Isaiah 29 14

Isaiah 29:14 kjv

Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Isaiah 29:14 nkjv

Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden."

Isaiah 29:14 niv

Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

Isaiah 29:14 esv

therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden."

Isaiah 29:14 nlt

Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites
with amazing wonders.
The wisdom of the wise will pass away,
and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear."

Isaiah 29 14 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Isaiah 29:14"I will again do a marvelous work and a wonder..."Isaiah 5:12 (Perdition of the wise)
Isaiah 29:14"...the wisdom of their wise men shall be hidden."1 Corinthians 1:19 (God makes wise foolish)
Isaiah 29:14"For the Lord has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep..."Romans 11:8 (Spirit of stupor)
Isaiah 29:14"...and has closed their eyes..."Acts 28:26-27 (Eyes blinded)
Isaiah 29:14"...their eyes the prophets, and your rulers, the seers, He has covered."Proverbs 28:5 (No understanding of good)
Isaiah 29:14"The vision of all has become like the words of a sealed book."Psalm 78:2 (Enigmas from ancient times)
Isaiah 29:14"Which a man who knows books can read, saying, 'Read this,'..."Daniel 12:4, 9 (Words sealed)
Isaiah 29:14"...and he says, 'I cannot, for it is sealed.'"Revelation 5:3-4 (No one found worthy to open)
Isaiah 29:14"Then the people will not know this wisdom."Jeremiah 8:9 (They have rejected God's word)
Isaiah 29:14"The Lord has done this," spoken against Him, and the wisdom...Isaiah 45:9 (Challenging God's power)
Isaiah 29:14"...that He brought them to this point."Lamentations 1:18 (God is righteous)
Isaiah 29:14"But what of the wise? They are utterly ruined."Isaiah 19:11-14 (Princes of Zoan foolish)
Isaiah 29:14"They scorn the message of the Lord and have rejected Him."Proverbs 1:7 (Rebellion)
Isaiah 29:14"I will again do a marvelous work and a wonder..."Exodus 15:11 (God's majesty)
Isaiah 29:14"...And the wisdom of their wise men shall be hidden."Job 5:13 (Catches wise in their craftiness)
Isaiah 29:14"...The vision of all has become like the words of a sealed book."Ezekiel 12:2 (Rebellious house with blind eyes)
Isaiah 29:14"...And when it is given to the one who is literate, saying, 'Read this,'..."Acts 7:51 (Resist Holy Spirit)
Isaiah 29:14"...He says, 'I cannot, for it is sealed.'"John 3:19 (Men loved darkness)
Isaiah 29:14"The people will be found wanting..."Daniel 5:27 (Weighed in the balance)
Isaiah 29:14"...Those who think they have all the answers will be humbled."Luke 18:14 (Pharisee and publican)
Isaiah 29:14"And He will cause the wisdom of the learned to perish..."Romans 1:22 (Professing to be wise, became fools)

Isaiah 29 verses

Isaiah 29 14 Meaning

The Lord declares that He will continue His wondrous work. This work will result in the complete astonishment and perishing of the wise and the learned. Their perceived wisdom will become utterly futile, rendering them incapable of understanding or achieving anything meaningful.

Isaiah 29 14 Context

This verse is situated within Isaiah chapter 29, which addresses the judgment of Jerusalem (Ariel). The chapter describes a siege and eventual conquest of the city, portraying it as a place of intense spiritual blindness and pride. The people, though proud of their wisdom and leadership, have turned away from God, relying on their own understanding and neglecting divine counsel. The prophecy targets not only the current generation of "wise men" and leaders but also, in a broader sense, those who reject God's truth in favor of their own intellectual pride.

