Isaiah 59:6 · Bible study
Isaiah 59:6 Commentary: Spider-Web Works Cannot Cover
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Isaiah 59:6's metaphor of spider's webs for human righteousness.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Human efforts at righteousness are as useless as spider webs for clothing, they cannot cover sin before God.
- Key words: 'webs' (קוּר, qur, filmy thread); 'cover themselves' (hitpael of כָּסָה, to clothe oneself); 'works of iniquity' (מַעֲשֵׂי אָוֶן, deeds of wickedness).
- Main debate: Whether the 'works' refer to general human sinfulness or specifically to false religion/justification by works. Gill and JFB see the latter; Cambridge emphasizes social injustice.
- Theological theme: Human inability to self-justify; the need for a covering that comes from God alone.
- Best use: A diagnostic verse for personal and corporate self-examination; a bridge to gospel grace.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Their cobwebs cannot be made into clothing, and they cannot cover themselves with their works. Their deeds are sinful deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Their webs won’t become garments. They won’t cover themselves with their works. Their works are works of iniquity, and acts of violence are in their hands.
KJV King James Version 1769
Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Their webs become not a garment, Nor do they cover themselves with their works, Their works are works of iniquity, And a deed of violence is in their hands.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works; their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Their webs shall not be for clothing, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are unprofitable works, and the work of iniquity is in their hands.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Sus telas no servirán para vestir, ni de sus obras serán cubiertos: sus obras son obras de iniquidad, y obra de rapiña está en sus manos.
Suas teias não servem para vestimentas, nem poderão se cobrir com suas obras; suas obras são obras de injustiça, e atos de violência há em suas mãos.
Leurs toiles ne servent point à faire un vêtement,
Ihre Spinnwebe taugt nicht zu Kleidern, und ihr Gewirke taugt nicht zur Decke; denn ihr Werk ist Unrecht, und in ihren Händen ist Frevel.
Hun webben deugen niet tot klederen, en zij zullen zichzelven niet kunnen dekken met hun werken; hun werken zijn werken der ongerechtigheid, en een maaksel des wrevels is in hun handen.
Le loro tele non diventeranno vestiti, né costoro si copriranno delle loro opere; le loro opere son opere d’iniquità, e nelle loro mani vi sono atti di violenza.
Płótna ich nie godzą się na szatę, ani się przyodzieją robotami swemi. Uczynki ich są uczynki nieprawości, a sprawa łupiestwa jest w rękach ich.
Паутины их для одежды негодны, и они не покроются своим произведением; дела их - дела неправедные, и насилие в руках их.
所結的網 不能 成為 衣服；所做的 也不能 遮蓋自己。他們的行為 都是罪孽；手 所做 的都是強暴。
Their twisted threads will not make clothing, and their works will give them nothing for covering themselves: their works are works of sin, and violent acts are in their hands.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 59:6
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the spider's webs represent human works and efforts that are utterly inadequate to cover sin. Barnes states that the webs 'are unfit to secure salvation as the attenuated web of a spider is for raiment.' Gill specifies that the metaphor targets false doctrines, especially justification by works, 'these are not proper garments to cover the nakedness of a sinner from the sight of God.' Jamieson-Fausset-Brown connects the image to Adam and Eve's fig leaves, contrasting it with the coats of skin God provided. The verse follows directly from the earlier image of hatching viper eggs and spinning webs (v.5), driving home the point that these efforts produce nothing useful. Matthew Henry sums up the pastoral thrust: people trust in 'vain formality' but it bides nothing. The plain truth: human works, even when they appear religious, are fragile and poison-tinged, useless against the standard of a holy God.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- General Wickedness: The immediate context (vv.2–8) lists murder, lies, and injustice; the 'works' are all human deeds, not just religious attempts.
- Self-Righteousness / False Religion: The metaphor of webs not becoming garments echoes the fig leaves of Eden (Gen 3:7); Barnes and JFB see a polemic against relying on rituals, traditions, and human merit.
