What is the meaning of Isaiah 59:5? They hatch the eggs of vipers “They hatch the eggs of vipers…” (Isaiah 59:5a). • The people are pictured as deliberately nurturing what is poisonous. Psalm 58:4-5 compares the wicked to snakes with “venom like a serpent.” • Viper eggs look harmless, but inside lies death; small, hidden sins operate the same way (James 1:14-15). • Jesus later calls unrepentant leaders a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7; 23:33), showing the ongoing relevance of Isaiah’s warning. • Evil conceived in the heart inevitably seeks to hatch (Psalm 7:14). and weave a spider’s web “…and weave a spider’s web.” (Isaiah 59:5b). • A spider’s web is beautiful yet deadly; the wicked spin fragile but effective traps of deceit (Job 8:14). • These threads ensnare both victim and maker (Proverbs 5:22). • A web cannot serve as true covering—good works cannot cover sin (Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:8-9). Whoever eats their eggs will die “Whoever eats their eggs will die…” (Isaiah 59:5c). • Contact with sin’s product brings certain death (Romans 6:23). • Ezekiel 18:4 stresses individual accountability: “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” • Consuming lies and injustice poisons the consumer (1 Corinthians 15:33). crack one open, and a viper is hatched “…crack one open, and a viper is hatched.” (Isaiah 59:5d). • Even examining the egg releases living danger; sin reproduces itself the moment it is opened (Galatians 6:8). • Hosea 10:13 shows the same principle: sow iniquity, reap injustice. • Sin is self-propagating and more active than anticipated; it must be destroyed, not merely probed. summary Isaiah 59:5 paints a vivid, literal picture: sinful people deliberately foster deadly evil, spin deceptive schemes, and spread harm that leads to death for themselves and others. Sin cannot be handled safely or covered by human effort; it must be confessed and forsaken. Only God’s righteous intervention—fulfilled in Christ’s atoning work (Isaiah 53:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21)—breaks the cycle and brings life. |
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