Isaiah 65:4

4 They sat among the graves and spent their nights in caves. They ate pork and in their pots made broth from unclean foods.

Isaiah 65:4 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 65:4

Which remain among the graves
In order to practise necromancy, to consult the dead, where they imagined demons and departed spirits haunted, and of whom they fancied they might get knowledge of future things: and lodge in the monuments:
whole nights for the same purposes. The Vulgate Latin version is, "that sleep in the temples of idols"; after the manner of the Heathens, who used to sleep there in order to obtain dreams, whereby they might be able to foretell things to come, as they did in the temple of Aesculapius; or, "in desolate places" ^F11, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it; where they expected to meet with demons and noxious spirits, to give them knowledge of things to come. The Targum paraphrases both clauses thus,

``who dwell in houses built of the dust of graves, and lodge with the corpse of the children of men;''

so corpse, according to Jarchi, are expressed by this word, which signifies "kept", or "preserved" ^F12, as in ( Isaiah 49:6 ) , because they are put in a strait place, from whence they cannot get out; though some think idols are meant, called so by way of derision, because kept for fear of being stolen, or because they cannot keep themselves, nor their votaries: which eat swine's flesh;
forbidden by the law, ( Leviticus 11:7 ) : and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
or "pots": broth made of swine's flesh, and of other sorts of flesh which were unclean by the law. Our version follows the marginal ^F13 reading; as do the Targum, Aben Ezra, Jarchi, and Kimchi; but the written text is, "a fragment" ^F14, or piece, or pieces, of abominable things; both may be retained in the sense of the passage; slices of flesh unclean, and so abominable by the law, were put into their pots and stewed, and made broth of, which they drank. Spencer ^F15 thinks the milk in which kids were boiled is meant, which the Zabians kept in vessels, and sprinkled on the trees in their gardens, to make them more fruitful; hence mention is made of idolatrous practices in gardens, in the preceding verse.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 "In desertis locis", Munster, Pagninus.
F12 (Myrwunb) "apud custodita", Junius & Tremellius; "custoditos", Piscator.
F13 (qrm) "jusculum".
F14 (qrp) "fragmentum".
F15 De Legibus Hebr. I. 2. c. 8. sect. 2. p. 275.

Isaiah 65:4 In-Context

2 I stretched out my hands all day long to stubborn people. They chose to go the wrong direction. They followed their own plans.

3 These people constantly and openly provoked me. They offered sacrifices in gardens and burnt incense on brick altars.

4 They sat among the graves and spent their nights in caves. They ate pork and in their pots made broth from unclean foods.

5 They said, "Stay away! Don't touch me! I'm holier than you are." They have become like smoke in my nose, like a smoldering fire all day long.

6 "Look! It is written in front of me. I will not be silent, but I will repay. I will repay you in full.