Isaiah 1:21 (GNV)

Passage

Howe is the faithfull citie become an harlot? it was full of iudgement, and iustice lodged therein, but now they are murtherers.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:19 If ye consent and obey, ye shall eate the good things of the land.

Isaiah 1:20 But if ye refuse and be rebellious, ye shalbe deuoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Isaiah 1:21 Howe is the faithfull citie become an harlot? it was full of iudgement, and iustice lodged therein, but now they are murtherers.

Isaiah 1:22 Thy siluer is become drosse: thy wine is mixt with water.

Isaiah 1:23 Thy Princes are rebellious and companions of theeues: euery one loueth giftes, and followeth after rewards: they iudge not the fatherlesse, neither doeth the widowes cause come before them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "howe", "faithfull", "citie", "become", "harlot", "iudgement", and "iustice". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "howe", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "But if ye refuse and be rebellious..." into verse 22's "Thy siluer is become drosse thy wine...", so "faith" and "howe" 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 "faith" and "howe" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.