What is clear: The metaphor of spider webs unable to become clothing vividly demonstrates that human efforts—whether religious or secular—cannot provide an acceptable covering for sin before a holy God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the 'webs' (works) | All commentators see the spider web as a metaphor for human efforts that are fragile and worthless. | Some (Gill, JFB, Barnes) specifically target self-righteousness and false religion (justification by works); others (Cambridge) see the context as general social wickedness, including violence and deceit. |
| Source of true covering | Christian traditions agree that human works cannot provide a sufficient covering before a holy God. | Protestants emphasize imputed righteousness of Christ as the only covering; Catholics stress the role of grace-infused good works cooperating with God. The verse itself does not specify the remedy, leaving it to the larger biblical narrative (cf. Isa 61:10). |
| The role of 'violence' in the verse | Violence is a concrete expression of the iniquity that characterizes the people's deeds. | Some read 'violence' (חָמָס) as physical bloodshed (v.7: 'their feet run to evil, they hurry to shed innocent blood'), while others extend it to oppression, injustice, and any forceful twisting of justice (Matthew Henry; see also Isa 5:7). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 59 sits inside a larger complaint. In chapters 58, 59, the people of Judah have been fasting and praying, but God does not answer. They think God is too weak or unwilling (v.1). The prophet sets them straight: 'your iniquities have separated between you and your God' (v.2). The specific sins catalogued are social: bloodshed, lies, perversion of justice, a complete breakdown of truth (vv.3, 4).
The spider-web metaphor flows from the earlier image of hatching viper eggs (v.5). Both images draw on real-life venomous creatures and fragile webs, painting the people's schemes as both dangerous and worthless. The Cambridge Bible notes that these verses 'differ somewhat in character' from the earlier accusations and may have been drawn from a wisdom poem, but the image fits the context of contrived evil.
Historically, the passage likely reflects the period shortly before or during the Babylonian exile, a time when Judah's leaders trusted in political alliances and outward religious performances rather than God. The 'works of iniquity' and 'acts of violence' point to concrete oppression: the wealthy exploited the poor, courts were corrupt, and the innocent suffered (cf. Isa 5:7). In this context, the failure of spider-coverings is not merely about personal piety; it exposes a system where human efforts at security and righteousness are flimsy and self-serving.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Isaiah 59:6 itself. The Cambridge Bible observes that surrounding verses (5, 8) may have been drawn from a Psalm or wisdom composition, but this does not affect the Hebrew text of v.6. The verse is stable across major manuscripts.
Reception History
Isaiah 59:6 has been a standard text in Christian teaching on the insufficiency of human works. Early church writers like Augustine referenced the spider-web image when arguing that virtue apart from grace is only sin in disguise. During the Reformation, both Luther and Calvin cited the verse to support justification by faith alone, Calvin says the people 'weave a web of spider's threads when they catch at the trifling contrivances of the flesh.' Later hymnody picked up the theme: Isaac Watts' 'Not all the blood of beasts' and Augustus Toplady's 'Rock of Ages' echo the sense that no human labor can cover sin. The contrast between the spider's web and the 'garment of salvation' (Isa 61:10) has been a recurring motif in sermons on grace.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Flawed Material: Spider's webs look like cloth but cannot function as clothing. Human efforts at righteousness, religious rituals, moral reform, good intentions, look promising but cannot cover sin before God (Barnes; compare Isa 64:6).
- Naked Reality: The people cannot 'cover themselves with their works.' Self-made religion leaves us exposed. The garment we need must come from outside, the righteousness God provides (JFB, contrasted with Phil 3:9).
- Poisoned Hands: The same hands that weave the web are full of 'violence' (v.6c). Our attempts to justify ourselves are tainted by the sins we commit while pretending to deserve salvation. The web and the viper's egg come from the same brood.
Five-point outline
- The weaving project: humanity's attempt to manufacture righteousness (v.5b, 6a).
- The failed result: 'Their webs won't become garments' (v.6a).
- The desperate cover-up: 'They won't cover themselves with their works' (v.6b).
- The hidden content: their works are not neutral but 'works of iniquity' (v.6c).
- The true character: violence is what their hands are full of (v.6d).
Illustration hooks
- A moth-eaten sweater: You spend hours knitting, but the wool is rotten. Put it on in cold weather and you still shiver. That is the feeling of trusting your own goodness before God.
- A child's paper boat: A little boy makes a boat from newspaper and sets it on the pond. Within seconds the ink dissolves, the paper sinks. Our best efforts, education, charity, good reputation, are paper boats against the flood of God's holiness.
