Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 32:6
For the vile person will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
6. The characteristics of the “fool.” Render: For a fool speaks folly and his heart works (LXX. “meditates”) mischief, to practise impiety (cf. Isa 9:17) and to speak error (Isa 29:24) against Jehovah, &c. The fool here depicted is a free thinker, a practical atheist, as in Psa 14:1; the baneful effect of his principles is seen in his conduct towards his fellow-men, in his pitiless and cruel selfishness.
to make empty ] to deprive the destitute of their scanty subsistence.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
6 8. The two types contrasted in their conduct.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For the vile person – Hebrew, The fool. This word more properly expresses the idea than vile person. The Hebrews Used the name fool to denote not only one destitute of understanding, but a knave, a dishonest man – regarding sin as the highest folly (see 1Sa 25:25; 2Sa 3:33; Job 2:10).
Will speak villainy – Hebrew, Will speak folly. That is, he will act in accordance with his nature; it is his nature to speak folly, and he will do it. Under a wicked and unjust administration such persons might be the subjects flattery Isa 32:5, and might be raised to office and power. But under the administration of a virtuous king they would not be admitted to favor; and the reason was, that they would act out their nature, and would corrupt all around them. A monarch, therefore, who regarded the honor of his own throne, and the welfare of his subjects, would exclude them from his counsels.
To make empty the soul of the hungry – Probably this refers to spiritual hunger and thirst; and means that such a person would take away the means of knowledge from the people, and leave them to error, ignorance, and want. The sense is, that if such persons were raised to office, they would corrupt the nation and destroy their confidence in God; and this was a reason why a virtuous prince would exclude them from any participation in his government.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 32:6-7
For the vile person will speak villany
The outer life according to the inner
A vile person and a churl will do mischief; and the more if he be preferred, and have power in his hand.
His honours will make him worse, and not better. See the character of these base, ill-conditioned men.
1. They are always plotting some unjust thing or other; designing ill either to particular persons or to the public, and contriving how to bring it about; and so many silly piques they have to gratify, and mean revenges, that there appears not in them the least spark of generosity. Observe, there is the work of the heart, as well as the work of the hands. As thoughts are words to God, so designs are works in His account. See what pains sinners take in sin; they labour it, their hearts are intent upon it, and with a great deal of art and application they work iniquity. They devise wicked devices with all the subtlety of the old serpent.
2. They carry on their plots by trick and dissimulation. When they are meditating iniquity, they practise hypocrisy, feign themselves just men. The most abominable mischiefs shall be disguised with the most plausible pretences of devotion to God, regard to man, and concern for some common good. Those are the vilest of men that intend the worst mischief when they speak fair.
3. They speak villany. When they are in a passion, you will see what they are by the base, ill language they give to those about them, which no way becomes men of rank and honour. Or, in giving verdict or judgment, they villainously put false colours upon things to pervert justice.
4. They affront God, who is a righteous God and loveth righteousness. They utter error against the Lord, and therein they practise profaneness. They give an unjust sentence, and then profanely make use of the name of God for the ratification of it. Nothing can be more impudently done against God than to patronise wickedness with His name.
5. They abuse mankind, those particularly whom they are bound to protect and relieve.
6. These churls and vile persons have always ill instruments about them, that are ready to serve their villainous purposes–the instruments of the churl are evil. (M. Henry.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 6. The vile person will speak villany – “The fool will still utter folly”] A sort of proverbial saying, which Euripides (Bacchae, 369) has expressed in the very same manner and words: “The fool speaks folly.” Of this kind of simple and unadorned proverb or parable, see De S. Poes, Hebr. Praelect. xxiv.
Against the Lord – “Against JEHOVAH”] For El, two MSS. read al, more properly; but both are of nearly the same meaning.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
For the vile person will speak villany: so this is a reason of the assertion, Isa 32:5; either thus, Such shall not be advanced to places of trust and dignity; for if they were, they would abuse them by unjust sentences and practices. Or thus, Men shall no longer be miscalled; for every one will discover what he is by his Words and actions; which also shall be narrowly observed. But these and the following words are and may be otherwise rendered: But (as this particle oft signifies) he shall be called or said to be (which words are easily understood out of the former verse, as is very frequent in Scripture) a fool, who (which relative particle is understood in very many places) shall speak villany, and whose heart shall work iniquity, &c.
