Isaiah 29:13 kjv
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
Isaiah 29:13 nkjv
Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
Isaiah 29:13 niv
The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
Isaiah 29:13 esv
And the Lord said: "Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
Isaiah 29:13 nlt
And so the Lord says,
"These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.
Isaiah 29 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 29:13 | You worship me with your lips, but your hearts are far from me. | Direct Statement |
| Mark 7:6 | "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." | Fulfillment/Echo (Jesus quotes Isaiah) |
| Matt 15:8 | "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." | Fulfillment/Echo (Jesus quotes Isaiah) |
| Col 2:22 | "These are all 3 to be used in the "wider service" of worship, but they stand before God." | Human traditions in worship |
| Titus 1:14 | not indulging in Jewish myths or the commands of people who turn away from the truth. | Commands of men |
| 1 Sam 15:22 | "To obey is better than sacrifice..." | Obedience over ritual |
| Psa 51:16 | "You do not delight in sacrifice... but you would not despise a broken and contrite heart, O God." | Heart Contrition Valued |
| Hosea 6:6 | "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." | Mercy and Knowledge preferred |
| Jer 3:10 | God says Judah "has not returned to me with all her heart, though she pretended to." | Pretended return |
| Amos 5:21 | "I hate, I despise your religious festivals... But let justice roll on like a river..." | Hypocritical worship |
| Ezek 33:31 | "My people come to you… and listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice." | Listening but not practicing |
| John 4:24 | "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." | True worship in Spirit/Truth |
| Rom 12:1 | "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." | Living Sacrifice/True Worship |
| 1 Pet 1:14 | "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance." | Obedient heart |
| Heb 10:22 | "let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings..." | Sincere Heart |
| Gal 5:6 | "faith working through love." | Faith Expressed in Love |
| Matt 23:25 | "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and evil." | Outer Purity, Inner Corruption |
| 2 Tim 3:5 | "having a form of godliness but denying its power." | Form of Godliness, no Power |
| Deut 6:5 | "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." | Love God with Entire Being |
| Ps 40:6 | "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—but you have given me opened ears—burnt offerings and sin offerings you have not required." | Opened Ears, Understanding |
Isaiah 29 verses
Isaiah 29 13 Meaning
The Lord acknowledges a lip service or outward show of devotion that lacks genuine inner heart-devotion. This action is seen as teaching human traditions, a religious observance not rooted in sincere worship but in man-made rules.
Isaiah 29 13 Context
Isaiah chapter 29 is a judgment prophecy against Jerusalem, often called "Ariel" (Lion of God). The chapter describes a siege and downfall of the city, emphasizing God's severe judgment upon His people for their hypocrisy and unfaithfulness. This specific verse addresses the outward religious practices of the people, particularly the religious leaders, which were performed without genuine devotion. Despite their ritualistic observances, their hearts remained distant from God. The prophecy highlights the spiritual blindness and disobedience that would lead to their judgment, contrasting it with the future restoration and true worship God desires.
Isaiah 29 13 Word Analysis
- And (Hebrew: וְ, wə) - Conjunction connecting clauses, often indicating sequence or cause. Here it links the accusation of outward worship with the deeper spiritual state.
- it - Refers to the "drawing near" or "honoring" of the people.
- cometh (Hebrew: בָּא, ba) - To come, to arrive, to happen. The coming is in action or practice.
- near (Hebrew: קָרַב, qarav) - To come near, to approach, to draw near. Denotes physical or ceremonial proximity.
- with (Hebrew: בְּ, bə) - Preposition indicating by means of, in, with.
- their - Possessive pronoun referring to the people.
- mouth (Hebrew: פֶּה, peh) - The organ of speech; used metonymically for the words spoken.
- and (Hebrew: וְ, wə) - Conjunction.
- with (Hebrew: בְּ, bə) - Preposition.
- their - Possessive pronoun.
- lips (Hebrew: שְׂפָתַים, śəp̄āṯayim) - The organs of speech; used metonymically for the words spoken. Often paired with 'mouth' to emphasize the entirety of vocal expression.
- do (Hebrew: עָשָׂה, ʿāśâ) - To do, to make, to act.
- honour (Hebrew: כָּבַד, kāḇaḏ) - To be heavy, weighty, honored. Here implies reverence and respect shown outwardly.
- me (Hebrew: אֹתִי, ʾōṯî) - Direct object pronoun for God.
- but (Hebrew: כִּי, kî) - A conjunction introducing a reason, cause, or explanation; can also function as "but" or "for".
- their - Possessive pronoun.
- heart (Hebrew: לֵב, lēḇ) - The inner seat of emotion, intellect, and will; the core of a person's being.
- is (Hebrew: הָיָה, hāyâ) - Verb 'to be'.
- put (Hebrew: שׂוּם, śūm) - To place, set, lay; here implies setting or fixing attention and devotion.
- far (Hebrew: רָחַק, rāḥaq) - To be distant, far off.
- from (Hebrew: מִן, min) - Preposition indicating separation.
- me (Hebrew: מִמֶּנִּי, mimmēnnî) - From me.
Word Group Analysis:
- "drawn near... with their mouth, and honour me with their lips": This phrase captures the essence of superficial religiosity. The people are physically present, speaking the right words of worship, performing rituals (implied by 'drawing near' and 'honoring'), but their outward actions do not reflect an inward commitment.
- "but their heart is far from me": This is the core indictment. The contrast ("but") highlights the disconnect. The heart, representing their true selves, their will, desires, and affections, is alienated from God. This is a severe spiritual condition, where religious observance is merely a performance.
- "for [or because]... [they] put their hope [or devotion] far from me": The reason for the heart's distance is given. The word "put" implies a conscious choice or habitual disposition. They have set their affections, desires, or confidence elsewhere.
Isaiah 29 13 Bonus Section
The concept of "honoring with the lips" versus the "heart being far" is echoed significantly in the New Testament. Jesus directly quotes this passage when rebuking the Pharisees and scribes in Mark 7:6 and Matthew 15:8, demonstrating the timeless nature of this spiritual hypocrisy. The Apostle Paul also warns against a mere "form of godliness" without its power (2 Timothy 3:5). The prophet Isaiah's message here underscores that God's standards for worship are internal, calling for genuine love, repentance, and obedience, not just outward observance. This verse also serves as a precursor to Jesus' teaching on true worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). The "teaching of commandments of men" mentioned in the surrounding verses (Isaiah 29:14) further clarifies that this disconnect often arises when human traditions supersede God's divine commands and true spiritual connection.
Isaiah 29 13 Commentary
This verse pinpoints a critical flaw in worship: the disconnect between outward performance and inward sincerity. God desires a wholehearted devotion. Lip service and ritual devoid of a loving, obedient heart are unacceptable and viewed as a form of hypocrisy. The people were honoring God with their words and perhaps their presence, but their true loyalties, thoughts, and desires were elsewhere, making their actions meaningless in God's sight. This is not merely a failure in worship but a reflection of a deeper spiritual problem – an alienated heart. True worship engages the entire person, originating from a heart transformed by love and submission to God.