Isaiah 1 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 1:14, 1:24, 1:27
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Chapter 1
Judah accused and Zion refined
Verse 1:1 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:1 The vision that Isaiah son of Amos saw, which he saw against Judea and against Jerusalem during the reign of Oziah, Joatham, Achaz and Hezekiah, who reigned over Judea.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The prophet, father, two locations and four rulers correspond. Greek repeats which he saw and against and states the kings' reigning explicitly. Amoz/Amos retains the patronymic forms without identifying Isaiah's father as the prophet Amos.
Verse 1:2 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:2 Hear, heavens, and give ear, earth, for YHWH has spoken: “Children I raised and brought up, but they rebelled against Me.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:2 Listen, heaven, and give ear, earth, because the Lord has spoken: “Sons I begot and raised high, but they rejected Me.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew raising children becomes Greek begetting sons; rebellion becomes rejection. The call to heaven and earth and failed filial relationship remain.
Verse 1:3 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:3 An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master's manger; Israel does not know, My people do not understand.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:3 An ox knew the one who acquired it, and a donkey its lord's manger; but Israel did not know Me, and the people did not understand Me.”
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The animal comparison and Israel's failure agree. Greek explicitly supplies Me twice where Hebrew leaves the objects unexpressed; Greek the people lacks Hebrew My.
Verse 1:4 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:4 Woe, sinful nation, people heavy with guilt, offspring of evildoers, children acting corruptly! They have abandoned YHWH, despised the Holy One of Israel, turned away backward.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:4 Woe, sinful nation, people full of sins, evil offspring, lawless sons! You abandoned the Lord and provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Greek lacks the final turning-back clause and changes third-person accusation to direct plural address. Hebrew heavy guilt, corrupting children and contempt become Greek fullness of sins, lawless sons and provocation.
Verse 1:5 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:5 Why should you be struck again, continuing rebellion? Every head is sick, and every heart faint.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:5 Why should you be struck further, adding lawlessness? Every head is in pain, and every heart in grief.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both question continued striking amid persistent wrongdoing. Hebrew sickness and faintness become Greek pain and grief; all heads and hearts are retained.
Verse 1:6 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:6 From the sole of the foot to the head there is no soundness in it: wound, bruise and fresh blow. They have not been pressed out or bound up or softened with oil.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:6 From feet to head: for neither a wound nor a bruise nor an inflamed blow is there a poultice to apply, nor oil nor bandages.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Hebrew explicitly denies soundness and lists injuries not pressed out, bound or softened with oil. Greek lacks the no-soundness clause and denies poultice, oil and bandages for the listed injuries. English for connects the difficult Greek nominative injury list with its following treatment denial; it does not falsely make Greek deny the injuries themselves. The exact attachment remains open to specialist review. Cyril, Catechetical Lecture twelve seven, applies the wounded-body image to humanity’s need for divine healing [CYRILCAT12].
Verse 1:7 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:7 Your land is desolate, your cities burned with fire. Your soil—strangers devour it before you; it is desolate, like an overthrow by strangers.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:7 Your land is deserted, your cities burned by fire. Your country—foreigners consume it before you; it has been deserted, overturned by foreign peoples.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The devastated country, burned cities and foreign consumption agree. Hebrew compares with an overthrow by strangers; Greek describes actual overthrow by foreign peoples.
Verse 1:8 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:8 Daughter Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:8 Daughter Zion will be left like a tent in a vineyard, like a fruit-watcher's shelter in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The three images correspond. Greek explicitly names the shelter's watch function and makes the leaving future.
Verse 1:9 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:9 Had YHWH of hosts not left us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, resembled Gomorrah.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:9 If the Lord Sabaoth had not left us seed, we would have become like Sodom and been made like Gomorrah.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew a very small remnant becomes Greek seed. The same counterfactual preservation from Sodom-and-Gomorrah destruction remains; Sabaoth transliterates the hosts title rather than using Almighty.
Verse 1:10 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:10 Hear YHWH's word, rulers of Sodom! Give ear to our God's instruction, people of Gomorrah!
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:10 Hear the Lord's word, rulers of Sodom! Attend to God's law, people of Gomorrah!
