Isa 1:16-20 | TNotes | STEP | 1:16 Wash ... and be clean! The people were defiled by their sin and the uncleanness of their sacrifices. To be clean in God’s eyes, they needed to change their behavior, get rid of their sins , and give up their evil ways (see also 1:18 ).

1:16 ^a Wash ... and be clean! The people were defiled by their sin and the uncleanness of their sacrifices. To be clean in God’s eyes, they needed to change their behavior, get rid of their sins, and give up their evil ways (see also 1:18 ^b).
1:17 ^c Seeking justice means upholding God’s standards of fairness and advancing the rights of the oppressed, orphans, and widows—those who are weak and marginalized in society (see also Jer 7:5-7 ^d; 22:3 ^e; Zech 7:10 ^f; Matt 23:23 ^g; 25:31-46 ^h; Jas 1:27 ⁱ).
1:18 ^j God called his people to come and settle their dispute so that he could restore his covenant relationship with them. This required Judah to make a decision between obeying or turning away (1:19-20 ^k). Isaiah says their sins are like scarlet ... they are red like crimson, the color of blood, which Judah had unjustly shed (1:15 ^l).

• white as snow ... white as wool: The people would be radically transformed—cleansed, purified, and made holy (see also Ps 51:7 ^m; Dan 7:9 ⁿ).
Summary for Isa 1:19-20: 1:19-20 ^o Repentance leads to life, whereas resisting God’s will and turning away from him results in death (see Deut 11:26-28 ^p; 28:1-62 ^q).
1:20 ^r I, the Lord, have spoken! This statement marks the solemnity of what God has just promised. The phrase is used eleven times in Isaiah.