Isaiah 1:5 (LSB)

Passage

Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick, And the whole heart is faint.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:3 An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know; My people do not perceive.”

Isaiah 1:4 Alas, sinful nation, People heavy with iniquity, Seed of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have forsaken Yahweh; They have spurned the Holy One of Israel; They have become estranged from Him.

Isaiah 1:5 Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick, And the whole heart is faint.

Isaiah 1:6 From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, wounds, and raw wounds, Not pressed out, not bandaged, Not softened with oil.

Isaiah 1:7 Your land is desolate; Your cities are burned with fire; Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence; It is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "where", "stricken", "again", "continue", "rebellion", "whole", "head", and "sick". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "where" and "stricken", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Alas sinful nation People heavy with iniquity..." into verse 6's "From the sole of the foot even...", so "where" and "stricken" 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 "where" and "stricken" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.