Isaiah 26:10 (WEB)

Passage

Let favor be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness. In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully, and will not see Yahweh’s majesty.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 26:8 Yes, in the way of your judgments, Yahweh, have we waited for you. Your name and your renown are the desire of our soul.

Isaiah 26:9 With my soul I have desired you in the night. Yes, with my spirit within me will I seek you earnestly; for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Isaiah 26:10 Let favor be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness. In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully, and will not see Yahweh’s majesty.

Isaiah 26:11 Yahweh, your hand is lifted up, yet they don’t see; but they will see your zeal for the people, and be disappointed. Yes, fire will consume your adversaries.

Isaiah 26:12 Yahweh, you will ordain peace for us, for you have also done all our work for us.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "favor", "shown", "wicked", "learn", "righteousness", "land", "uprightness", and "deal". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "favor" and "shown", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "With my soul I have desired you..." into verse 11's "Yahweh your hand is lifted up yet...", so "favor" and "shown" 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 "favor" and "shown" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.