Isaiah 57:9
New International Version
You went to Molek with olive oil and increased your perfumes. You sent your ambassadors far away; you descended to the very realm of the dead!

New Living Translation
You have gone to Molech with olive oil and many perfumes, sending your agents far and wide, even to the world of the dead.

English Standard Version
You journeyed to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far off, and sent down even to Sheol.

Berean Standard Bible
You went to Molech with oil and multiplied your perfumes. You have sent your envoys a great distance; you have descended even to Sheol itself.

King James Bible
And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.

New King James Version
You went to the king with ointment, And increased your perfumes; You sent your messengers far off, And even descended to Sheol.

New American Standard Bible
“You have journeyed to the king with oil And increased your perfumes; You have sent your messengers a great distance And made them go down to Sheol.

NASB 1995
“You have journeyed to the king with oil And increased your perfumes; You have sent your envoys a great distance And made them go down to Sheol.

NASB 1977
“And you have journeyed to the king with oil And increased your perfumes; You have sent your envoys a great distance, And made them go down to Sheol.

Legacy Standard Bible
You have journeyed to the king with oil And increased your perfumes; You have sent your envoys a great distance And made them go down to Sheol.

Amplified Bible
“You have gone to the king [of a pagan land] with oil And increased your perfumes; You have sent your messengers a great distance And made them go down to Sheol (the realm of the dead).

Christian Standard Bible
You went to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far away and sent them down even to Sheol.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You went to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your couriers far away and sent them down even to Sheol.

American Standard Version
And thou wentest to the king with oil, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thine ambassadors far off, and didst debase thyself even unto Sheol.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And you praised Kings with oil, and you increased your sweet spices, and you sent your Ambassadors far away, and you were brought low unto Sheol

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and thou hast multiplied thy whoredom with them, and thou hast increased the number of them that are far from thee, and hast sent ambassadors beyond thy borders, and hast been debased even to hell.

Contemporary English Version
You smear on olive oil and all kinds of perfume to worship the god Molech. You even seek advice from spirits of the dead.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou hast adorned thyself for the king with ointment, and hast multiplied thy perfumes. Thou hast sent thy messengers far off, and wast debased even to hell.

English Revised Version
And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thine ambassadors far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You've journeyed to the king with perfumed oils and put on plenty of perfume. You've sent your ambassadors far away and sent them down to Sheol.

Good News Translation
You put on your perfumes and ointments and go to worship the god Molech. To find gods to worship, you send messengers far and wide, even to the world of the dead.

International Standard Version
You went to Molech with olive oil and increased your perfumes; you sent your ambassadors far away, you sent them down even to Sheol itself!

JPS Tanakh 1917
And thou wentest to the king with ointment, And didst increase thy perfumes, And didst send thine ambassadors far off, Even down to the nether-world.

Literal Standard Version
And go joyfully to the king in ointment, | And multiply your perfumes, | And send your ambassadors far off, | And humble yourself to Sheol.

Majority Standard Bible
You went to Molech with oil and multiplied your perfumes. You have sent your envoys a great distance; you have descended even to Sheol itself.

New American Bible
You approached the king with oil, and multiplied your perfumes; You sent your ambassadors far away, down even to deepest Sheol.

NET Bible
You take olive oil as tribute to your king, along with many perfumes. You send your messengers to a distant place; you go all the way to Sheol.

New Revised Standard Version
You journeyed to Molech with oil, and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far away, and sent down even to Sheol.

New Heart English Bible
You went to the king with oil, and increased your perfumes, and sent your ambassadors far off, and debased yourself even to Sheol.

Webster's Bible Translation
And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even to hell.

World English Bible
You went to the king with oil, increased your perfumes, sent your ambassadors far off, and degraded yourself even to Sheol.

Young's Literal Translation
And goest joyfully to the king in ointment, And dost multiply thy perfumes, And sendest thine ambassadors afar off, And humblest thyself unto Sheol.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Condemns Idolatry
8Behind the door and doorpost you have set up your memorial. Forsaking Me, you uncovered your bed; you climbed up and opened it wide. And you have made a pact with those whose bed you have loved; you have gazed upon their nakedness. 9You went to Molech with oil and multiplied your perfumes. You have sent your envoys a great distance; you have descended even to Sheol itself. 10You are wearied by your many journeys, but you did not say, “There is no hope!” You found renewal of your strength; therefore you did not grow weak.…

Cross References
Ezekiel 16:33
Men give gifts to all their prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers. You bribed them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.

Ezekiel 23:16
At the sight of them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

Ezekiel 23:40
Furthermore, you sisters sent messengers for men who came from afar; and behold, when they arrived, you bathed for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry.


