Isaiah 57:8

Behind the door and doorpost you have set up your memorial. Forsaking Me, you uncovered your bed; you climbed up and opened it wide. And you have made a pact with those whose bed you have loved; you have gazed upon their nakedness.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The prophet delivers Yahweh’s indictment to Israel, addressing the moment immediately after describing their open high-place worship by detailing their concealed idolatry.

The words — The Hebrew phrase וְ/אַחַ֤ר הַ/דֶּ֙לֶת֙ (ve./'a.Char ha./De.let) literally means "behind the door," identifying the hidden location where the people placed their idolatrous memorial.

The thread — This pattern of concealed alliances and spiritual adultery appears in Ezekiel 8:8, Ezekiel 16:25, and Ezekiel 16:32, where hidden shrines and covenant-breaking are similarly condemned.

Why it lands — The text states that forsaking God to open alliances with other powers degrades the covenant relationship, requiring the reader to abandon secret substitutions and restore exclusive loyalty.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְאַחַ֤רve./'a.Charand/ behind הַדֶּ֙לֶת֙ha./De.letthe/ door וְהַמְּזוּזָ֔הve./ha./me.zu.Zahand/ the/ doorpost שַׂ֖מְתְּsamtyou have set up זִכְרוֹנֵ֑ךְzikh.ro.Ne/khmemorial/ your כִּ֣יkifor מֵאִתִּ֞יme./'i.T/ifrom/ with <the>/ me גִּלִּ֣יתgi.Lityou have uncovered וַֽתַּעֲלִ֗יva./ta.'a.Liand/ you have gone up הִרְחַ֤בְתְּhir.Chavtyou have made wide מִשְׁכָּבֵךְ֙mish.ka.ve/Khbed/ your וַתִּכְרָת־va./tikh.rot-and/ you have cut offלָ֣ךְla/khfor <the>/ yourselfמֵהֶ֔םme./Hemfrom <the>/ themאָהַ֥בְתְּ'a.Havtyou have loved מִשְׁכָּבָ֖םmish.ka.Va/mbed/ their יָ֥דyada hand חָזִֽית׃cha.Zityou have seen

King James Version

Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it.

Cross-references

Ezekiel 8:8 “Son of man,” He told me, “dig through the wall.” So I dug through the wall and discovered a doorway.
Ezekiel 16:25 At the head of every street you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty. With increasing promiscuity, you spread your legs to all who passed by.
Ezekiel 16:32 You adulterous wife! You receive strangers instead of your own husband!
Ezekiel 23:2 “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother,
Ezekiel 23:41 You sat on a couch of luxury with a table spread before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil,