For it is a people that provoketh to wrath, and lying children, children that will not hear the law of God.

That a rebellious people is this, sons, liars, Sons not willing to hear the law of Jehovah.

For they are an uncontrolled people, false-hearted, who will not give ear to the teaching of the Lord:

For it is a rebellious people, lying children, children that refuse to hear the teaching of the LORD;

For they are a people who provoke to wrath, and they are lying sons, sons unwilling to listen to the law of God.

Quod populus hic rebellis sit, filii mendaces, filii qui recusant audire legem Iohivæ.

For this is a rebellious people. The word for or because points to the explanation of what has been already said; for the Prophet explains what the Lord intends to declare to posterity, namely, that the perverseness of this nation is desperate, because they cannot submit to be restrained by any doctrine. That the honorable appellation of the "people" wounded to the quick the hearts both of the ordinary ranks and of the nobles, may be inferred from their loud vaunting; for they boasted that they were the holy and elect seed of Abraham; as if God's adoption had been a veil to cover the grossest crimes. But God commands that their crimes shall nevertheless be brought to light and openly proclaimed. Who refuse to hear the law of Jehovah. By accusing them of this, he points out the source of all evils, namely, contempt of the word, which discovers their wickedness and their contempt of God himself; for it is idle to pretend that they worship God, when they are disobedient to his word. Isaiah likewise aggravates their guilt, by saying that they reject the remedy which doctrine offers for curing their diseases. On this account he calls them not only "rebellious," and untameable or abandoned, but liars or treacherous persons; for they who refuse to obey the word of God, openly revolt from him, as if they could not endure his authority; and at the same time, they shew that they are given up to vanity and the delusions of Satan, so that they take no pleasure in sincerity.

That this is a rebellious people - (see the note at Isaiah 1:2).
Lying children - They had promised in solemn covenant to take Yahweh as their God, but they had been unfaithful to their vows.

That this [is] a rebellious people, lying children, children [that] will not (i) hear the law of the LORD:
(i) He shows what was the cause of their destruction and brings also all misery to man: that is, because they would not hear the word of God, but delighted to be flattered and led in error.

That this is a rebellious people,.... This, with what follows, is what the Lord would have written and engrossed, and remain for ever; or this is a reason why he would have it, for so the words be rendered, "for", or "because, this is a rebellious people (l)"; rebellious against God and his commands; they are called "rebellious children" before, Isaiah 30:1 and, as it follows,
lying children; false spurious ones, only called, not truly, the children of God, and lied when they called themselves so, and were guilty of lying also, not only to God, but to one another:
children that will not hear the law of the Lord; either read, or explained, at least, not so as to be obedient to it; and such must be rebellious ones, and deserve not to be called the children of God. The Targum is,
"children that like not to receive the doctrine of the law of the Lord.''
(l) "nam populus", Forerius, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius; "quia", Pagninus, Montanus.

lying--unfaithful to Jehovah, whose covenant they had taken on them as His adopted children (Isaiah 59:13; Proverbs 30:9).

It was necessary that the worthlessness of the help of Egypt should be placed in this way before the eyes of the people. "For it is a refractory people, lying children, children who do not like to hear the instruction of Jehovah, who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things! Speak flatteries to us! Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, remove from our face the Holy One of Israel." On the expression ‛am merı̄ (a people of stubbornness), see at Isaiah 3:8. The vowel-pointing of כחשׁהים follows the same rule as that of החכם. The prophet traces back their words to an unvarnished expression of their true meaning, just as he does in Isaiah 28:15. They forbid the prophets of Jehovah to prophesy, more especially nekhōchōth, straight or true things (things not agreeable to their own wishes), but would rather hear chălâqōth, i.e., smooth, insinuating, and flattering things, and even mahăthallōth (from hâthal, Talm. tal, ludere), i.e., illusions or deceits. Their desire was to be entertained and lauded, not repelled and instructed. The prophets are to adopt another course (מנּי only occurs here, and that twice, instead of the more usual מנּי = מן, after the form אלי, עלי), and not trouble them any more with the Holy One of Israel, whom they (at least Isaiah, who is most fond of calling Jehovah by this name) have always in their mouths.