Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:

ISAIAH 17:10KJV
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Isaiah 17:10 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 17:10 mean?

Isaiah 17:10 says that the people have forgotten God, who saves and protects them, and because of this, their efforts—like planting pleasant plants and setting foreign slips—will not bring lasting success. The verse points out that turning away from God leads to fruitless work, no matter how attractive or carefully planned those efforts might seem.

Isaiah is speaking to the people of Israel, warning them about the consequences of neglecting God ("the God of thy salvation") and not remembering their true source of strength ("the rock of thy strength"). The verse uses the image of planting and grafting to show that, despite their attempts to secure prosperity or beauty by their own means—including adopting foreign practices or alliances—these efforts will ultimately fail because they have ignored God.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 17:10

  • "Forgotten" (שָׁכַח, shakach): This word means to neglect or lose memory of something important. Here, it emphasizes a deliberate turning away from God, not just a passive forgetting.
  • "Rock" (צוּר, tsur): Often used in the Hebrew Bible as a symbol for God’s steadfastness and reliability. Calling God the "rock of thy strength" highlights that Israel’s real security comes from God, not from their own actions or alliances.
  • "Strange" (זָר, zar): This word means "foreign" or "alien." The "strange slips" suggest the people are bringing in foreign elements—possibly foreign religious practices or alliances—hoping for success apart from God.

Why Isaiah 17:10 matters

  • Isaiah 17:10 clarifies that the issue is not just a lack of religious feeling, but a practical forgetting—Israel is actively relying on other sources of help and security instead of God.
  • The verse connects to the wider passage by showing that judgment comes not only from obvious wrongdoing, but also from misplaced trust and adopting outside influences.
  • The agricultural imagery ("pleasant plants" and "strange slips") helps the reader see that even attractive or promising efforts are empty if they are rooted in forgetfulness of God.

Where else these words appear

“plants” Hebrew H5194 · used in 4 verses

  • Job 14:9 Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.
  • Isaiah 5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
  • Isaiah 17:11 In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.

“slips” Hebrew H2156 · used in 5 verses

  • Numbers 13:23 And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.
  • Ezekiel 8:17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
  • Ezekiel 15:2 Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?

“salvation” Hebrew H3468 · used in 35 verses

  • 2 Samuel 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
  • Psalms 20:6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
  • Psalms 85:4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.

“strength” Hebrew H4581 · used in 35 verses

  • Judges 6:26 And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
  • Psalms 108:8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;
  • Ezekiel 24:25 Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,