Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
Isaiah opens with a covenant lawsuit against Judah, indicting their rebellion and hollow sacrifices. Verse 18 turns from accusation to an astonishing offer of cleansing.
What Does Isaiah 1:18 Mean?
Isaiah 1:18 is God's open invitation to a people stained by sin, promising that even the deepest guilt can be made clean. The setting is a courtroom appeal: after exposing Judah's empty worship and bloodstained hands, the LORD does not slam the door but says "Come now, and let us reason together." This is the language of a willing reconciler, not a distant judge.
The two color comparisons are vivid and deliberate. Scarlet and crimson were dyes that soaked permanently into fabric -- impossible for human hands to remove. That is the point: what people cannot undo, God can. "White as snow" and "as wool" picture a complete reversal, a cleansing that comes from God's side of the relationship. Yet the invitation still calls for a response; the surrounding verses tie the promise to turning from evil and choosing obedience. Mercy is offered freely, and it asks the heart to come and reason, to return rather than rebel. For the burdened conscience, this verse remains one of Scripture's clearest assurances that no sin is beyond the reach of the One who calls.
In the Original Language
The plea "let us reason together" renders the Hebrew nivvakechah, a legal term for arguing a case or settling a dispute. The cleansing word picture uses tashlig, related to snow.
Cross References
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
- Psalm 51:7
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
- 1 John 1:9
“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?”
- Micah 7:18
Application
Bring your worst failures honestly to God rather than hiding them; the invitation to reason together is still open to anyone willing to come.