Woe to them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;
A.
Isaiah 3:11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Isaiah 5:8,11,18,20-22 Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! …
Jeremiah 22:13 Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;
them
1 Kings 21:13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
Esther 3:10-13 And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy…
Psalm 58:2 Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
that write grievousness.
and issue oppressive decrees
The phrase "oppressive decrees" refers to legal decisions or policies that burden the people, particularly the vulnerable, such as widows, orphans, and the poor. In ancient Near Eastern societies, kings and rulers were expected to be the protectors of justice, ensuring that the weak were not exploited. However, the leaders in Isaiah's time were doing the opposite, using their power to further their own interests at the expense of the people. This behavior is condemned throughout the Bible, as seen in the rebukes of other prophets like Amos (Amos 5:11-12) and Micah (Micah 2:1-2). The oppressive nature of these decrees is antithetical to the character of God, who is described as a defender of the oppressed (Psalm 146:7-9). This passage serves as a reminder of the responsibility of leaders to govern with integrity and compassion, reflecting God's justice and mercy.
The prophetic cry “Woe” is God’s trumpet blast of warning and grief. It signals that His patience with sin is at its limit and judgment is imminent.
• Isaiah often uses the word to expose specific evils (Isaiah 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil…”).
• Other prophets echo the tone (Amos 5:18) and Jesus repeats it against hypocrites (Matthew 23:13).
“Woe” is not spiteful; it is a loving God’s last alarm, pleading for repentance before discipline falls.
The arrow of judgment is aimed at real people, not faceless systems.
• Leaders stand in the crosshairs—those with power to shape society (Isaiah 3:14: “The LORD brings this charge against the elders and leaders of His people”).
• Yet the warning also reaches anyone who benefits from or applauds corrupt policies (Romans 2:1 reminds that judging others never excuses personal guilt).
God’s justice is personal: He knows “those” by name, position, and influence.
Writing laws is a sacred trust; twisting them invites divine confrontation.
• Psalm 94:20 asks, “Can a corrupt throne be Your ally—one devising mischief by decree?” The answer is a resounding no.
• Isaiah 5:23 condemns rulers “who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.”
• Ahab’s edict to seize Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21) shows how wicked legislation can crush the righteous.
Unjust statutes:
– Contradict God’s moral law (Exodus 20).
– Favor the powerful at the expense of the vulnerable.
– Normalize what God calls sin.
God holds lawmakers accountable for every stroke of the pen.
Beyond bad laws come daily policies that burden and break people.
• Egypt’s edicts enslaved Israel (Exodus 1:13-14).
• Isaiah 30:12-13 links trust in “oppression and deceit” with sudden collapse.
• Habakkuk 1:4 laments that “justice never goes forth… justice comes out perverted.”
• Jesus exposed religious experts who “weigh men down with heavy burdens” (Luke 11:46).
Oppressive decrees:
– Strip God-given freedoms.
– Exploit labor and resources.
– Silence truth-tellers.
The Lord sees every burden laid on the weak and vows to lift it—and to topple those who pile it on.
Isaiah 10:1 declares that God mourns and moves against any person or power that turns legislation into a weapon of injustice. “Woe” warns rulers, lawmakers, and citizens alike: all statutes and decrees must mirror God’s character—righteous, protective, and life-giving. Where they do not, judgment is certain; where repentance follows, mercy is ready.
X.(1) Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees . . .--The division of the chapters is again misleading. Isaiah 10:1-4 continue the discourse of Isaiah 9, and end with the final knell, "For all this . . ." With Isaiah 10:5 a new section begins, and is carried on to Isaiah 12:6, which deals, for the first time in the collection of Isaiah's writings, exclusively with Assyria, and is followed in its turn by utterances that deal with Babylon and other nations. The formula with which the section opens reminds us of that of Isaiah 5:8; Isaiah 5:11; Isaiah 5:18; Isaiah 5:22, and suggests the thought that the prophet is speaking not only or chiefly of the northern kingdom, as in Isaiah 9:21, but of Israel as including Judah. The evils the prophet denounces are, it will be noted, identical with those in Isaiah 1:23; Isaiah 5:23. For the second clause of the verse, read, "and the scribes who register oppression." All the formalities of justice were observed punctiliously. The decision of the unjust judge was duly given and recorded, but the outcome of it all was that the poor, the widow, and the fatherless got no redress. The words for "prey" and "rob" are those used in the mysterious name of Isaiah 8:1. They occur again in Isaiah 10:6. It would seem as if the prophet sought in this way to impress the thought of the great law of divine retribution. Men were reaping as they had sown. . . .
Verses 1-4. - The prophecy begun in Isaiah 9:8 terminates with this stanza, which contains a warning against injustice and oppression, addressed to Israel and Judah equally, and accompanied by the threat of a "day of desolation," when those who have refused to make God their Refuge will have no resource, but to go into captivity with the "prisoners," or to perish with the "slain." A foreign conquest, accompanied by slaughter, and the deportation of captives, is not obscurely intimated. Verse 1. - Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees (comp. Isaiah 1:17, 20, 26; Isaiah 5:23, etc.). The perversion of judgment from the judgment-seat is the sin rebuked. It was certainly prevalent in Judah, it may also have been practiced in Israel. And that write grievousness, etc. Translate, and unto the writers that enregister oppression. The decrees of courts were, it is clear, carefully engrossed by the officials, probably upon parchment, every outward formality being observed, while justice itself was set at naught.