His heart will work iniquity; he will, from time to time, be devising wickedness, that he may execute it when he hath opportunity.
To practise hypocrisy: to, do bad things, but with a pretence of religion and justice, which he shall use to keep himself from the disfavour of his prince, and from the lash of the law. Or, to practise profaneness or wickedness, as this word, at least sometimes, seems to signify.
To utter error against the Lord; to pass unjust sentences, which is directly contrary to the will and command of God.
To make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail; whereby they take away the bread and drink of the poor, and give it to their rich oppressors.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. vile . . . villainyrather,”the (irreligious) fool . . . (his) folly.”
will speakrather,”present”; for (so far is the “fool” fromdeserving the epithet “noble-minded”) the fool “speaketh”folly and “worketh,” &c.
hypocrisyrather,”profligacy” [HORSLEY].
errorimpiety, perversearguments.
hungryspiritually (Mt5:6).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For the vile person will speak villainy,…. Or, “a fool will utter folly” g; a man that has no understanding of Gospel truths himself can not deliver them to others; he will only speak foolish things, concerning the purity of human nature, the power of man’s free will, the sufficiency of his own righteousness to justify him, and the merits of good works, and the like; and therefore such a man is a very improper one to be a guide and governor in the church of God:
and his heart will work iniquity; forge and devise it within himself; will form schemes of false doctrine, discipline, and worship, disagreeable to the word of God:
to practise hypocrisy; to make men believe he is a very devout and religious man, when he has no good thing in him, and to put others upon a profession of religion that have none; which things are commonly done by foolish and ignorant preachers:
and to utter error against the Lord; such doctrines as are contrary to the free, rich, sovereign grace of God; to the deity, personality, sonship, offices, blood, sacrifice, and righteousness of Christ, and so to the person and operations of the blessed Spirit:
to make empty the soul of the hungry; and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail; the “hungry” and “thirsty” are such as hunger and thirst after, and earnestly desire, the sincere milk of the word for their spiritual nourishment and growth; whose “souls” become “empty”, and their “drink” fails, when the doctrines of grace are not dispensed unto them, but false and unedifying doctrines are delivered, so that their souls sink and faint, and are ready to die away, for want of the bread of the Gospel; agreeably to this sense, the Targum paraphrases the words thus,
“to make the soul of the righteous weary, who desire doctrine, as a hungry man bread; and the words of the law, which are as water to him that is thirsty, they think to cause to cease.”
g “nam stultus stultitiam loquetur”, Pagninus, Montanus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
6. For the vile person will speak vileness. We might also render it, “The wicked man will speak wickedly;” for נבלה ( nĕbālāh) denotes “baseness” or any wickedness, such as is meant by the French word lascheté , or by the English words, “lewdness” or “baseness.” It might also be rendered, “The fool will speak wickedly;” and thus there would be an allusion to the words נבל ( nābāl) and נבלה, ( nĕbālāh,) (333) though the meaning would be considerably different; but, since he employed this word in the former verse, when speaking of “vile” persons, I willingly adopt that interpretation.
And his heart will contrive iniquity. I consider און (ā vĕn) to denote “wickedness;” for he speaks of giving themselves up continually to sin and do wickedly, as is plainly shewn by what follows; for his earnest remonstrances are directed against wicked men, who abandon themselves to all that is vile, and are not moved by any feeling of conscience, who laugh at all warnings, and ridicule God and his servants. Christ also drags them into the light, and exposes what lay concealed under coverings; for to him, as we have said, it peculiarly belongs to
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pierce, by the sword of the gospel, the hidden feelings of the heart, that they may answer to the judgment of God.” (Heb 4:12.)
Isaiah therefore continues the same subject which he had formerly begun to explain.
Others explain it differently, but, as I think, in an unsuitable manner; for they think that it is a kind of proverbial saying, and render it in the present tense, “The vile person speaketh vileness.” But I think that the Prophet means something higher, namely, that Christ is the Judge of the world, and therefore, when he shall ascend the judgment-seat, he will shew what is the disposition of every person; for, so long as he does not exercise the office of a judge, everything remains in confusion, the wicked are applauded, because they have the appearance of piety, and the most excellent men are despised. But Christ will openly display the life of every person, so that what formerly, under some pretense, bore a fair reputation, will be manifested to be wickedness; and on this account he is said to
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have in his hand a sieve for separating the wheat from the chaff.” (Mat 3:12.)
