Isaiah 1:21 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 1:21 mean?

Isaiah 1:21 describes Jerusalem as a city that has changed from a place known for fair treatment into a place marked by violence. The verse mourns that change: people once expected justice there, but now the city is home to murderers.

Isaiah speaks of the city as though it were a woman who had been faithful and had become a “harlot,” an old word for a prostitute. The shocking image expresses how deeply Jerusalem has betrayed what it once was. The cry “How is” sounds like a lament, not a request for an explanation.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 1:21

• “judgment” — מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat): This word often means justice or the fair settling of disputes. Here, “judgment” points to the kind of fairness that once filled the city, not simply to punishment.
• “righteousness” — צֶדֶק (tsedeq): This word carries the sense of what is right and just. The verse pictures right conduct as someone who once made a home in Jerusalem.
• “lodged” — לוּן (lun): This word can mean to stay or spend the night. Its use makes righteousness sound like a resident, preparing for the stark mention of “murderers” at the end.

Why Isaiah 1:21 matters

• The verse measures Jerusalem by how people are treated, not merely by the city’s reputation. Its contrast between “judgment” and “murderers” makes human conduct central to the charge.
• The city stands for its people and leaders, not just its buildings. Verse 23 goes on to accuse its rulers of taking bribes and failing to defend vulnerable people.
• The lament belongs within a passage that also looks ahead to change. In verse 26, the city is again called “the faithful city,” connecting Isaiah’s grief with the hope of restored justice.