Isaiah 28:15 · Bible study
Isaiah 28:15 Commentary: The Covenant with Death and False Security
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah 28:15 exposes the folly of trusting political alliances and lies over God. Explore its meaning, historical context, and pastoral application.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A rebuke of those who trust in false security, claiming immunity from God’s judgment through lies or alliances.
- Key words: covenant with death, lies, falsehood, refuge, overflowing scourge (Hebrew karat berit, chozeh, kazav, sheqer).
- Main debate: Whether the metaphor refers primarily to a political treaty (with Egypt/Assyria) or to a spiritual attitude of defiant self-security.
- Theological theme: False security versus trust in God’s sure foundation (the cornerstone of v16).
- Best use: Teaching on the danger of self-deception and reliance on human schemes; connecting to Christ as the true cornerstone.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
For you said, “We have made a covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol. When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us, because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
“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.’”
KJV King James Version 1769
Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Because ye have said: `We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a provision, An overflowing scourge, when it passeth over, Doth not meet us, Though we have made a lie our refuge, And in falsehood have been hidden.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol have we made an agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For you have said: We have entered into a league with death, and we have made a covenant with hell. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come upon us: for we have placed our hope in lies, and by falsehood we are protected.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque habéis dicho: Concierto tenemos hecho con la muerte, é hicimos acuerdo con la sepultura; cuando pasare el turbión del azote|strong="H7752, H7885", no llegará á nosotros, pues que hemos puesto nuestra acogida en la mentira, y en la falsedad nos esconderemos:
Pois dizeis: Fizemos um pacto com a morte, e com o mundo dos mortos fizemos um contrato: quando passar a abundância de açoites, não chegará a nós; pois pusemos a mentira como nosso refúgio, e abaixo da falsidade nos escondemos.
Vous dites: Nous avons fait une alliance avec la mort,
Denn ihr sprecht: Wir haben mit dem Tod einen Bund und mit der Hölle einen Vertag gemacht; wenn eine Flut dahergeht, wird sie uns nicht treffen; denn wir haben die Lüge zu unsrer Zuflucht und Heuchelei zu unserm Schirm gemacht.
Omdat gijlieden zegt: Wij hebben een verbond met den dood gemaakt, en met de hel hebben wij een voorzichtig verdrag gemaakt; wanneer de overvloeiende gesel doortrekken zal, zal hij tot ons niet komen; want wij hebben de leugen ons tot een toevlucht gesteld, en onder de valsheid hebben wij ons verborgen.
Voi dite: “Noi abbiamo fatto alleanza con la morte, abbiam fermato un patto col soggiorno de’ morti; quando l’inondante flagello passerà, non giungerà fino a noi, perché abbiam fatto della menzogna il nostro rifugio e ci siamo messi al sicuro dietro la frode”.
Dlatego, że mówicie: Uczyniliśmy przymierze z śmiercią, i z piekłem mamy porozumienie, bicz gwałtowny nas nie dojdzie, gdy przechodzić będzie; bośmy położyli kłamstwo za ucieczkę swoję, a pod fałszem utailiśmy się;
Так как вы говорите: "мы заключили союз со смертью и с преисподнею сделали договор: когда всепоражающий бич будет проходить, он не дойдет до нас, - потому что ложь сделали мы убежищем для себя, и обманом прикроем себя".
你們曾說：我們與 死亡 立 約，與 陰間 結 盟；敵軍（原文是鞭子）如水漲漫 經過的時候，必不 臨到我們；因 我們以 謊言 為避所，在虛假 以下藏身。
Because you have said, We have made death our friend, and with the underworld we have made an agreement; when the overflowing waters come through they will not come near us; for we are looking to false words for help, taking cover in what is untrue:
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 28:15
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Isaiah 28:15 does not record a literal statement by Jerusalem’s rulers. Instead the prophet exposes the hidden attitude behind their conduct. John Calvin and Adam Clarke both note that the rulers said this ‘in their hearts’, their actions showed a reckless confidence that no judgment could touch them. The figure of a covenant with death draws on the ancient ritual of cutting a covenant victim; Clarke describes how the sacrifice was divided and the parties passed between the pieces. By claiming to be ‘in agreement’ with Sheol, the leaders boasted they had neutralised death and the grave. Matthew Henry writes that they set God’s judgments at defiance.
At the same time, the verse makes clear what their actual refuge was: lies and falsehood. Albert Barnes explains that the reference is to their trust in false doctrines, political trickery, or deceptive alliances. Keil and Delitzsch add that the phrase ‘overflowing scourge’ blends the images of a whip and a flood to picture God’s coming judgment as both violent and inescapable. The commentators agree that this verse condemns the arrogant self-deception of those who think they can escape God’s justice by relying on anything except God himself.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Political alliance with Egypt: Context of Hezekiah’s reign and Isaiah’s warnings against relying on Egypt (Isaiah 30–31).
