Isaiah 1:23 (WEB)

Passage

Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They don’t judge the fatherless, neither does the cause of the widow come to them.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:21 How the faithful city has become a prostitute! She was full of justice; righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.

Isaiah 1:22 Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water.

Isaiah 1:23 Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They don’t judge the fatherless, neither does the cause of the widow come to them.

Isaiah 1:24 Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, the Mighty One of Israel, says: “Ah, I will get relief from my adversaries, and avenge myself on my enemies;

Isaiah 1:25 and I will turn my hand on you, thoroughly purge away your dross, and will take away all your tin.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "princes", "rebellious", "companions", "thieves", "everyone", "loves", "bribes", and "follows". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "princes" and "rebellious", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Your silver has become dross your wine..." into verse 24's "Therefore the Lord Yahweh of Armies the...", so "princes" and "rebellious" 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 "princes" and "rebellious" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.