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 verses

Isaiah 29 14 meaning

Isaiah 29:14 pronounces a divine judgment upon the hypocritical people of Judah, specifically Jerusalem. God declares that because of their superficial worship and reliance on human schemes rather than on Him, He will perform "wonderful things," which in this context refer to astonishing acts of judgment and disruption, astounding to such a degree that their worldly wisdom and discerning intellect will be utterly confounded, rendered useless, and effectively vanish or be hidden. It signifies a profound divine intervention that will completely expose the futility of human self-reliance apart from God.

Isaiah 29 14 Context

Isaiah chapter 29 begins with a "Woe" pronounced upon Ariel (a symbolic name for Jerusalem, perhaps meaning "lion of God" or "altar hearth"). The initial verses describe a siege on the city, yet also a mysterious deliverance (vv. 1-8). This external crisis serves as a backdrop to the deeper spiritual problem of the people: a profound spiritual stupor and blindness (vv. 9-12). They are depicted as a people who hear but do not understand, whose prophets and seers are covered, and whose religious life has become a mere routine. Verse 13, directly preceding verse 14, states, "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." This spiritual hypocrisy and superficiality is the immediate trigger for God's severe pronouncement in verse 14. Historically, Isaiah prophesied during a period when Judah, under King Hezekiah, faced threats from Assyria. Instead of trusting solely in God, many placed their hope in political alliances or their own worldly wisdom, leading to this condemnation of their outward piety masking an inward rebellion. The judgment in verse 14 leads into further woes against those who scheme in secret and pervert justice (vv. 15-16), followed by a redemptive vision of future spiritual transformation (vv. 17-24) where the blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the foolish will gain understanding – a stark reversal of the judgment announced in verse 14.

Isaiah 29 14 Word analysis

• therefore (לָכֵן - laḵēn): A strong conjunction signaling a direct consequence or conclusion. It links God's judgment directly to the preceding accusation of superficial and hypocritical worship in verse 13. This is God's response to their insincerity.
• behold (הִנְנִי - hinnənnî): An emphatic declaration particle, literally "Here I am," or "Behold Me." It demands attention, introducing a solemn, divine statement of imminent action or revelation.
• I will again do (יוֹסִף - yôsif from the root יָסַף - yāsap, meaning "to add, increase, do again"): Signifies a repeated or renewed action, but here with new, astonishing intensity. It indicates a future act, a continuation or re-occurrence of God's 'doing,' which will have a specific and profound nature in judgment.
• wonderful things (הִפְלִיא - hiflî'a from the root פלא - pl', "wonder, be marvelous, astonishing"): This root describes something extraordinary, beyond normal human understanding or expectation. While pele' (wonder) can be positive (e.g., God's works of salvation), here, in the context of judgment on a hypocritical people, it refers to incomprehensible acts of stunning disruption or punitive intervention.
• with this people (הָעָם הַזֶּה - hā'ām hazzěh): Specific designation for the people of Judah, particularly those in Jerusalem exhibiting the described spiritual blindness and hypocrisy, differentiating them from other nations or a genuinely righteous remnant.
• wonder upon wonder (פֶּלֶא וָפֶלֶא - pele wapele): An intense reduplication of pele', amplifying the degree of the astonishment. It means something supremely wondrous, incredibly astonishing, unparalleled, leaving observers completely bewildered. It emphasizes the extraordinary and overwhelming nature of God's coming, confounding actions.
• the wisdom (חָכְמַת - choḵmaṯ from חָכְמָה - chochmah): Refers to human sagacity, skill, prudence, often worldly counsel, and intellectual capacity. In this context, it denotes a wisdom detached from true divine revelation or submission to God.
• of their wise men (חֲכָמָיו - chăḵāmâw): These are the individuals esteemed in society for their intellect, strategic thinking, and ability to give counsel—their political advisors, elders, and leaders.
• shall perish (תֹאבֵד - tōḇēḏ from the root אָבַד - 'āḇad, "perish, be lost, destroy"): Connotes complete nullification, destruction, rendering something useless or nonexistent. Their wisdom will lose all its power, relevance, and ability to navigate or comprehend the divine actions.
• the understanding (בִּינַת - bînaṯ from בִּינָה - bînāh): Implies discernment, insight, comprehension, and the ability to grasp complex matters and differentiate between them. It complements chochmah, covering intellectual acuity.
• of their discerning men (נְבֹנָיו - nəḇōnâw): Those who possess insight, prudence, and intelligence; often referring to astute or clever individuals.
• shall be hidden (תִּסָּתֵר - tissāṯēr from the root סָתַר - sāṯar, "hide, conceal, be obscure"): Means it will be obscured, concealed, rendered inaccessible, ineffective, or unintelligible. God will actively remove their clarity of thought or make their insights moot.

• "therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder": This phrase marks a pivotal shift. God's declaration is not merely about another ordinary act but about an extraordinary, almost paradoxical intervention. The repetition of "wonder" intensifies the unexpected, astounding, and baffling nature of His deeds. These "wonderful things" will not be for their expected blessing, but for an astonishing judgment that bewilders them, demonstrating God's sovereign control over history and human intellect.
• "and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their discerning men shall be hidden": This parallel structure reinforces the comprehensive defeat of human intellectual prowess and self-reliance. God's intervention will render their most cherished mental faculties — their wisdom and understanding — utterly useless. It will be an intellectual bankruptcy orchestrated by divine action, nullifying their attempts to navigate the crisis without Him. The two phrases combine to indicate a complete and humiliating invalidation of human, worldly-focused intelligence in the face of God's sovereign plan.

Isaiah 29 14 Bonus section

This verse is exceptionally significant as it is directly quoted by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:19 ("For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.'"). Paul uses it to underscore the New Testament concept of the "foolishness of God" being wiser than human wisdom, especially in the preaching of the Cross. This New Testament echo demonstrates that God's method of salvation, through a crucified Messiah, was perceived as utter folly by the world's wise but was God's powerful "wonder" to save those who believe. This shows a profound theological continuity: God continues to operate in ways that confound human intellect and reveal the inadequacy of worldly wisdom, both in judgment (as in Isaiah's original context) and in salvation (as in Paul's New Testament application). The "wonderful things" of God manifest themselves as divine power that overturns human expectations, whether through stunning acts of historical judgment or the humble, yet ultimately world-transforming, message of the Gospel.

Isaiah 29 14 Commentary

Isaiah 29:14 stands as a profound declaration of God's active judgment against spiritual hypocrisy and misplaced human trust. Coming on the heels of the condemnation in verse 13, this verse announces that God's response to lip-service worship and reliance on human sagacity will be a display of His own unparalleled sovereignty. The "wonderful things" are not comforting marvels but astounding, bewildering acts of judgment, meant to expose the superficiality of their faith and the futility of their self-devised strategies. The perishing of the wisdom of the wise and the hiding of the understanding of the discerning signifies a complete divine subversion of human intellectual pride and autonomy. God acts in ways that specifically baffle the human intellect, rendering all their accumulated knowledge, strategic foresight, and counsel utterly ineffective. This highlights the scriptural truth that true wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, and human cleverness, when separated from divine guidance, inevitably leads to foolishness and spiritual darkness. The judgment serves a redemptive purpose as well; by humbling their pride, God prepares a way for genuine transformation and a renewed, divinely-imparted understanding (as suggested by the chapter's later verses).