Charles Ellicott Commentary Isaiah 57:16

"For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls that I have made." — Isaiah 57:16 (ASV)

I will not contend for ever ... —The words come as a message of comfort to the penitent who is still bearing the chastisement of his sins. The time during which God “contends” with him as an accuser and a judge has its limits. Were it not so, the souls which He had made would be utterly consumed, and His purpose in creation would be frustrated. The words seem like an echo of Genesis 6:3; Genesis 8:21. .