Isaiah 1:19 Explained

"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:" — Isaiah 1:19 (KJV)

A conditional offer made to a nation Isaiah has just compared to a body covered in untreated wounds.

Read it in context: The Book of Isaiah. Also gathered under verses about obedience.

Isaiah 1:19 in context

What does Isaiah 1:19 mean?

Two conditions, and they are not the same thing. 'Willing' is the disposition, 'obedient' the action, and Hebrew pairs them because either without the other is familiar — grudging compliance, or good intentions that never move. The following verse states the alternative outcome just as plainly, which is what makes this an offer rather than a guarantee.

What is the context of Isaiah 1:19?

Chapter 1 is the prophet's opening indictment: sacrifices God is tired of, hands full of blood, a city become a harlot. Two verses earlier comes the invitation to reason together and be made white as snow. This is the promise attached to it.

How do I pray Isaiah 1:19?

Ask which of the two words is missing for you right now, because it is almost always one and not both. Then take the smaller half — if the willingness is gone, obedience is still available and often restores it, which is the order most people find works rather than the reverse.

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