Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter_Kirk AT sil.org]

The (English) Revised Version has "I cannot away with iniquity and the 
solemn meeting". NRSV is similar: "I cannot endure solemn assemblies 
with iniquity". Apart from the archaic English of RV, these seem to me 
to capture the thought better than NIV in two ways.

First, they avoids linking the two objects too closely: the Hebrew 
does not necessarily mean that the assemblies themselves are evil, but 
rather that they are accompanied by evil. This surely is the theme of 
the passage, see verses 15-16: these ceremonies are rejected not 
because they are intrinsically evil (after all, they were commanded by 
God through Moses) because the people do evil at the same time.

Second, these versions avoid adding an extra personal pronoun. There 
is no equivalent to "your" in the Hebrew. Indeed in the whole verse 
there is only the implied subject of the imperative in the first line 
is second person. So YHWH through Isaiah is making a more general 
point, even one applicable today (sorry, no preaching!), that 
religious practices accompanied by evil deeds are never acceptable to 
him. So in verse 14 YHWH brings the point home more personally, and 
gives the explanation in verses 15-16.

Peter Kirk