- Spiritual defiance and self-deception: The language of ‘lies’ and ‘falsehood’ points to internal deception, not just foreign policy.
- Trust in false prophets: Earlier in chapter 28, priest and prophet are drunk (v7); the people may have believed their promises of peace.
What is clear: The verse condemns placing ultimate trust in anything other than God, and it warns that such security will collapse under God’s judgment.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the covenant with death | It is a metaphorical description of false security, not a literal pact with the underworld. | Some see it as a specific political treaty with Egypt or Assyria (supported by the historical context of Hezekiah’s reign). Others view it as a general attitude of defiance and self-assurance, not tied to a single alliance. |
| Identity of the overflowing scourge | It represents God’s coming judgment, pictured as both a whip and a flood. | The details are disputed: some identify it with the Assyrian army invading Judah; others see a broader reference to any divine judgment that sweeps away false hopes. |
| Meaning of lies and falsehood as refuge | The leaders placed their trust in something deceitful rather than in God. | Interpreters differ on what constitutes the ‘lies’: false prophecies of peace (from corrupt prophets), diplomatic deception, trust in idols, or self-delusion about their own righteousness. |
| Historical referent of the verse | The passage addresses the rulers of Jerusalem during a time of Assyrian threat. | Whether the primary background is Hezekiah’s pro-Egyptian policy or a broader pattern of rebellious confidence that culminated in the Babylonian exile. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 28 is a chapter of woe and warning. After judgment against Ephraim (v1, 4), the prophet turns to the ‘scornful men’ who rule in Jerusalem (v14). These were likely the political leaders during Hezekiah’s reign, when the Assyrian empire threatened Judah. Facing invasion, they sought safety through diplomacy and military alliances, especially with Egypt (see Isaiah 30, 31). The ‘overflowing scourge’ echoes earlier language in Isaiah 8:7, 8, where the Assyrian army is described as a flood sweeping into Judah.
The ritual language of ‘cutting a covenant’ (Hebrew karat berit) refers to the ancient practice of killing an animal and dividing it, with the parties walking between the halves to seal the agreement. Adam Clarke describes this vividly: the victim was split exactly down the middle, and the contracting parties met in the centre. By saying they had made a covenant with death and an agreement with Sheol, the rulers were parodying God’s covenant with Israel. They thought they had struck a deal that would protect them no matter what.
The word for ‘agreement’ here, chozeh, literally means ‘seer’ or ‘vision’, a pointed contrast with the true prophetic visions that Isaiah brought. These leaders had their own ‘vision’ of security, but it was a lie. The surrounding verses (16, 19) show God’s response: he lays a sure cornerstone in Zion, and he will sweep away the refuge of lies. The historical crisis thus becomes a theological test: will God’s people trust in treaties and falsehoods, or in the foundation God himself provides?
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note one significant text-critical issue. In verse 15 the word for ‘scourge’ appears as šayit (Kethib) meaning ‘oar’, but the K’ri reads šoṭ meaning ‘scourge’, the reading followed by nearly all modern translations. Lange’s commentary points out that the K’ri preserves the assonance with šoṭēp (‘overflowing’) and fits the context of judgment. The verb ya‘avor (‘it will pass through’) is perfect in form but may function as a futurum exactum, indicating certainty. No other significant variants are reported by the supplied sources. The textual tradition supports the meaning of a violent, sweeping judgment.
Reception History
Isaiah 28:15 has consistently been read across Christian history as a warning against presumption and false security. Early church writers saw it as a critique of those who rely on human wisdom rather than God’s revelation. During the Reformation, John Calvin and other Reformed commentators highlighted the rulers’ ‘carnal confidence’, trusting in political alliances or personal cunning to escape God’s judgment. Matthew Henry and John Wesley applied the verse to any who mock divine warnings and think themselves safe. In devotional use, the verse is often paired with verse 16 (the cornerstone) to contrast false security with faith in Christ. The image of a ‘covenant with death’ has also appeared in hymns and sermons about the futility of bargaining with fate. Across traditions, the passage has been treasured as a sobering call to abandon every refuge except God himself.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The false claim: a covenant with death. The leaders profess immunity from judgment, as if they had negotiated with the grave.
- The false refuge: lies and falsehood. Their security is built on deception, bad diplomacy, false prophecies, or self-delusion.
- The true foundation: God’s cornerstone (v16). The answer to false security is faith in what God establishes.
Five-point outline
- The arrogance of impunity: the leaders say judgment ‘won’t come to us.’
- The deal with death: covenant language misused to claim safety from God’s threats.
- The refuge of lies: everything they trust is a deception.
- The coming scourge: God’s judgment will overflow and strike.
- The call to believe: only trust in God’s cornerstone stands secure.
Illustration hooks
- A business owner who ignores legal warnings because her accountant promises a ‘sure thing’ loophole.