Treasury of Scripture

And you went to the king with ointment, and did increase your perfumes, and did send your messengers far off, and did debase yourself even to hell.

thou wentest to the king.

Isaiah 30:1-6
Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: …

Isaiah 31:1-3
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD! …

2 Kings 16:7-11
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me…

perfumes

Proverbs 7:17
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

and didst debase

Isaiah 2:9
And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.

Colossians 2:18
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

Jump to Previous
Afar Ambassadors Descended Distance Envoys Far Goest Grave Great Hell Humblest Increase Increased Itself Journeyed Joyfully Low Melech Messengers Multiply Nether-World Oil Ointment Olive Perfume Perfumes Representatives Sendest Sheol Thyself Wentest
Jump to Next
Afar Ambassadors Descended Distance Envoys Far Goest Grave Great Hell Humblest Increase Increased Itself Journeyed Joyfully Low Melech Messengers Multiply Nether-World Oil Ointment Olive Perfume Perfumes Representatives Sendest Sheol Thyself Wentest
Isaiah 57
1. The blessed death of the righteous
3. God reproves the People for their idolatry
13. He gives promises of mercy to the penitent














(9) Thou wentest to the king . . .--The alteration of a single letter would give to Molech; and this may be the meaning even of the text as it stands. Looking to the Manasseh-surroundings of the passage, however, it is more natural to refer the words to the king, the great king of Assyria, whose religion Judah had basely and shamefully adopted. The sin of Ahaz (2Kings 16:11) had been reproduced by his grandson. The description that follows is that of a harlot adorning herself for her evil calling, and finds its best illustration in Proverbs 7:14-17. Looking to the previous traces of Isaiah's study of that book (Isaiah 11:1-4, &c) we may, perhaps, find in it a deliberate reproduction of that passage. The "ointment" and "perfumes" are symbols of the treasures which were lavished to secure the Assyrian alliance. The words help us to understand Isaiah's indignation at what must have seemed to him the initial step of a like policy on the part of Hezekiah (Isaiah 39:3-7). The words which point to the "far-off" land, to which the messengers were sent, seem almost like an echo from that king's apology.

Even unto hell--i.e., Hades or Sheol, the world of the dead--as the symbol of an abysmal depth of degradation.

Verse 9. - And thou wentest to the king, Delitzsch and Mr. Cheyne understand "the King of Assyria," and regard the verse as bringing forward a new subject of complaint: "Not only hast thou deserted me tot other gods, but thou trustest for aid, not to me, but to the Assyrian monarch." But there is no indication of the Jews having put any trust in Assyria after the reign of Ahaz, to which this chapter, by its position in the prophecy, cannot belong. Moreover, the King of Assyria is never called simply" the king." It is, therefore, better to regard "the king" as Moloch, whom the Jews of Isaiah's time certainly worshipped (see ver. 5), and whose name was a mere dialectic variety of Melech, "king" (see Dean Payne Smith's ' Sermons on Isaiah,' sermon 4. p. 119). Ointment... perfumes. Either bearing them as offerings, or herself perfumed with them, as was the practice of lewd women (Proverbs 7:17). And didst send thy messengers far off; i.e. to distant Moloch-shrines. And didst debase thyself even unto hell; i.e. "didst take on thee the yoke of a mean and grovelling superstition, which debased thee to the lowest point conceivable." There was nothing lower in religion than the worship of Moloch.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You went
וַתָּשֻׁ֤רִי (wat·tā·šu·rî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - second person feminine singular
Strong's 7788: Perhaps to travel, journey

to [Molech]
לַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ (lam·me·leḵ)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

with oil
בַּשֶּׁ֔מֶן (baš·še·men)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8081: Grease, liquid, richness

and multiplied
וַתַּרְבִּ֖י (wat·tar·bî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - second person feminine singular
Strong's 7235: To be or become much, many or great

your perfumes.
רִקֻּחָ֑יִךְ (riq·qu·ḥā·yiḵ)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular
Strong's 7547: A scented substance

You have sent
וַתְּשַׁלְּחִ֤י (wat·tə·šal·lə·ḥî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - second person feminine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

your envoys
צִרַ֙יִךְ֙ (ṣi·rayḵ)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular
Strong's 6735: A hinge, a throe, a herald, erranddoer

a great distance;
מֵ֣רָחֹ֔ק (mê·rā·ḥōq)
Preposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7350: Remote, of place, time, precious

you have descended
וַתַּשְׁפִּ֖ילִי (wat·taš·pî·lî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - second person feminine singular
Strong's 8213: To be or become low, to be abased

even to
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

Sheol itself.
שְׁאֽוֹל׃ (šə·’ō·wl)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 7585: Underworld (place to which people descend at death)


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 57:9 You went to the king with oil (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 57:8
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