Isaiah 29:4 kjv
And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.
Isaiah 29:4 nkjv
You shall be brought down, You shall speak out of the ground; Your speech shall be low, out of the dust; Your voice shall be like a medium's, out of the ground; And your speech shall whisper out of the dust.
Isaiah 29:4 niv
Brought low, you will speak from the ground; your speech will mumble out of the dust. Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth; out of the dust your speech will whisper.
Isaiah 29:4 esv
And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper.
Isaiah 29:4 nlt
Then deep from the earth you will speak;
from low in the dust your words will come.
Your voice will whisper from the ground
like a ghost conjured up from the grave.
Isaiah 29 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 3:1-3 | ...the Lord...will take away...the stammerer's tongue... | Judgment on pride and sin |
| Isaiah 28:11-13 | ...God will speak to this people through others...but they would not listen... | God's discipline through judgment |
| Jeremiah 7:29 | "Cut off your hair, throw it away, and wail on the desolate heights..." | Lamentation for God's rejection |
| Jeremiah 10:8 | "They are altogether stupid and foolish—worthless idols..." | Condemnation of idolatry |
| Jeremiah 14:2-3 | "Judah mourns...her gates lament...they have nothing to draw with..." | National distress and drought |
| Lamentations 2:10 | The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence;... | Zion's suffering and silence |
| Lamentations 4:4 | The tongues of nursing infants cling to the roof of their mouth... | Famine and suffering |
| Ezekiel 3:26 | "I will make your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth..." | Consequence of disobedience |
| Ezekiel 33:22 | "The hand of the Lord was upon me there, and he said to me, 'Arise, go out into the valley...'" | Divine impartation to prophecy |
| Hosea 9:7 | "The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come..." | Prophetic warning of judgment |
| Micah 3:6 | "Therefore night shall come upon you, without vision..." | Judgment on false prophets |
| Zechariah 11:3 | "There is a outcry of shepherds and a wail of the majestic sheep..." | Lament over a devastated flock |
| Matthew 12:36 | "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak..." | Accountability for speech |
| Acts 1:16 | "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David..." | Fulfillment of prophecy |
| 1 Peter 4:8 | "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." | Importance of sincere love |
| Revelation 18:10 | "Standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon!'" | Judgment on Babylon |
| Isaiah 5:15 | "Man is humbled, and each man is brought low, and the eyes of the arrogant are brought low." | Consequences of arrogance |
| Isaiah 8:19 | "And when they say, 'Inquire of the mediums and the wizards who chirp and mutter;'..." | Rejection of true prophecy |
| Isaiah 29:18 | "In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book..." | Restoration and divine hearing |
| Isaiah 30:26 | "Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun seven times brighter..." | Future glory and healing |
Isaiah 29 verses
Isaiah 29 4 Meaning
The people of Jerusalem and those associated with them will be brought down to a low state, their voices reduced to a whisper, and their speech like that of ghosts or spirits from the ground. Their powerful declarations will be silenced and become almost inaudible.
Isaiah 29 4 Context
This verse is found within the prophecy of Isaiah concerning the judgment of Jerusalem and its people, specifically addressing their pride, reliance on their own strength, and rejection of God's prophets. The surrounding verses speak of divine intervention leading to the humbling and silencing of their arrogant voices. The broader context is Isaiah's ministry during a time of significant political and religious upheaval in ancient Israel.
Isaiah 29 4 Word Analysis
- And (וְ - wə): Conjunction, linking actions or events, indicating sequence or addition.
- shall be (הָיָה - hāyāh): Verb, to be, to become; here in the future tense.
- brought down (וּבֹקִקָה - ūḇōqōqāh): From roots meaning to empty, to spill out, to become void. It implies a state of emptiness and debasement.
- yea, it (כִּי - kî): Conjunction, often meaning "for," "because," or "indeed." Here, it emphasizes the preceding statement, asserting the reality of their downfall.
- their voice (ק֛וֹל - qōl): Noun, voice, sound.
- shall be (יִהְיֶה - yîhyeh): Verb, to be, to become; future tense.
- as (כְּ - kĕ): Preposition, like, as.
- of spirits (רוּחֹ֛ת - rûḥōṯ): Noun, plural of "spirit" or "wind." It can refer to incorporeal beings.
- and (וְ - wə): Conjunction.
- whisper (מְלַחַשׁ - məlaḥaṣ): Verb, to whisper, to murmur. Implies quiet, almost inaudible speech.
- of wizards (לְלֹטִ֥ים - ləloṭîm): Noun, plural of a term possibly related to muttering or speaking incantations, often associated with sorcery or occult practices.
Words-group Analysis:
- "brought down" and "whisper" together paint a picture of complete humiliation and loss of vocal power, from confident pronouncements to near-silence.
- "voice of spirits" and "whisper of wizards" connects their silenced speech to the communication of the departed or those practicing forbidden arts, implying their pronouncements are no longer authoritative but rather ethereal and fearful.
Isaiah 29 4 Bonus Section
The imagery of voices becoming like "spirits" and "whispers" evokes a sense of fear and the uncanny. It's as if their ability to communicate coherently and authoritatively is replaced by the unsettling, indistinct utterances associated with the supernatural realm, particularly those engaged in forbidden practices like necromancy. This strongly contrasts with the clear prophetic voice that God desires them to hear. Their wisdom becomes foolishness, their strength becomes weakness, and their loud proclamations are reduced to hushed, almost inaudible sounds, signifying complete impotence.
Isaiah 29 4 Commentary
This verse vividly illustrates divine judgment's effect on the arrogant and those who reject true wisdom. The proud words and confident boasts of the people, particularly of Jerusalem, will be reduced to barely audible murmurs, like the faint voices of spirits or those dabbling in sorcery. Their self-proclaimed authority and understanding will be stripped away, leaving them with hollow, insubstantial speech. This silencing signifies the reversal of their pride and the effectiveness of God's impending discipline, causing their counsel and pronouncements to be utterly ineffective and filled with dread.