English Standard Version
Isaiah 8:12
12"Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread.
Isaiah 8:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
- New International Version (NIV)“Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’ Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them.
Context of Isaiah 8:12
10Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us. 11For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: "Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Read all of Isaiah 8Isaiah 8:12 word by word
לֹא־תֹאמְר֣וּן קֶ֔שֶׁר לְכֹ֧ל אֲשֶׁר־יֹאמַ֛ר הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה קָ֑שֶׁר וְאֶת־מוֹרָא֥וֹ לֹֽא־תִֽירְא֖וּ וְלֹ֥א תַעֲרִֽיצוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Isaiah 8:12
- Isaiah 7:2When the house of David was told, "Syria is in league with Ephraim," the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
- Isaiah 51:12"I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass,
- 2 Kings 16:5Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to wage war on Jerusalem, and they besieged Ahaz but could not conquer him.
- Isaiah 7:4And say to him, 'Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.
- Isaiah 57:9You journeyed to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far off, and sent down even to Sheol.
- Psalms 53:5There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror! For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.
- Matthew 28:2And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.
- Luke 12:4"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.
- Luke 21:9And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once."
- 1 Peter 3:14But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
Commentaries on Isaiah 8:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Say ye not, A confederacy "Say ye not, It is holy" - קשר kesher . Both the reading and the sense of this word are doubtful. The Septuagint manifestly read קשה kashah ; for they render it by , hard. The Syriac and Chaldee render it מרדא merda, and dn מרוד merod, rebellion. How they came by this sense of the word, or what they read in their copies, is not so clear. But the worst of it is, that neither of these readings or renderings gives any clear sense in…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Say ye not - Do not join in their purposes of forming a confederacy. Do not unite with the king and the people of Judah in their alarms about the threatened invasion by the kings of Syria and Samaria, and in their purpose to form an alliance with the king of Assyria. The reason why they should not do this, he states in Isaiah 8:13, where he exhorts the nation to put confidence in the Lord rather than in man. There has been, however, great diversity in the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-16Verses 9-16 The prophet challenges the enemies of the Jews. Their efforts would be vain, and themselves broken to pieces. It concerns us, in time of trouble, to watch against all such fears as put us upon crooked courses for our own security. The believing fear of God preserves against the disquieting fear of man. If we thought rightly of the greatness and glory of God, we should see all the power of our enemies restrained. The Lord, who will be a…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12People saw Isaiah’s message of staying out of Assyrian affairs as treason and part of a conspiracy. However, Isaiah was not engaging in political games. He was sharing God’s message. What scared them was the alliance of Syria and Israel attacking Judah (see Isaiah 7:1, 4).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 12-1612-16. The words of Jehovah. confederacy--rather, a conspiracy; an appropriate term for the unnatural combination of Israel with Syrian foreigners against Judea and the theocracy, to which the former was bound by ties of blood and hereditary religion [Maurer]. to all ... say--rather, of all which this people calleth a conspiracy [G. V. Smith]. their fear--namely, object of fear: the hostile conspiracy. be afraid--rather [Maurer], "nor make others to be…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 8:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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