shall not become garments,  neither shall they cover  themselves with their works:  their works  [are] works  of iniquity,  and the act  of violence  [is] in their hands. 

What does Isaiah 59:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 59:1-15 - Iniquities Separate From God
Israel's sins, Isaiah 59:1-8. Much of our suffering in life results from our sins, which cut off God's health and help. Let us not blame Providence, but set ourselves to discover the cause of controversy. When the law courts-the fountains of justice-are demoralized, the community is in a hopeless condition, Isaiah 59:3-4. Instead of stamping out evil in the egg, the sinful heart hatches it out, and it yields the poison of vipers, Isaiah 59:5. Ah, the hapless state of the ungodly! Their feet, and their thoughts, and their paths, are fatal to the peace of others and to their own. The way of peace can be entered only at the Cross, and maintained only by constant watchfulness. See Luke 1:79.
Israel's confession, Isaiah 59:9-15. Here the stricken people pour out their complaint before God, confessing, first, the bitterness of their sufferings and then the blackness of their sins. The roar of the hungry bear for food and the dove's mourning for her mate, Isaiah 59:11, are apt descriptions of the complaint of the penitent soul. It is a good sign when a man cannot lift up his eyes to heaven and beats upon his breast, Luke 18:13. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 59

1  Calamities are not due to lack of saving power in God, but to their own sins
16  Salvation is only of God
20  The covenant of the Redeemer

What do the individual words in Isaiah 59:6 mean?

Their webs not will become garments nor will they cover themselves with their works their works [are] works of iniquity and the act of violence [is] in their hands
קֽוּרֵיהֶם֙ לֹא־ יִהְי֣וּ לְבֶ֔גֶד וְלֹ֥א יִתְכַּסּ֖וּ בְּמַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם מַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶם֙ מַֽעֲשֵׂי־ אָ֔וֶן וּפֹ֥עַל חָמָ֖ס בְּכַפֵּיהֶֽם

קֽוּרֵיהֶם֙  Their  webs 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: קוּר  
Sense: thread, film, web.
יִהְי֣וּ  will  become 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
לְבֶ֔גֶד  garments 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֶּגֶד 
Sense: treachery, deceit.
וְלֹ֥א  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִתְכַּסּ֖וּ  will  they  cover  themselves 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: כָּסָה  
Sense: to cover, conceal, hide.
בְּמַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם  with  their  works 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: מַעֲשֶׂה  
Sense: deed, work.
מַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶם֙  their  works  [are] 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: מַעֲשֶׂה  
Sense: deed, work.
מַֽעֲשֵׂי־  works 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מַעֲשֶׂה  
Sense: deed, work.
אָ֔וֶן  of  iniquity 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָוֶן 
Sense: trouble, wickedness, sorrow.
וּפֹ֥עַל  and  the  act 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פֹּעַל  
Sense: work, deed, doing.
חָמָ֖ס  of  violence 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָמָס  
Sense: violence, wrong, cruelty, injustice.
בְּכַפֵּיהֶֽם  [is]  in  their  hands 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, fdc, third person masculine plural
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.