- The law's narrow blanket: Isaiah 28:20 says the bed is too short to stretch on and the blanket too narrow. No matter how much we try to cover ourselves with good deeds, something always sticks out.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why doesn't God accept my good intentions? I've tried to be a good person. Doesn't that count for something?
- How do I know if my faith is real? If my best works are like spider webs, how can I be sure I am saved?
- What about people who never heard of Jesus but live decent lives? Doesn't God see their goodness?
Leading a Discussion
Isaiah 59:6 dismantles the idea that human effort can repair our standing with God. The image is vivid: a spider's web looks like it might work as cloth, until you try to wear it. This verse invites the group to consider both the danger of self-made religion and the hope of a covering God provides. As you work through the questions, keep the context of Isaiah 59 in mind, these are people who thought God was ignoring them, when really their own sin was the barrier.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What does the verse say the webs become? What do the people try to cover themselves with? Read the verse aloud and list the key actions.
- Observation: Look at the surrounding verses (59:2, 8). What specific sins are named? How do they connect to the metaphor of weaving and covering?
- Interpretation: Why does the prophet choose an image that is obviously absurd, no one can wear a spider web? What does that teach about human righteousness?
- Interpretation: The verse says their works are 'works of iniquity' and their hands full of 'violence.' How does that complicate the idea that we can be 'good enough' by our own standards?
- Cross-reference: Read Job 8:14, 15 and Isaiah 64:6. How do these passages echo the same theme? What is the fate of the one who leans on a spider's web?
- Application: In what areas of life are you tempted to weave a spider's web, relying on your own efforts, reputation, or religious performance?
- Application: If a spider's web cannot cover sin, what can? How does this verse point you toward the good news of God's provision (see Isa 61:10; Phil 3:9)?
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)
| Genesis 6:11 | The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. |
| Job 8:14 | whose confidence will break apart, whose trust is a spider’s web. |
| Job 8:15 | He will lean on his house, but it will not stand. He will cling to it, but it will not endure. |
| Psalms 58:2 | No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth. |
| Isaiah 5:7 | For the vineyard of Yahweh of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression, for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress. |
| Isaiah 28:18 | Your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand. When the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it. |
| Isaiah 28:20 | For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap oneself in. |
| Isaiah 30:1 | “Woe to the rebellious children”, says Yahweh, “who take counsel, but not from me; and who make an alliance, but not with my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; |
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 compares the works of the self-righteous to a spider's web—too weak and flimsy to serve as clothing. Just as a web cannot cover the body, human traditions, empty ceremonies, and false reasonings cannot provide a garment of salvation. People need a righteousness far better than their own threadbare efforts.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator notes that these verses differ in character from the surrounding passage and may be a quotation from Proverbs or Psalms, but this does not weaken their genuineness. The description fits only a limited class of utterly corrupt people, making it hard to see as a direct continuation of the general accusations against the whole community.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that the people's evil works are as useless as spider webs for covering themselves. No matter how much they labor, their deeds cannot hide their sin or serve as a garment of righteousness, because everything they produce is marked by cruelty and iniquity.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill compares human works to spider's webs: too thin to cover sin or shield from God's judgment. He argues that relying on works for justification is especially useless, and such works are actually sinful because they come from wrong motives and displace Christ's righteousness. He also notes that those who promote this doctrine often persecute those who teach the truth.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB draws a sharp contrast between human self-righteousness and God's provision. Just as Adam and Eve's fig leaves
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlights that the corruption described is judicial in nature, with no one giving truthful public testimony. Using Hebrew wordplay, he shows that people trust in what is empty (tohu) and speak what is worthless (shav). The double
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the people’s charge against God—that His hand is too short to save or His ear too heavy to hear—is answered by showing that their sins have created a dividing wall. He clarifies that “heavy ear” means actual deafness, not unwillingness, and then traces the prophet’s catalogue of corruption from hands to lips to feet to expose that the fault lies entirely with Israel.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry shows that the people's complaint against God is misplaced. The fault is not that God lacks power or refuses to listen; their own sins have created the barrier. God remains fully able and willing to save, but their iniquities have separated them from him.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley points out that human schemes are as fragile as spider webs. No matter how carefully people weave their plans, those contrivances will never actually shield or protect them when trouble comes.