ris3n's Apologetics Codex
Isaiah 8.19
Page Nav

Passage

Isaiah 8.19

Book: Isaiah · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

There are ads on our codex that pay for hosting and keep the codex free. If you can, please consider whitelisting ris3n.com or allowing scripts to support the work.

Sponsored

Brands, events, influencers advertise here

ASV

17. And I will wait for Jehovah, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. 18. Behold, I and the children whom Jehovah hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Jehovah of hosts, who dwelleth in mount Zion.

19. And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto the wizards, that chirp and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? on behalf of the living should they seek unto the dead?

  1. To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them. 21. And they shall pass through it, sore distressed and hungry; and it shall come to pass that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their king and by their God, and turn their faces upward: (Isaiah 8:17-21, ASV)
WEB

17. I will wait for Yahweh, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. 18. Behold, I and the children whom Yahweh has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Yahweh of Armies, who dwells in Mount Zion.

19. When they tell you, “Consult with those who have familiar spirits and with the wizards, who chirp and who mutter:” shouldn’t a people consult with their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?

  1. Turn to the law and to the testimony! If they don’t speak according to this word, surely there is no morning for them. 21. They will pass through it, very distressed and hungry; and it will happen that when they are hungry, they will worry, and curse by their king and by their God. They will turn their faces upward, (Isaiah 8:17-21, WEB)
KJV

17. And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. 18. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

19. And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

  1. To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. no: Heb. no morning 21. And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. (Isaiah 8:17-21, KJV)
YLT

17. And I have waited for Jehovah, Who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob, And I have looked for Him. 18. Lo, I, and the children whom Jehovah hath given to me, [Are] for signs and for wonders in Israel, From Jehovah of Hosts, who is dwelling in Mount Zion.

19. And when they say unto you, 'Seek unto those having familiar spirits, And unto wizards, who chatter and mutter, Doth not a people seek unto its God?, For the living unto the dead!

  1. To the law and to the testimony! If not, let them say after this manner, 'That there is no dawn to it.' 21. And it hath passed over into it, hardened and hungry, And it hath come to pass, That it is hungry, and hath been wroth, And made light of its king, and of its God, And hath looked upwards. (Isaiah 8:17-21, YLT)

See this page's graph and discover linked topics

Setting

  • Speaker: Isaiah the prophet, continuing the warning YHWH gave him "with a strong hand" (8:11)
  • Audience: Isaiah's disciples and the faithful in Judah ("unto you," plural), as distinct from "this people" who fear the wrong things (8:12, 8:16)
  • Location: Jerusalem
  • Time period: The Syro-Ephraimite crisis of c. 734-732 BC, when Aram and the northern kingdom of Israel threatened Judah under King Ahaz (7:1-2) and Assyria was about to sweep through the region (8:7-8)

Theological reading

"And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto the wizards, that chirp and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? on behalf of the living should they seek unto the dead?" In a time of national fear, people urge the faithful to consult mediums. The prophet answers with two questions.

The practices named. "Familiar spirits" (Strong's H178, ov) and "wizards" (H3049, yiddeoni, from the verb "to know") are the same pair named in the law: "a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer ... is an abomination unto Jehovah" (Deuteronomy 18:11-12). Saul broke that law when he sought "a woman that hath a familiar spirit" at En-dor (1 Samuel 28:7). The mediums "chirp" (H6850) and "mutter" (H1897), the faint sounds associated with voices claimed to come from the dead.

Two questions. "Should not a people seek (H1875) unto their God (H430)?" The living God is available, so turning to the dead is a step away from him, not an addition to faith. "On behalf of the living should they seek unto the dead (H4191)?" The dead cannot give the living what only God gives. The prophet's alternative follows at once: "To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them" (8:20). God's written word, not a medium, is the test.

Why it still applies. Seeking guidance from spirits and the dead is a recurring feature of modern spirituality, through mediums, channelling and séances. New Age Spirituality vs the Christian God cites this verse as the Bible's direct answer: go to God, and test every voice by what he has already said. See Deuteronomy 18.10-12 and 1 Samuel 28.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

Notes

Your annotations.

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.