Isaiah 59:12 · Bible study
Isaiah 59:12 Commentary: Confession of Sin as the Path to Deliverance
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
A study of Isaiah 59:12: the people's honest confession that their sins are present and known, preparing the way for God's saving intervention.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The people confess that their sins are numerous, witnessed by God, and fully known to them.
- Key words: Transgressions (pesha'), multiplied (ravav), testify (anah), with us (et), know (yada).
- Main debate: Minimal, whether the confession represents genuine repentance or merely extorted admission; most see it as genuine.
- Theological theme: Honest admission of sin is prerequisite for divine intervention.
- Best use: As a model for corporate confession and as preparation for hearing of God’s salvation.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. Our transgressions are indeed with us, and we know our iniquities:
WEB World English Bible 2000
For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them:
KJV King James Version 1769
For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them:
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
For our transgressions have been multiplied before Thee, And our sins have testified against us, For our transgressions are with us, And our iniquities--we have known them.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us; and our iniquities, we know them:
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For our iniquities are multiplied before thee, and our sins have testified against us: for our wicked doings are with us, and have known our iniquities:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque nuestras rebeliones se han multiplicado delante de ti, y nuestros pecados han atestiguado contra nosotros: porque con nosotros están nuestras iniquidades, y conocemos nuestros pecados:
Pois nossas transgressões se multiplicaram diante de ti, e nossos pecados dão testemunho contra nós; pois nossas transgressões estão conosco, e conhecemos nossas perversidades,
Car nos transgressions sont nombreuses devant toi,
Denn unsere Übertretungen vor dir sind zu viel, und unsre Sünden antworten wider uns. Denn unsre Übertretungen sind bei uns und wir fühlen unsere Sünden:
Want onze overtredingen zijn vele voor U, en onze zonden getuigen tegen ons; want onze overtredingen zijn bij ons, en onze ongerechtigheden kennen wij;
Poiché le nostre trasgressioni si son moltiplicate dinanzi a te, e i nostri peccati testimoniano contro di noi; sì, le nostre trasgressioni ci sono presenti, e le nostre iniquità, le conosciamo.
Bo się rozmnożyły przestępstwa nasze przed tobą, a grzechy nasze świadczą przeciwko nam, ponieważ nieprawości nasze są przy nas, i złości nasze uznajemy;
Ибо преступления наши многочисленны пред Тобою, и грехи наши свидетельствуют против нас; ибо преступления наши с нами, и беззакония наши мы знаем.
我們的過犯 在你面前 增多，罪惡 作見證 告我們； 過犯 與我們同在。至於我們的罪孽，我們都知道：
For our evil doings are increased before you, and our sins give witness against us: for our evil doings are with us, and we have knowledge of our sins:
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 59:12
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 this verse is a communal confession of sin, spoken either by the prophet as leader of prayer (Keil and Delitzsch) or by the people themselves (Matthew Henry). The confession is the hinge in the chapter: the lament of verses 9, 11 turns from complaint to honest admission. Barnes notes that the phrase 'our sins testify against us' uses the Hebrew anah, sins become witnesses in court. Gill adds that both God and the conscience serve as witnesses; there is no denying the facts. The statement 'our transgressions are with us' means the people are conscious of them, as the Cambridge Bible explains with reference to Psalm 51:3. 'We know our iniquities' indicates acknowledgment and confession (Wesley). This act of taking responsibility prepares the way for the divine intervention that follows: when God sees no intercessor, His own arm brings salvation (v.16). The verse thus models the kind of truth-telling that opens the door to redemption.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The people openly confess that their sins are numerous, visible to God, and fully acknowledged.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Genuineness of the confession | The confession is sincere and necessary; it represents the community's honest acknowledgment of sin. | Matthew Henry notes that the confession was 'extorted' by circumstances, but most commentators see it as a genuine step of repentance. |
| Speaker of the confession | The confession is uttered on behalf of the penitent community. | Keil and Delitzsch view the prophet as the leader of prayer speaking for the people; Matthew Henry suggests the people speak directly to God. |
| Function of confession in the chapter | The confession prepares the way for God's saving intervention in verses 16, 21. | Some see the confession as triggering God's response; others see it as simply clearing the ground for grace already on its way. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 59 belongs to the section often called Third Isaiah (chs. 56, 66), addressed to a community that has returned from exile but still experiences disappointment. The people expected immediate restoration but found justice far off (v.9). Verses 9, 11 describe a people groping in darkness, roaring like bears, mourning like doves. This lament follows a pattern found in other post-exilic penitential prayers: Ezra 9, Nehemiah 9, Daniel 9. In those prayers, the community confesses that their suffering is deserved because of accumulated sin. Isaiah 59:12 mirrors this pattern.
The confession names specific sins in v.13: transgression, lying against Yahweh, turning away, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lies. This is not a vague admission but a concrete catalog of failures. The phrase 'before you' (neged) emphasizes that sin is committed in God's presence, not hidden. As Ezra 9:6 declares, 'Our iniquities have increased over our head.' The confession is corporate: 'our transgressions, our sins, our iniquities.' This collective ownership stops the blame shift. The people say: we are the problem. And precisely because they finally tell the truth, God acts. In vv.15b, 21, God puts on righteousness as armor and comes to deliver. So the historical context of a community that has tried religious observance (ch.58) but still feels far from God now finds the way back through honest confession.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for Isaiah 59:12. The Hebrew text is consistent across major manuscripts, and the translations agree closely in meaning.
