Isaiah 1:21 (KJV)

Passage

How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

Isaiah 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Isaiah 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

Isaiah 1:22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:

Isaiah 1:23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "faithful", "city", "become", "harlot", "full", "judgment", and "righteousness". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "faithful", 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 rebel ye..." into verse 22's "Thy silver is become dross thy wine...", so "faith" and "faithful" 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 "faithful" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.