Isaiah 1:16

Isaiah 1:16

Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

a. NLT: Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.

b. NIV: Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong.

c. YLT: Wash ye, make ye pure, Turn aside the evil of your doings, from before Mine eyes, Cease to do evil, learn to do good.

d. Amplified Bible: Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes! Cease to do evil,

e. Septuagint: Wash you, be clean; remove your iniquities from your souls before mine eyes; cease from your iniquities; 

f. Stone Edition Torah/Writings/Prophets: Wash yourselves, purify yourselves, remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes; cease doing evil.

1. “Wash you, make you clean…”

a. wash [7364 * rachats][Strong: to lave (the whole or a part of a thing):--bathe (self), wash (self).]

b. make you clean [2135 * zakah][Strong: to be translucent; figuratively, to be innocent:--be (make) clean, cleanse, be clear, count pure.]

1). Although it is God who does the cleaning and the washing, those processes will not occur unless we obey his commands and exhortations to cease doing those sins, those behaviors which make us filthy. I can’t get clean while at the time I am being washed I am engaging in the behavior that is filth. Hence, because our obedience is necessary, this wording is repeated in Scripture of me being a part of this cleansing.

a). Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

b). Psalm 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

c). Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

2. “…put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes…”

a. put away [5493 * cuwr] [Strong: a primitive root; to turn off (literal or figurative):--be(-head), bring, call back, decline, depart, eschew, get (you), go (aside), X grievous, lay away (by), leave undone, be past, pluck away, put (away, down), rebel, remove (to and fro), revolt, X be sour, take (away, off), turn (aside, away, in), withdraw, be without.]

b. the evil [7455 * roa’] [Strong:  from 7489; badness (as marring), physically or morally:--X be so bad, badness, (X be so) evil, naughtiness, sadness, sorrow, wickedness.]

c. of your doings [4611 * ma’alal] [Strong: from 5993; an act (good or bad):--doing, endeavour, invention, work.]

d. from before [5048 * neged] [Strong: from 5046; a front, i.e. part opposite; specifically a counterpart, or mate; usually (adverbial, especially with preposition) over against or before:--about, (over) against, X aloof, X far (off), X from, over, presence, X other side, sight, X to view.]

e. mine eyes [5869 * ‘ayin] [Strong: probably a primitive word; an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape):--affliction, outward appearance, + before, + think best, colour, conceit, + be content, countenance, + displease, eye((-brow), (-d), -sight), face, + favour, fountain, furrow (from the margin), X him, + humble, knowledge, look, (+ well), X me, open(-ly), + (not) please, presence, + regard, resemblance, sight, X thee, X them, + think, X us, well, X you(-rselves).]

f. cease [2308 * chadal] [Strong: a primitive root; properly, to be flabby, i.e. (by implication) desist; (figuratively) be lacking or idle:--cease, end, fall, forbear, forsake, leave (off), let alone, rest, be unoccupied, want.

g. to do evil [7489 * ra’a’] [Strong: a primitive root; properly, to spoil (literally, by breaking to pieces); figuratively, to make (or be) good for nothing, i.e. bad (physically, socially or morally):--afflict, associate selves (by mistake for7462), break (down, in pieces), + displease, (be, bring, do) evil (doer, entreat, man), show self friendly (by mistake for 7462), do harm, (do) hurt, (behave self, deal) ill, X indeed, do mischief, punish, still, vex, (do) wicked (doer, -ly), be (deal, do) worse.]