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both address the leaders and people through Sodom and Gomorrah. Greek lacks our before God; instruction/law retains the corresponding terms.
Verse 1:11 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:11 “What is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” says YHWH. “I am sated with burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, lambs or male goats.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:11 “What is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” says the Lord. “I am full of ram burnt offerings; fat of lambs and blood of bulls and male goats I do not desire,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew fattened animals becomes Greek lambs in the fat clause; Greek does not list lambs again among blood animals. The Greek fat clause is attached here to refusal, while Hebrew includes fat among what has sated God. The Greek sentence continues in the next row.
Verse 1:12 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:12 When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand—trampling My courts?
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:12 not even if you come to appear before Me. For who demanded these things from your hands? To trample My court,
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Greek begins by extending the preceding refusal and ends with an infinitive completed by verse thirteen's prohibition. Hebrew's arrival and court-trampling question stands within this verse. Courts becomes singular court; the clause movement is retained, not counted as lost content.
Verse 1:13 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:13 Do not continue bringing a worthless offering. Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, calling an assembly—I cannot endure wrongdoing and solemn gathering.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:13 you shall no longer continue. If you bring fine flour, it is futile. Incense is an abomination to Me. Your new moons and sabbaths and a great day I cannot endure; fasting and idleness,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek completes the court-trampling prohibition, explicitly names fine flour and a great day, and has fasting and idleness where Hebrew joins wrongdoing with solemn assembly. Greek's final objects continue into the next verse. Neither clause sequence is collapsed into the other.
Verse 1:14 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:14 Your new moons and appointed festivals My soul hates. They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of carrying them.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:14 and your new moons and your festivals My soul hates. You have become a surfeit to Me; I will no longer let your sins go.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew weariness from carrying the observances becomes Greek refusal to let sins go, and the observances' burden becomes the people's surfeit. The hated festivals agree, but the closing divine action changes substantially.
Verse 1:15 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:15 When you spread out your palms, I hide My eyes from you. Even when you multiply prayer, I do not hear; your hands are full of blood.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:15 Whenever you stretch your hands toward Me, I will turn My eyes away from you. Even if you multiply supplication, I will not listen to you, for your hands are full of blood.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both refuse the extended hands and abundant prayer because of bloodshed; Greek explicitly directs the hands toward God and marks the reason with for.
Verse 1:16 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:16 Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes. Cease doing evil.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:16 Wash yourselves, become clean. Remove the evils from your souls, before My eyes. Cease from your evils.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew removing evil deeds becomes Greek removing evils from souls; the shared washing and cessation commands remain. Neither implies that ritual washing alone answers the following demand for justice.
Verse 1:17 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:17 Learn to do good, seek justice, set the oppressor right. Judge for the orphan, plead for the widow.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:17 Learn to do good, seek judgment, rescue the wronged. Judge for the orphan and vindicate the widow.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew hamots is provisionally construed as the oppressor who must be corrected; Greek explicitly makes the wronged person the rescue recipient. Both demand justice for orphan and widow. The Hebrew term and imperative's force require specialist review.
Verse 1:18 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:18 Come, please, let us argue the case, says YHWH. Though your sins are like scarlet, they will become white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:18 Come, let us debate the case, says the Lord. Though your sins are like purple-red, I will whiten them like snow; though they are like scarlet, I will whiten them like wool.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew the sins become white or like wool becomes Greek God explicitly whitens them twice. The disputation invitation and two cleansing comparisons agree, with the sources' red-dye descriptions retained.
Verse 1:19 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:19 If you are willing and listen, you will eat the land's good.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:19 If you are willing and listen to Me, you will eat the land's good things.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Willing obedience and eating the land's good correspond; Greek makes Me explicit as the one heard.
Verse 1:20 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:20 But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword, for YHWH's mouth has spoken.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:20 But if you are unwilling and do not listen to Me, a sword will devour you, for the Lord's mouth has spoken these things.”
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both oppose obedience with sword-devouring. Hebrew refusal and rebellion become Greek unwillingness and not listening; Greek explicitly names the sword as agent and adds these things.
