Isaiah 32:5

3 ^aThe eyes of those who see will not be dim,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.

4 Also the heart of the¹ rash will ^aunderstand knowledge,
And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.

5 The foolish person will no longer be called¹ generous,
Nor the miser said to be bountiful;

6 For the foolish person will speak foolishness,
And his heart will work ^ainiquity:
To practice ungodliness,
To utter error against the Lord,
To keep the hungry unsatisfied,
And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

7 Also the schemes of the schemer are evil;
He devises wicked plans
To destroy the poor with ^alying words,
Even when the needy speaks justice.

8 But a¹ generous man devises generous things,
And by generosity he shall stand.

Consequences of Complacency

9 Rise up, you women ^awho are at ease,
Hear my voice;
You complacent daughters,
Give ear to my speech.

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

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Isaiah 32:6 >>

Isaiah 32:5

The vile person - Hebrew, ' Fool.' But the connection requires us to understand this as the opposite of liberal; and it means a person who is close, miserly, narrow-minded, covetous. This person is designated, very appropriately, as a fool.

Shall be no more called liberal - It is probable that under the reign of former princes, when all views of right and wrong had been perverted, people of unprincipled character had been the subjects of flattery, and names of virtue had been attributed to them by their friends and admirers. But it would not be so under the virtuous reign of the prince here celebrated. Things would be called by their right names, and flattery would not be allowed to attribute to people, qualities which they did not possess.

Nor the churl - The word ' churl' means properly a rude, surly, ill-bred man; then a miser, a niggard. The Hebrew word means properly a deceiver, a fraudulent man (Gesenius). The word avaricious, however, seems to suit the connection. Lowth renders it, ' Niggard.' Noyes, ' Crafty.'

Bountiful - Flattery shall no more ascribe to a miserly man a character which does not belong to him.

**Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Isaiah 32:5:**

Psalms 14:1
Psalms 51:12
Isaiah 32:2
Isaiah 32:6
Isaiah 65:10

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Isaiah 32:6 >>

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