Isaiah 5:13

Isaiah 5:13

Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

a. NLT: So my people will go into exile far away because they do not know me.
Those who are great and honored will starve, and the common people will die of thirst.

b. NIV: Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding; those of high rank will die of hunger and the common people will be parched with thirst.

c. YLT: Therefore my people removed without knowledge, And its honourable ones are famished, And its multitude dried up of thirst.

d. Amplified Bible Classic: Therefore My people go into captivity [to their enemies] without knowing it and because they have no knowledge [of God]. And their honorable men [their glory] are famished, and their common people are parched with thirst.

e. Septuagint: Therefore my people have been taken captive, because they know not the Lord: and there has been a multitude of dead [bodies], because of hunger and of thirst for water.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings:  Therefore my people is being exiled because of ignorance; its honored ones dying of starvation, and its multitude parched from thirst.

1. “Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge…”

a. my people [5971 * ‘am] [Strong:  from 6004; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock:--folk, men, nation, people.]

b. are gone into captivity [1540 * galah] [Strong:  a primitive root; to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense); by implication, to exile (captives being usually stripped); figuratively, to reveal:--+ advertise, appear, bewray, bring, (carry, lead, go) captive (into captivity), depart, disclose, discover, exile, be gone, open, X plainly, publish, remove, reveal, X shamelessly, shew, X surely, tell, uncover.]

c. because they have no knowledge [1847 * da’ath] [Strong: from 3045; knowledge:--cunning, (ig-)norantly, know(-ledge), (un-)awares (wittingly).]

1). A lack of the knowledge of God will lead a person into captivity, into bondage of some sort. Not acknowledging God in life will lead to a mind that can’t make godly decisions, but will instead make decisions that God rejects.

a). Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.

a). reprobate (96 * adokimos; a-without; dokimos-acceptable) Unapproved, unworthy, spurious, worthless,…meaning undiscerning, not distinguishing, void of judgment…a reprobate abominable mind, a mind to be abhorred by God and man.

c). [New Living Translation] Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.

2). Rejecting the knowledge of God will result in destruction.

a). Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

3). Rejecting the knowledge of God will result in an embracing of Canaanite behaviors.

a). 2 Kings 17:15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerni9ng whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

b). When the knowledge of God is rejected by an individual or a nation, the void produced by the vacancy will be filled by Canaanite behaviors. This is the explanation of America embracing the Canaanite behaviors of abortion/child sacrifice; homosexuality; homosexual marriage; tattooing; piercing; and fascination with the occult: zombies, vampires, werewolves.

2. “…and their honourable men are famished…”

a. their honorable [3915 * kabowd; rarely kabod] [Strong: from 3513; properly, weight, but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousness:--glorious(-ly), glory, honour(-able).]

b. men [4962 * math] [Strong: from the same as 4970; properly, an adult (as of full length); by implication, a man (only in the plural):--+ few, X friends, men, persons, X small.]

c. are famished [7458 * ra’ab][Strong: --dearth, famine, + famished, hunger.]

1). Interestingly, this is the same Hebrew word used in Amos when God is describing a famine coming upon Israel because of their sin. The quickest way to cause your people to starve to death and dry up spiritually is quit teaching the word of God.

a). Amose 8:11-14 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

8:12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

8:13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

8:14 They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.

3. “…and their multitude dried up with thirst.”

a. and their multitude [1995 * hamown; or hamon] [Strong: from 1993; a noise, tumult, crowd; also disquietude, wealth:--abundance, company, many, multitude, multiply, noise, riches, rumbling, sounding, store, tumult.]

b. dried up [6704 * tsicheh] [Strong: from an unused root meaning to glow; parched:--dried up.]

c. with thirst [6772 * tsama' tsaw-maw' from 6770; thirst (literally or figuratively):--thirst(-y).]

1). God’s word has the solution for spiritual hunger and thirst. The solution is in Christ Jesus.

a). Isaiah 55:1, 2 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

55:2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which satifieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

b). John 4:13, 14 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

2). Looking at the whole passage we can see that alcohol coupled with secular popular music that ignores the worship of God will lead to captivity.