Isaiah 29 14 Word analysis

  • וְעָשִׂי / wə·‘ā·sā / and-I-will-work: This verb form indicates a future action initiated by God, emphasizing His direct and active involvement in bringing about the described events.
  • אָפֶס / ’ā·p̄es / cease: Used here in a pregnant sense, meaning "to put an end to" or "to utterly destroy." It signifies a complete cessation of something.
  • פֶּלֶא / pé·leq / wondrous: Refers to something marvelous, miraculous, or extraordinary, pointing to divine intervention that transcends normal human experience.
  • וּמְתָשֶּֽׁה / ū·mɛ·tā·ššê / and-a-wonder: Synonymous with 'plee', reinforcing the extraordinary nature of God's future actions, suggesting an even greater manifestation of His power.
  • חָכְמַ֖ת / ḥok·mə·ṯa / the-wisdom: The noun 'chochmah' signifies wisdom, skill, knowledge, and understanding. Here, it specifically refers to the supposed intellectual and strategic prowess of the human leaders and wise men of Judah.
  • חֲכָמִ֣י / ḥă·ḵā·mê / wise: The plural form of 'chacham', referring to those who are considered learned, intelligent, and possessing insight.
  • וּבִינַ֖ת / ū·ḇî·naṯ / and-the-understanding: 'Binah' denotes a deeper, discerning understanding and insight, often implying a cognitive ability to grasp complex matters, which will be rendered useless.
  • תִּשָּׁתָֽם / tiš·šā·ṯêm / shall-be-hidden: The Niphal conjugation implies being "hidden" or "concealed." Here it suggests their wisdom will be so obscured by divine judgment that it will become inaccessible and ineffective.
  • יהוָֽה / Yə·hô·wâ / LORD: The personal name of God, emphasizing His covenantal relationship with Israel and His ultimate authority and power over all nations and their wisdom.
  • חָמָ֔ד / ḥā·māḏ / desired: While often translated as "precious" or "delightsome," in some contexts, it can refer to a chosen object or even boast. Here it signifies something they valued or sought after.
  • הוּא־ / hû / he: Refers back to the LORD, underlining His personal involvement in the actions described.
  • קָצַ֣ף / qā·ṯaṗ / wrath: Indicates God's righteous anger against sin and rebellion.
  • נָפַ֖ל / nā·p̄aḷ / fallen: Signifies collapse, defeat, or a downfall.
  • עֲלֵיכֶ֑ם / ‘a·lê·ḵɛm / upon-you: Direct address to the people of Jerusalem and their leaders, indicating the impending judgment is specific to them.
  • רוּחַ֙ / rû·aḥ / spirit: Can refer to breath, wind, or spirit. Here, it signifies a divine influence, leading to a state of spiritual paralysis.
  • תַּרְדֵּמָ֖ה / ṯar·dɛ·mâ / deep-sleep: Implies a profound, almost supernatural sleep that incapacitates the mind and hinders all perception and action.
  • וְעֵינֵיכֶ֥ם / wə·‘ê·nê·ḵɛm / and-your-eyes: The eyes represent perception and understanding.
  • כִּֽי־ / kî / for: Indicates a cause or explanation.
  • הַנְּבִיאִ֖ם / hannə·ḇî·’îm / the-prophets: Refers to both true prophets of God and false prophets who misled the people with their pronouncements, all of whom would be affected by the coming judgment.
  • כִּסָּ֣ה / kiš·šâ / He-has-covered: Signifies to blind, conceal, or obscure. This is a deliberate divine act of preventing clear vision and understanding.
  • וְהַסֹּֽהֲרִֽים / wha·sô·ha·rîm / and-the-seers: Seers, who were supposed to have spiritual vision, are also included in this incapacitation.
  • יָמִֽית: Though the verb "to kill" is not in this specific part, the context strongly implies destruction and death for those whose wisdom is hidden and whose eyes are covered. (Reference to 'yamut' might be inferring the result of judgment.)

Words Group Analysis:

  • "and I will again do a marvelous work and a wonder": This phrase signifies a repetition or continuation of God's mighty acts, assuring that His power will be demonstrated again in a way that is beyond human comprehension. It’s a promise of further divine intervention that will have a profound impact.
  • "wisdom of their wise men shall be hidden, and the understanding of their shrewd men": This group highlights the complete futility of human intellect and strategic planning when it is divorced from God. Their deepest insights and cleverest strategies will become incomprehensible and ineffective.
  • "the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep": This describes a divine incapacitation. God actively causes a stupor to fall upon His people, blinding their intellectual faculties and making them spiritually inert.
  • "and has closed their eyes—the prophets, and your rulers, the seers, He has covered": This signifies a total loss of spiritual perception. Those whose roles are to see and interpret God's will—prophets, rulers, seers—are deliberately blinded by God.
  • "The vision of all has become like the words of a sealed book": This powerful metaphor conveys that divine revelation and truth are rendered inaccessible to them, as if written in an unknown language or sealed by divine decree.

Isaiah 29 14 Bonus section

This prophecy can be seen as a type of judgment that God employs: removing the ability to discern His truth from those who arrogantly reject it. It reflects a recurring theme where God humbles the proud and exalts the humble. The “spirit of deep sleep” is not a passive state but an active divine infusion leading to profound spiritual incapacitation, which parallels judgments described in other parts of Scripture. The concept of a "sealed book" powerfully illustrates how divine revelation becomes inaccessible when the heart is closed to God. The leaders and prophets, who should have been guides, are incapacitated, signifying a complete collapse of spiritual and civil leadership due to their apostasy. The wisdom of men, when it is contrary to God's will or used to bypass Him, is ultimately exposed as folly.

Isaiah 29 14 Commentary

This verse is a solemn declaration of God's judgment against those who, despite claiming wisdom and leadership, have turned away from Him. God’s “marvelous work” will not be a blessing to them, but a judgment that reveals the utter insufficiency of their worldly wisdom. They will be given a “spirit of deep sleep,” indicating divine enablement for their own spiritual demise. Their eyes—the very instruments of their perceived insight (prophets, rulers, seers)—will be deliberately covered, rendering divine truth unintelligible, like a sealed book. This emphasizes that their downfall is a direct consequence of their pride and rejection of God, who chooses to reveal His truth to the humble, not the self-professed wise. It foreshadows a spiritual blindness that will result in utter confusion and destruction for those who trust in their own intellect.