Isaiah 28:15 Meaning: The Lies We Hide

“Because you have said, ‘We have made a covenant with death, and we are in agreement with Sheol. When the overflowing scourge passes through, it won’t come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and we have hidden ourselves under falsehood.’”

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Meaning in one sentence

What does it mean to 'make a covenant with death'? This verse exposes the false security of trusting in anything but God.

Isaiah Old Testament Hebrew

Context

Isaiah is speaking to the rulers of Jerusalem, men he calls scoffers. The year is around 725 BC, and the Assyrian army is threatening the region. Instead of trusting God, these leaders have made political deals, probably with Egypt, and they think those deals will save them. They mock Isaiah's warnings. In this verse, God quotes what they are really saying in their hearts. They are not just making a political alliance; they are building their whole life on a lie, and they believe it will protect them from judgment. Isaiah uses shocking imagery to show how foolish that confidence is.

Key Words

Three Hebrew words stand out here. The first is berith, often translated “covenant.” Cutting a covenant was a solemn act: an animal was split in two, and the parties walked between the halves, sealing the promise with blood. These leaders claim they have cut such a covenant with death itself, as if the grave had made them a promise. The second word is she'ol, the place of the dead, the dark underworld from which no one returns. To say they have an agreement with Sheol is to claim they have outsmarted the one power no human can bargain with. The third set of words is kazav (falsehood) and sheqer (deception). These are not just white lies; they are the kind of deceit that betrays and disappoints. The leaders have made lies their hiding place. The irony is thick: they shelter in what cannot hold, and they think it will stand.

How Christians Read This Verse

Commentators across traditions read this verse as a vivid picture of arrogant self-deception. John Calvin described it as the leaders throwing off all fear of God and becoming bolder in sin, as if they had a free pass. Matthew Henry noted that they spoke this way “in their hearts,” even if not in so many words. The Cambridge Bible sees the passage as a summary of an independent warning against scoffing. Some focus on the political context, the alliance with Egypt, while others emphasize the spiritual danger of trusting in any refuge other than God. All agree that the covenant with death is a metaphor for the kind of confidence that ignores God's truth.

A common misunderstanding

Some readers think the leaders of Jerusalem literally made a pact with Satan or death itself. In fact, they never spoke these words aloud. The prophet is naming the true meaning of their actions. Their confidence in political alliances and deceptive policies was so deep that it was as if they had made a deal with the grave. The verse is not about occult practices; it is about the ordinary human habit of trusting in lies instead of God.

Living This Out

You may never say, “I have made a covenant with death.” But you have ways of hiding. You cover a mistake at work and hope no one finds out. You rely on a financial plan that feels solid, and you push aside the thought that it could collapse. You tell yourself that if you can just manage things well enough, God won't need to intervene. That is the same false refuge. This week, ask the Spirit to show you one place where you are hiding in a lie, a small one, a comfortable one. Then name it. Let God be your real shelter instead.

Main takeaway: No human scheme, no matter how clever, can protect you from the consequences of trusting in anything but God.

For Families

For ages 5, 8

Some people thought they could hide from God by telling lies. But God sees everything. He wants us to trust Him, not hide.

For ages 9, 12

The leaders in Jerusalem thought they were clever. They made secret deals and told themselves they were safe. But they were building their safety on lies, like building a fort on a sandy beach. When the wave came, everything fell. God calls us to build our life on what is true: His promises, not our own schemes.

Questions People Ask

Who is speaking in Isaiah 28:15?

God is speaking through the prophet Isaiah. He quotes what the rulers of Jerusalem are saying in their hearts, even if they never said it out loud. The verse begins with 'Because you have said,' meaning their actions and attitudes spoke louder than words.

What does 'covenant with death' mean?

It is a metaphor for thinking you are completely safe from judgment and disaster. The leaders believed their political alliances and deceptive practices would protect them, as if they had made a binding agreement with death itself not to touch them. It is not a literal pact but a picture of arrogant self-confidence.

What is the 'overflowing scourge'?

The 'overflowing scourge' is a mixed metaphor that refers to the coming judgment, likely the Assyrian army invading like a flood. In verse 18, God says this same scourge will trample them because their false covenant with death cannot stand.

How does this verse connect to the cornerstone in verse 16?

Verse 15 exposes the false refuge of lies, and verse 16 offers the true refuge: a sure foundation stone in Zion. Many Christians see this stone as pointing to Christ. The contrast is clear: either trust in lies that will be swept away, or trust in God's tested cornerstone that will never fail.

Did the leaders really think they had made a deal with Sheol?

No. They did not believe they had literally negotiated with the place of the dead. Isaiah uses extreme language to expose how foolish their security really was. They trusted in political alliances and lies, and the prophet calls that what it is: an imaginary agreement with death.

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