For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.

ISAIAH 57:16KJV
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Isaiah 57:16 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 57:16 mean?

Isaiah 57:16 says that God will not stay angry or argue with people forever, because if He did, human beings—whose spirit and life He created—would not survive. God is explaining that His judgment has limits because of human frailty.

In this verse, God is speaking through Isaiah to the people of Israel, who have been rebellious and unfaithful. The verse reassures them that, although God has been angry with their wrongdoing, He will not let His anger last endlessly. The focus is on God’s compassion and understanding of human weakness, showing that His desire is not to destroy but to preserve those He has made.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 57:16

  • "contend" (רִיב, riv): This word means to strive or argue, often in a legal or confrontational sense. Here, it highlights that God’s dispute with His people is not meant to be endless.
  • "spirit" (רוּחַ, ruach): This word can mean wind, breath, or spirit, and in this context, it refers to the inner life or vitality of humans. God recognizes that the human spirit is fragile.
  • "souls" (נְשָׁמוֹת, neshamot): This word refers to the breath or soul, emphasizing that God Himself is the source of life for every person. It underlines the idea that God’s creation is precious to Him.
  • "fail" (עָטַף, ataf): This word means to grow faint or be overwhelmed. God is saying that if He kept up His anger, people would be crushed or lose heart.

Why Isaiah 57:16 matters

  • Isaiah 57:16 clears up the misunderstanding that God’s anger is permanent or without mercy; it shows that His judgment is always balanced by compassion.
  • The verse emphasizes God’s awareness of human limits and frailty, which shapes how He deals with people, even when they go astray.
  • This verse connects to the wider message in Isaiah that, despite judgment, God’s ultimate goal is restoration and life for His people, not their destruction.

Where else these words appear

“fail” Hebrew H5848 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 30:42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.
  • Psalms 73:6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
  • Psalms 143:4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

“souls” Hebrew H5397 · used in 24 verses

  • Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
  • 1 Kings 15:29 And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite:
  • Job 37:10 By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened.

“wroth” Hebrew H7107 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 40:2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
  • Deuteronomy 9:19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.
  • Isaiah 8:21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

“always” Hebrew H5331 · used in 42 verses

  • 1 Samuel 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
  • Psalms 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
  • Proverbs 21:28 A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.