God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 29:15
15How horrible it will be for those who try to hide their plans from the Lord. Their deeds are done in the dark, and they say, “No one can see us” and “No one can recognize us.”
Isaiah 29:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
- New International Version (NIV)Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?"
- New King James Version (NKJV)Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, And their works are in the dark; They say, “Who sees us?” and, “Who knows us?”
Context of Isaiah 29:15
13The Lord says, “These people worship me with their mouths and honor me with their lips. But their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is ⌞based on⌟ rules made by humans. 14That is why I am going to do something completely amazing for these people once again. The wisdom of their wise people will disappear. The intelligence of their intelligent people will be hidden.” How horrible it will be for those who try to hide their plans from the Lord. Their deeds are done in the dark, and they say, “No one can see us” and “No one can recognize us.” 16You turn things upside down! Is the potter no better than his clay? Can something that has been made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”? Can a piece of pottery say about the potter, “He doesn’t understand”? 17In a very short time Lebanon will be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field will be considered a forest.
Read all of Isaiah 29Isaiah 29:15 word by word
ה֛וֹי הַמַּעֲמִיקִ֥ים מֵֽיהוָ֖ה לַסְתִּ֣ר עֵצָ֑ה וְהָיָ֤ה בְמַחְשָׁךְ֙ מַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֔ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מִ֥י רֹאֵ֖נוּ וּמִ֥י יוֹדְעֵֽנוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Woeהוֹיhôy · woe!H1945
- unto them that seek deepעָמֹק‛âmaq · be deepH6009
- to hideסָתַרsâthar · to hideH5641
- their counselעֵצָה‛êtsâh · counselH6098
- from the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- and their worksמַעֲשֶׂהma‛ăώeh · deedH4639
- are in the darkמַחְשָׁךְmachshâk · darknessH4285
- and they sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Who seethרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- us? and who knowethיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
Cross-references for Isaiah 29:15
- Isaiah 5:18How horrible it will be for those who string people along with lies and empty promises, whose lives are sinful.
- Isaiah 28:15You say, “We made a treaty with death and an agreement with the grave. When the overwhelming disaster passes by, it won’t matter to us, because we have taken refuge in our lies, and falsehood is our hiding place.”
- Isaiah 30:1The Lord declares, “How horrible it will be for those rebellious children. They carry out plans, but not mine. They make alliances against my will. They pile sin on top of sin.
- Job 22:13You ask, ‘What does God know? Can he judge ⌞anything⌟ from behind a dark cloud?
- Psalms 10:11He says to himself, “God has forgotten. He has hidden his face. He will never see it!”
- Psalms 64:5They encourage one another in their evil plans. They talk about setting traps and say, “Who can see them?”
- Psalms 139:1O Lord, you have examined me, and you know me.
- Jeremiah 23:24“No one can hide so that I can’t see him,” declares the Lord. “I fill heaven and earth!” declares the Lord.
- Ezekiel 8:12God asked me, “Son of man, do you see what the leaders of the nation of Israel are doing in secret? Each of them is in the room where his god is, and each one of them is thinking, ‘The Lord doesn’t see me. The Lord has abandoned this land.’ ”
- Ezekiel 9:9He answered me, “The wickedness of the nations of Israel and Judah is terrible. The land is filled with murder, and the city is filled with wrongdoing. They think that the Lord has abandoned the land and that he doesn’t see.
- Zephaniah 1:12“At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are satisfied with their hardened lifestyle, who think that the Lord won’t do anything—good or bad.
- Revelation 2:23I will kill her children. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches hearts and minds. I will reward each of you for what you have done.
- Job 24:13“Such people are among those who rebel against the light. They are not acquainted with its ways. They do not stay on its paths.
- Job 34:22There’s no darkness or deep shadow where troublemakers can hide.
- Luke 12:1Meanwhile, thousands of people had gathered. They were so crowded that they stepped on each other. Jesus spoke to his disciples and said, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees. I’m talking about their hypocrisy.
- John 3:19This is why people are condemned: The light came into the world. Yet, people loved the dark rather than the light because their actions were evil.
Commentaries on Isaiah 29:15
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Woe unto them that seek deep - That is, who attempt to conceal their “real” intentions under a plausible exterior, and correct outward deportment. This is most strikingly descriptive of the character of a hypocrite who seeks to conceal his plans and his purposes from the eyes of people and of God. His external conduct is fair; his observance of the duties of religion exemplary; his attendance on the means of grace and the worship of God regular; his…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-16Verses 9-16 The security of sinners in sinful ways, is cause for lamentation and wonder. The learned men, through prejudice, said that the Divine prophecies were obscure; and the poor urged their want of learning. The Bible is a sealed book to every man, learned or unlearned, till he begins to study it with a simple heart and a teachable spirit, that he may thence learn the truth and the will of God. To worship God, is to approach him. And if the heart be…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15Their plans might refer to the advice that royal counselors were giving Hezekiah, who at first attempted to free himself from Assyria by making alliances with Egypt (in 715 or 701 BC). The people secretly planned evil deeds, but God saw everything.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. seek deep to hide--rather, "That seek to hide deeply," &c. (compare Is 30:1, 2). The reference is to the secret plan which many of the Jewish nobles had of seeking Egyptian aid against Assyria, contrary to the advice of Isaiah. At the same time the hypocrite in general is described, who, under a plausible exterior, tries to hide his real character, not only from men, but even from God.Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 29:15
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 29
- 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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