This verse refers to the collapse of society due to the oppression.

The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases: The people of Judah no longer use the roads because of the oppressing army in their land. The highways lie waste means the roads are abandoned (compare Lev 26.22). For highways see the comments on 7.3. The wayfaring man ceases means nobody travels anymore. The wayfaring man is literally “the one who goes along the path.” This phrase refers to a person who travels. In Old Testament times people traveled by walking or riding donkeys. Translators need to be careful not to give the impression that the text is talking about modern highways or modern means of travel. Good News Translation combines these two parallel lines, making explicit why the people don’t travel anymore: “The roads are so dangerous that no one travels on them.”

Covenants are broken, witnesses are despised, there is no regard for man: These three lines describe a complete breakdown in human relationships. In the Hebrew text all the terms are singular, except the word for witnesses. The text is literally “someone has broken a treaty, someone has despised witnesses, no one has valued humankind.” In this general context about the breakdown of society the singular terms have a plural sense. However, Bible en français courant and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch maintain singulars in their translation. They believe the text is referring to a certain tyrant who disrupts the social order. Bible en français courant has “The tyrant has broken the covenant, he has moved its witnesses out of the way, he has only contempt for the people.” We recommend a plural sense here.

Covenants are broken means people everywhere are breaking their contracts. The Hebrew word for covenants is a key term in the Old Testament, often referring to the relationship between Yahweh and his people (see 24.5). However, it can also refer to any contract or arrangement between individuals; see, for example, 1 Sam 23.18 for the covenant between David and Jonathan.

Witnesses are despised has a textual problem. Masoretic Text has “cities” rather than witnesses. A scribe could have accidentally changed the Hebrew word for witnesses (ʿedim) to the one for “cities” (ʿarim), since it was easy to confuse the Hebrew letters r and d. Some translations have followed a suggestion that the word rendered witnesses should be understood as an Aramaic term meaning “treaty.” This view is found in Good News Translation and Revised English Bible. Dead Sea Scrolls confirms that witnesses is the correct reading, and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project cautiously recommends it. So this line means that people everywhere ignore or disbelieve those who witness oaths being taken or who give evidence as witnesses. For the Hebrew verb rendered are despised, see the comments at 30.12.

There is no regard for man describes a society in which people do what suits them, without regard for others. This line may also mean that there is no longer any regard for human life in the broadest sense.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Highways are desolate and travelers have ceased.
People do not keep agreements,
they do not believe witnesses,
they do not care about others.

• Roads are abandoned, nobody travels on them.
Contracts are dishonored,
testimony is ignored,
there is no regard for human life.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .