Isaiah 1:25 (YLT)

Passage

And I turn back My hand upon thee, And I refine as purity thy dross, And I turn aside all thy tin,

Nearby Context

Isaiah 1:23 Thy princes <FI>are<Fi> apostates, and companions of thieves, Every one loving a bribe, and pursuing rewards, The fatherless they judge not, And the plea of the widow cometh not to them.

Isaiah 1:24 Therefore--the affirmation of the Lord--Jehovah of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: Ah, I am eased of Mine adversaries, And I am avenged of Mine enemies,

Isaiah 1:25 And I turn back My hand upon thee, And I refine as purity thy dross, And I turn aside all thy tin,

Isaiah 1:26 And I give back thy judges as at the first, And thy counsellors as in the beginning, After this thou art called, `A city of righteousness--a faithful city.'

Isaiah 1:27 Zion in judgment is redeemed, And her captivity in righteousness.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "turn", "back", "hand", "upon", "thee", "refine", "purity", and "dross". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "turn" and "back", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "Therefore--the affirmation of the Lord--Jehovah of Hosts..." into verse 26's "And I give back thy judges as...", so "turn" and "back" 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 "turn" and "back" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.