Verse 1:21 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:21 How the faithful city has become a prostitute! She was full of justice; righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:21 How the faithful city Zion has become a prostitute, full of judgment, in which righteousness lay at rest, but now murderers!
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Greek explicitly names Zion, absent here in Hebrew. The city-prostitution metaphor, earlier justice and present murderers agree; lay at rest retains Greek's sleep imagery against Hebrew lodging.
Verse 1:22 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:22 Your silver has become dross; your drink is diluted with water.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:22 Your silver is unapproved; your retailers mix the wine with water.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew diluted drink becomes Greek wine actively adulterated by named retailers; dross becomes unapproved silver. Greek shifts from plural your silver to singular your retailers, retained by ordinary English your.
Verse 1:23 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:23 Your rulers are rebels and companions of thieves; every one loves a bribe and pursues payments. They do not judge for the orphan, and the widow's case does not come before them.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:23 Your rulers disobey, partners of thieves, loving gifts and pursuing repayment, not judging for orphans and not attending to widows' judgment.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The rulers' disobedience, complicity, corrupt payments and denial of justice to orphan and widow correspond. Greek's not attending describes the neglected cases more directly than Hebrew's not coming before them.
Verse 1:24 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:24 Therefore the Lord, YHWH of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Ah, I will gain relief from My adversaries and avenge Myself on My enemies.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:24 Therefore thus says the Master, the Lord Sabaoth: “Woe, mighty ones of Israel! For My anger will not cease among My opponents, and I will exact judgment from My enemies.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew the Mighty One of Israel is a divine title; Greek addresses Israel's mighty ones with woe. Hebrew gaining relief becomes unceasing Greek anger, and vengeance becomes judgment. These change both the title's referent and the emotional description.
Verse 1:25 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:25 I will turn My hand against you, smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:25 I will bring My hand against you and burn you to purity. I will destroy the disobedient, remove all lawless people from you and humble all the arrogant.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Hebrew dross-and-alloy refining becomes Greek purifying fire with explicit destruction, removal and humiliation of named classes of wrongdoers. Greek's final arrogant-person clause has no separate Hebrew counterpart. Hebrew kabor is provisionally as with lye, not a claim of a chemical procedure.
Verse 1:26 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:26 I will restore your judges as at first and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called City of Righteousness, Faithful Town.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:26 I will establish your judges as formerly and your counselors as from the beginning. After these things you will be called City of Righteousness, Faithful Metropolis Zion.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Restored judges, counselors and righteous civic identity agree. Greek explicitly calls the city a metropolis and adds Zion to its designation.
Verse 1:27 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:27 Zion will be redeemed through justice, and her returning ones through righteousness.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:27 For her captivity will be saved through judgment and through mercy.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew names Zion and those returning as recipients of redemption; Greek makes her captivity the recipient and has mercy in place of righteousness. Both associate rescue with judgment, but the subjects and paired quality differ.
Verse 1:28 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:28 Rebels and sinners will be broken together, and those abandoning YHWH will come to an end.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:28 The lawless and sinners will be shattered together, and those abandoning the Lord will be brought to an end.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both join the wrongdoers' shattering and the end of those abandoning God.
Verse 1:29 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:29 For they will be ashamed of the great trees you desired, and you will be disgraced by the gardens you chose.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:29 For they will be ashamed of their idols, which they themselves wanted, and they were disgraced by their gardens, which they desired.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew great trees becomes Greek idols; Hebrew shifts they to you while Greek keeps third-person ownership and desire. Greek the garden shame is past after future idol shame, retained as displayed.
Verse 1:30 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:30 For you will be like a terebinth whose leaf withers, like a garden that has no water.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:30 For they will be like a terebinth that has shed its leaves, like a garden that has no water.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The dry-tree and unwatered-garden images agree. Hebrew directly addresses you and describes withering; Greek describes them and leaves already shed.
Verse 1:31 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
1:31 The strong one will become tow, and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
1:31 Their strength will become a stalk of tow and their works sparks of fire. The lawless and sinners will be burned together, with no one to quench.”
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew strong person and his work become Greek strength and works; Hebrew both becomes explicit lawless people and sinners. The combustible tow, ignition and unquenched burning agree, while the final named targets differ.