Isaiah 1:22 (DRB)

Passage

Thy silver is turned into dross: thy wine is mingled with water.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:20 But if you will not, and will provoke me to wrath: the sword shall devour you because the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Isaiah 1:21 How is the faithful city, that was full of judgment, become a harlot? justice dwelt in it, but now murderers.

Isaiah 1:22 Thy silver is turned into dross: thy wine is mingled with water.

Isaiah 1:23 Thy princes are faithless, companions of thieves: they all love bribes, they run after rewards. They judge not for the fatherless: and the widow's cause cometh not in to them.

Isaiah 1:24 Therefore saith the Lord the God of hosts, the mighty one of Israel: Ah! I will comfort myself over my adversaries: and I will be revenged of my enemies.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "silver", "turned", "dross", "wine", "mingled", and "water". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "silver" and "turned", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "How is the faithful city that was..." into verse 23's "Thy princes are faithless companions of thieves...", so "silver" and "turned" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "silver" and "turned" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.