Now, this sieve is the gospel, by which, as a Judge, he brings malefactors to trial, and draws forth, in spite of their efforts, the exposure of their transgressions and crimes.
We have the experience of this more and more every day, when an exposure is made of that wickedness which had been concealed under the mask of Popery and the strange folds of superstitions. Who would ever have thought, amidst that darkness, that there were concealed in the hearts of men such dreadful monsters as are brought forward at the present day? To such a height has the contempt of God arisen, that many discover themselves to be more like beasts than men. Yet the Papists slander us, as if by our doctrine we gave loose reins to men, and exhorted them to despise God and follow wickedness without fear or shame. But let them listen to Isaiah, who replies that, when the truth of God shall be made known, vile persons will speak vileness, and wicked persons will speak baseness and wickedness; and, indeed, Christ would not be a spiritual judge if he did not
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reveal the secret thoughts of the heart, and bring every hidden thing to light.” (Luk 2:35.)
To make empty the hungry soul. In addition to those mockeries which the reprobate cast against God, cruelty is next mentioned. The Prophet thus gives an exact enumeration of those actions which are contrary to the second table. Wicked men begin with despising God, then rush to outward crimes, and practice cruelty of every sort against their neighbors. Now, the worst and most flagrant of all cruelty is, to “snatch food from the hungry soul and drink from the thirsty;” for mere natural feeling prompts us to mercy and ( συμπάθειαν) (334) compassion. When men are so brutalized that they are not affected by the misery of others, and lay aside every feeling of humanity, they must be worse than the beasts themselves, who have some sort of pity for the wants of their own kind.
(333) Bogus footnote
(334) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) The vile person will speak villany.Another echo, like that of Isa. 28:23-29, of the teaching of the Book of Proverbs. In that better day men would learn to see men as they are, and not as they pretend to be. By their fruits ye shall know them was to be one of the blessings of the reign of the true king (Mat. 7:20).
To utter error against the Lord.The error is either that of heresy, or of hollow profession, or of open scoffing. In either case it finds its practical outcome, like the hypocrisy of the Pharisees (Mat. 23:14), in violence and wrong towards the poor and weak.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 32:6 For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
Ver. 6. For the vile person will speak villany. ] Why then should he be advanced to great places why should he be smoothed and soothed up with high titles? “The adversary and the enemy is this wicked Haman,” said Esther. Isa 7:6 Before, some had styled him noble, others great, and some perhaps virtuous; only Esther giveth him his own – Pessimus iste, “That most wicked Haman”; so, “Go, tell that fox,” saith our Saviour; and God shall smite thee, “thou whited wall,” saith St Paul to Ananias, &c. Nomina rebus consentanea imponentur. A spade shall be called a spade, a fool a fool; there shall not be nomen inane, crimen immane, sedes prima et vita ima, ingens authoritas et nutans stabilitas, &c. a
And his heart will work iniquity.
a Bernard.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the vile: 1Sa 24:13, 1Sa 25:10, 1Sa 25:11, Jer 13:23, Mat 12:34-36, Mat 15:19, Jam 3:5, Jam 3:6
and his heart: Psa 58:1, Psa 58:2, Hos 7:6, Hos 7:7, Mic 2:1, Mic 2:2, Act 5:3, Act 5:4, Act 8:21, Act 8:22, Jam 1:14, Jam 1:15
empty: Job 22:5-9, Job 24:2-16, Pro 11:24-26, Amo 2:6, Amo 2:7, Amo 8:6, Mic 3:1-3, Mat 23:14, Jam 1:27
Reciprocal: Exo 16:8 – but against Job 30:8 – viler Psa 15:4 – a vile Pro 21:10 – findeth no favour Ecc 5:13 – riches Isa 9:17 – every mouth Isa 59:13 – lying Jer 15:19 – take Dan 12:10 – but the wicked Amo 8:4 – swallow Mat 12:10 – that Mat 24:48 – say Jam 3:17 – hypocrisy
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
These verses expound further on the changes that will take place in fools and rogues. Their present characteristics are all too familiar, but these will change with the coming of Messiah. Fools disregard their moral and spiritual obligations. Rogues work deviously for their own advantage at the expense of others. In contrast, noble people are liberally outgoing to God and others.