The show of their countenance does witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe to their soul! for they have rewarded evil to themselves.
the shew
Isaiah 3:16 Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
1 Samuel 15:32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
2 Kings 9:30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.
and they declare
Genesis 13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Genesis 18:20,21 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; …
Genesis 19:5-9 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them…
woe
Lamentations 5:16 The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!
Hosea 13:9 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.
and like Sodom they flaunt their sin
The comparison to Sodom is significant, as Sodom is synonymous with extreme wickedness and divine judgment (Genesis 19). The people of Judah are not only sinning but doing so openly and proudly, without fear of consequences. This brazen attitude reflects a society that has lost its moral compass, similar to the inhabitants of Sodom who were judged for their grievous sins. The reference serves as a warning of impending judgment if there is no repentance.
they do not conceal it
The lack of concealment of their sin indicates a hardened heart and a society that has normalized immorality. In contrast, Proverbs 28:13 states that those who conceal their sins do not prosper, but those who confess and renounce them find mercy. The open display of sin suggests a community that has become desensitized to wrongdoing, further inviting divine judgment.
Woe to them
"Woe" is a term often used by prophets to announce impending doom or judgment. It is a declaration of sorrow and warning, indicating that the people are on a path leading to destruction. This prophetic warning is consistent with other biblical passages where "woe" is pronounced upon those who reject God's ways, such as in Matthew 23, where Jesus pronounces woes upon the Pharisees for their hypocrisy.
for they have brought disaster upon themselves
This phrase underscores the principle of sowing and reaping, as seen in Galatians 6:7-8. The disaster is a direct consequence of their actions, emphasizing personal responsibility and the inevitable outcome of living in defiance of God's laws. The self-inflicted nature of their calamity serves as a sobering reminder that sin carries inherent consequences, and turning away from God leads to destruction.
Isaiah points first to something everyone can see: attitude written openly on the face. God is saying that guilt is visible long before a sentence is handed down.
• In Proverbs 6:12-14 the schemer “signals with his eyes,” showing trouble before a word is spoken.
• Jeremiah 5:3 notes that hardened rebels “made their faces harder than rock,” unresponsive to correction.
• Genesis 4:5-6 shows how Cain’s fallen countenance signaled the sin boiling inside.
When the heart rebels, the face tells on it. God’s judgment is therefore perfectly fair—He sees the evidence broadcast in plain sight.
The comparison to Sodom underscores outrageous, aggressive wickedness.
• Genesis 13:13 calls the men of Sodom “wicked, sinning greatly against the LORD.”
• Ezekiel 16:49-50 details arrogance, excess, and shameless acts that invited fire from heaven.
• Jude 7 reminds believers that Sodom’s public immorality stands as “an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.”
Isaiah’s audience was not merely sinning; they were celebrating it. The mention of Sodom signals that the cup of iniquity is full and divine response imminent.
Sin has moved from the shadows to the spotlight.
• Jeremiah 6:15 laments people who “were not ashamed at all; they did not even know how to blush.”
• Psalm 73:6-9 describes the proud whose “iniquity comes out of their hearts; the imaginations of their hearts run wild.”
• Philippians 3:18-19 warns of those who “glory in their shame.”
Refusal to hide wickedness shows a seared conscience, the final stage before judgment falls.
“Woe” is God’s alarm siren—a sorrow-laden cry that disaster is at the door.
• Isaiah 5:20 pronounces woe on those who redefine good and evil.
• Matthew 23:13 records Jesus repeating the same word to hypocrites who lead others astray.
The Lord does not delight in punishment; the woe reveals His broken heart over people racing toward ruin.
God’s judgment is never arbitrary; it is the harvest of what people freely sow.
• Proverbs 1:31 declares that the stubborn “will eat the fruit of their own way.”
• Galatians 6:7-8 warns, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, he will reap.”
• Isaiah 1:31 had already told Judah that their own works would spark the fire that consumes them.
The disaster is self-inflicted. God merely allows the consequences of rebellion to roll back on the rebels.
Isaiah 3:9 paints a courtroom scene where the evidence is undeniable: faces, lifestyles, and open celebrations of sin testify against a people who have lost the ability to blush. Like Sodom, they parade wickedness; like Cain, their countenance betrays inner revolt. God’s “woe” is both verdict and plea—warning that the catastrophe they have engineered will soon return upon their own heads. Turning from sin and hiding in the Savior’s righteousness remains the only sure refuge.
(9) They declare their sin as Sodom.--The comparison is, it should be remembered, of probably an earlier date than that in Isaiah 1:10. In the reign of Ahaz (perhaps the prophet, editing in his old age, thought also of that of Manasseh) there was not even the homage which vice pays to virtue by feigning a virtue which it has not. Men fell into an utter shamelessness, like that of the cities of the plain (Genesis 19:5), generally in the luxury and profligacy of their lives (Ezekiel 16:49), perhaps also with a more definite and horrible resemblance (1Kings 14:24; 1Kings 15:12; 2Kings 23:7). . . . Verse 9. - The show of their countenance doth witness against them. This is not in itself a sin, but it is a sign of frequent and habitual sin. Vice, long indulged in, stamps its mark upon the countenance, giving men what is called "a bad expression" - a guilty and hardened look. It does not require a skilled physiognomist to detect at a glance the habitual criminal or sensualist. They declare their sin as Sodom. Not only does their countenance betray them, but, like the Sodomites (Genesis 19:5, 9), they boldly and impudently declare their wicked purposes beforehand, and make no attempt at concealment. Hypocrisy has been said to be the homage that vice pays to virtue. Where there is none, where vice has ceased to shroud or veil itself, a very advanced stage of wickedness has been reached. They have rewarded evil unto themselves. They have "received in themselves the recompense of their error which was meet" (Romans 1:27). Their sins have at once marred their countenance and injured their moral nature.