Reception History
This verse has been used in Jewish penitential liturgy, particularly in the Yom Kippur confession known as Viddui. The pattern of multiplying terms for sin is echoed in the Ashamnu prayer. In Christian tradition, the verse has been read during Lent as a model of corporate confession. It reminds hearers that hiding sin only prolongs darkness; acknowledging it before God clears the path for grace. Many historic commentaries use it to teach that true repentance begins with facing the facts.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Our Sins Are Multiplied Before God. They accumulate in His sight, and we cannot hide them (v.12a; cf. Ezra 9:6).
- Our Sins Testify Against Us. Like witnesses in court, they answer against us, leaving no defense (v.12b; cf. Isaiah 3:9).
- Our Sins Are Present and Known. We cannot plead ignorance; we acknowledge them fully (v.12c, d; cf. Psalm 51:3).
Five-point outline
- Confession Begins With “Our.” Corporate ownership of sin, the whole community stands before God.
- Sin Is Multiplied, Not Isolated. One transgression leads to another, a pattern visible in the chapter.
- Sins Testify as Witnesses in Court. They speak against us with undeniable clarity.
- Transgressions Are “With Us.” The burden of guilt rests on the conscience, unforgiven until confessed.
- We Know Our Iniquities. Acknowledgment is the first step toward forgiveness and restoration.
Illustration hooks
- A courtroom scene where the accused finally stops making excuses and admits the evidence is true.
- A person who has hidden a mistake for years and feels its weight every day, until they speak it out loud.
- A group of friends who stop blaming circumstances and start saying, “We were wrong.”
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do I know if my confession is genuine enough for God to forgive?
- Why does the Bible spend so much time listing sins instead of just promising grace?
- What do we do when we confess but still feel darkness in our lives?
Leading a Discussion
This verse shows a community telling the truth about themselves. In a world that often justifies itself, honest confession opens the door to God's help. Take time to let the weight of the words sink in before moving to application.
Discussion questions
- What words does the verse use for sin? (transgressions, sins, iniquities) What different nuances do they carry?
- What does it mean that sins “testify against us”? Compare with Isaiah 3:9.
- Why does the verse repeat “our transgressions” twice?
- How does this confession compare to the ones in Ezra 9 and Nehemiah 9?
- What do you think the community felt as they said these words?
- How does admitting “we know them” change the situation before God?
- What would it look like for your small group to make a confession like this together?
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)
| Ezra 9:6 | and I said, “My God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have increased over our head, and our guiltiness has grown up to the heavens. |
| Ezra 9:13 | “After all that has come on us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such a remnant, |
| Nehemiah 9:33 | However you are just in all that has come on us; for you have dealt truly, but we have done wickedly. |
| Isaiah 1:4 | Ah sinful nation, a people loaded with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken Yahweh. They have despised the Holy One of Israel. They are estranged and backward. |
| Isaiah 3:9 | The look of their faces testify against them. They parade their sin like Sodom. They don’t hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought disaster upon themselves. |
| Jeremiah 3:2 | “Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been lain with? You have sat waiting for them by the road, as an Arabian in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and with your wickedness. |
| Jeremiah 5:3 | O Yahweh, don’t your eyes look on truth? You have stricken them, but they were not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than a rock. They have refused to return. |
| Jeremiah 5:9 | Shouldn’t I punish them for these things?” says Yahweh. “Shouldn’t my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? |
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
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes focuses on the Hebrew phrase "answer against us," meaning the people's sins speak as witnesses in court against them. Their past depravity is so undeniable that they themselves must acknowledge it; they cannot pretend otherwise.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator observes that sins are not just past failures but remain persistently present, testifying against us and staying with us in our conscience. This ongoing, active reality of sin is drawn from parallels in Jeremiah, Job, and Psalm 51.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
For our trespasses are many before thee, and our sinnes testifie against vs: for our trespasses are with vs, and we knowe our iniquities
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill develops a courtroom image: our sins are witnesses who testify against us before God. They are not hidden or forgotten, but openly accuse us, and our own consciences confirm every charge. We cannot deny what we know and must confess our guilt.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights a deliberate contrast between thee and us in the original. For this commentator, the phrase "their iniquities are with us" means we are fully conscious of them. To "know" here is to acknowledge them as our own sins.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch observes that the prophet leads the people's confession using a specific poetic form marked by recurring rhymes
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that in this passage Israel speaks for itself, not through the prophet. The people genuinely confess that their suffering comes from their own sins, not from God's injustice. He distinguishes between Israel's absolute right to God's promises and the temporary but deserved withdrawal of that right because of their sin.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees these verses as the people’s own confession, not just a prophet’s warning. They are acknowledging that sin is the real troublemaker, keeping good away and bringing evil, and that God is just to treat them as they have treated Him. Their words are a forced but honest admission that their suffering fits their sin.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that the sins in view are deliberate, rebellious acts committed with full knowledge and against clear light. They are not excusable, because they were done openly before God and multiplied against Him. The guilt remains unforgiven, and we are painfully aware of it.