Charles Ellicott Commentary Isaiah 30:1

"Woe to the rebellious children, saith Jehovah, that take counsel, but not of me; and that make a league, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin," — Isaiah 30:1 (ASV)

Woe to the rebellious children ... —The interjection perhaps expresses sorrow rather than indignation, Alas, for ... ! as in Isaiah 1:4. The prophet hears that the intrigues of the palace have at last resulted in favor of an alliance with Egypt, and that an embassy has already been sent.

That cover with a covering. —Better, that weave a web. The word was aptly chosen then, as now, to describe the subtle intricacies of a double-dealing diplomacy. Some, however, render “form a molten image,” not as referring to actual idolatry, but to the trust in human plans which the prophet condemns.