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Numbers 19:11,16-20
He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days…

Deuteronomy 18:11
Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

Matthew 8:28
And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

which eat

Isaiah 66:3,17
He that killeth an oxis as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb,as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation,as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense,as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations…

Leviticus 11:7
And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; heis unclean to you.

Deuteronomy 14:8
And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, itis unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.

broth, or, pieces

Exodus 23:19
The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

Exodus 34:26
The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

Deuteronomy 14:3,21
Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing…

spending nights in secret places
This phrase implies engaging in occult practices or idolatrous rituals conducted under the cover of darkness. Such activities were often associated with pagan worship, which included secretive rites and ceremonies. The secrecy suggests a willful rebellion against God's commandments, as these actions were hidden from the community but not from God. The Bible frequently contrasts light and darkness, with darkness symbolizing sin and separation from God (John 3:19-20). This behavior indicates a preference for darkness over the light of God's truth.

eating the meat of pigs
Pigs were considered unclean animals according to Levitical law (Leviticus 11:7-8). Consuming pork was a direct violation of dietary laws given to the Israelites, symbolizing a rejection of God's holiness standards. This act represents a broader disregard for God's commandments and a willingness to adopt Gentile practices. The consumption of unclean food is often used metaphorically in Scripture to illustrate spiritual defilement and rebellion against God (Isaiah 66:17). It highlights the people's choice to satisfy their desires over obedience to God.

and polluted broth from their bowls
This phrase suggests the consumption of ritually impure food, further emphasizing the theme of defilement. The term "polluted" indicates a violation of purity laws, which were central to maintaining a right relationship with God. The use of "bowls" may imply participation in idolatrous feasts or rituals, where such food was offered to idols. This behavior reflects a syncretism, blending pagan practices with the worship of Yahweh, which was condemned throughout the Old Testament (1 Kings 18:21). It underscores the spiritual corruption and apostasy of the people, who have turned away from God's covenant.

- Isaiah describes people “who sit among the graves” (Isaiah 65:4), picturing men and women deliberately lingering in cemeteries—places regarded as ceremonially unclean (Numbers 19:16).

- Such activity points to occult practices that seek contact with the dead. God had already forbidden necromancy: “There shall not be found among you…a medium or a spiritist or one who consults the dead” (Deuteronomy 18:10-11).

- By choosing tombs over the living presence of God, Judah mirrored the demoniac who “lived among the tombs” (Mark 5:2-3), illustrating bondage rather than freedom.

- The practice was a public rejection of God’s commands and a blatant embrace of darkness.

- The phrase “spending nights in secret places” hints at clandestine rituals done under cover of darkness (John 3:20).

- Isaiah’s contemporaries likely crept into caves or shrines to perform forbidden rites, echoing Saul’s midnight visit to the medium at Endor (1 Samuel 28:7-8) and the hidden idolatry Ezekiel later saw: elders worshiping images “in the dark” (Ezekiel 8:7-12).

- The secrecy underscores willful rebellion; rather than worshiping God in the light of His temple, they preferred concealed, mystical experiences.

- God’s law was clear: “the pig…is unclean for you” (Leviticus 11:7). Yet these people openly consumed what was forbidden.

- Pig-eating became shorthand for defiant disobedience (Isaiah 66:17) and a sign of assimilation into pagan worship where pork was common on idolatrous altars.

- Their appetite showed their heart: they valued cultural convenience over covenant loyalty.

- The “polluted broth” refers to soup or juice left after boiling unclean flesh, ceremonially contaminating all who drank it (Leviticus 11:34).

- Holding it “in their bowls” captures the image of savoring what God called abominable, much like those who “drink wine in the house of their god” (Amos 2:8).

- Instead of the pure offerings God desired (Leviticus 7:19-21), they delighted in corrupted fare, flaunting impurity as though it were a feast.

Isaiah 65:4 exposes a people who intentionally toyed with death, secrecy, and uncleanness—sitting among graves, hiding in dark places, relishing pork, and slurping defiled stew. Each act violated explicit commands, showcasing hearts hardened against the Lord. The verse warns that outward rituals reveal inner rebellion, and God sees every hidden practice. His faithful are called to reject the darkness, choose purity, and live openly in His light.

Lodge in the monuments . . .--Here, again, the words probably point to practices more or less idolatrous, and common among the heathen of the time. Jerome (in loc.) notes the fact that men went to sleep in the crypts of the Temple of 'sculapius, in the hope of gaining visions of the future, and translatesin delubris idolorum.

Which eat swine's flesh.--The flesh of swine was apparently forbidden, not on sanitary grounds only or chiefly, but because that animal was sacrificed in the festivals of Thammuz (Ezekiel 8:14), or Adonis. (Comp.Isaiah 66:17.) It may be noted, as against the view that the verse points to the practices of the Babylonian exiles, that no reference to swine has been found in any cuneiform inscriptions. In Egypt, as in Palestine, it was looked upon as unclean (Herod. ii. 47, 48). On the worship of Thammuz, see an article by the Rev. A. H. Sayce, in theContemporary Reviewfor September, 1883. . . .