- A nation that stakes its safety on military might or diplomatic deals, while dismissing moral and spiritual warning signs.
- A person who hides behind a repeated falsehood, hoping it will shield them from consequences that are already visible.
Questions your congregation is asking
- What does it look like to make a ‘covenant with death’ in everyday life, are there ways I assume I am immune to consequences?
- How do I tell the difference between wise planning and false security?
- What lies am I tempted to use as a hiding place when I fear God’s judgment?
Leading a Discussion
This verse confronts the human tendency to assume we are safe from consequences. The leaders of Jerusalem thought they had outsmarted God. But their refuge was built on lies. As you read the passage together, consider how the same pattern shows up in our own hearts.
Discussion questions
- What exactly do the rulers say they have done? What does each phrase, ‘covenant with death,’ ‘agreement with Sheol,’ ‘lies our refuge’, reveal about their mindset?
- The commentators say these words were not spoken out loud but reflected their actions. What clues in the context suggest this interpretation?
- Why does God call their security a lie? What makes the refuge of falsehood so dangerous, even if it feels safe for a time?
- How does this verse connect to the cornerstone in verse 16? In what ways is trust in God’s foundation the opposite of a covenant with death?
- Where in your own life do you feel tempted to build a refuge of lies, things like white lies, self-deception, or trusting in human schemes instead of God?
- What would it look like to ‘make haste’ (v16) in a way that actually trusts God, rather than scrambling for false security?
- The chapter ends with a warning not to be mockers (v22). How can we take God’s warnings seriously without falling into fear or cynicism?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 5:23 | For you will be allied with the stones of the field. The animals of the field will be at peace with you. |
| Job 15:25 | Because he has stretched out his hand against God, and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty, |
| Job 15:27 | because he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat on his thighs. |
| Ecclesiastes 8:8 | There is no man who has power over the spirit to contain the spirit; neither does he have power over the day of death. There is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver those who practice it. |
| Isaiah 5:18 | Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, and wickedness as with cart rope, |
| Isaiah 5:19 | who say, “Let him make haste, let him hasten his work, that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it!” |
| Isaiah 8:7 | now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the mighty flood waters of the River: the king of Assyria and all his glory. It will come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks. |
| Isaiah 8:8 | It will sweep onward into Judah. It will overflow and pass through. It will reach even to the neck. The stretching out of its wings will fill the width of your land, O Immanuel. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke treats the phrase as an ancient idiom meaning complete security from harm, not a literal pact. He draws a striking parallel from the Roman poet Lucan, describing a North African tribe immune to snake venom as having a "truce with death." He then unpacks the Hebrew ritual of cutting a covenant victim in two.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes explains that the people had not literally said these words, but their conduct displayed a foolish confidence as if they had bargained with death and hell to leave them untouched. He calls this a bold picture of their spiritual stupidity, living unafraid of judgment.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that the prophet exposes the inner attitude of these scorners, not their actual words. They would never openly boast of making lies their refuge or a pact with death, but their reckless defiance and contempt for God's warnings prove they have done exactly that.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentator reads the verse as a warning addressed to scoffing opponents, stressing that their mockery leads to a self-made disaster. The passage likely stands as a separate summary with its own integrity while still linking to the surrounding argument, and its proverb captures the unbearable situation the politicians are bringing on themselves and their nation.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Because ye haue said, We haue made a couenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement: though a scourge runne ouer, and passe through, it shall not come at vs: for we haue made falshood our refuge, and vnder vanitie are we hid,
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill interprets the covenant with death as the Jewish rulers' political alliance with Rome, which gave them a false sense of security. He applies the "lies" and "falsehood" to any trust in false prophets, idols, carnal policy, or even outward religious acts that people rely on instead of God to escape judgment.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights that the people's confidence was unspoken yet acted out in their conduct toward Assyria. Their supposed covenant gave them false security, so Isaiah applies the language of a covenant with death to all who are spiritually lulled. The coming Assyrian army is the overwhelming flood that will expose their empty words.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stresses that the promise of a foundation stone in Zion is actually a threat to Jerusalem's rulers. What sounds like hope becomes a danger because it offers safety only to those who believe, while unbelievers will be crushed by it. The cornerstone is the Messiah, not Hezekiah, and faith alone determines the outcome.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange identifies the cornerstone in Zion not as a place or ruler but as the personal Logos, the Messiah himself. He notes the stone is both tested and testing: it provides firm footing for faith but also exposes every refuge built on lies. Believers who hold fast to it will not flee in panic.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry's main point is that mocking God's judgments is as serious an offense as mocking His word. Those who trust in false agreements and earthly refuges are defying the very God who will sweep away every refuge, leaving only the sure foundation He Himself lays in Zion.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley draws attention to the self-deception of those who trust they are safe by making a secret covenant with death. They imagine themselves immune to judgment, yet their only real security comes from lying and concealing their true state.