God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 8:12
12“Don’t say that everything these people call a conspiracy is a conspiracy. Don’t fear what they fear. Don’t let it terrify you.”
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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread.
- 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.
Context of Isaiah 8:12
10Make plans for battle, but they will never succeed. Give orders, but they won’t be carried out, because God is with us! 11This is what the Lord said with his powerful hand on me. He warned me not to follow the ways of these people: “Don’t say that everything these people call a conspiracy is a conspiracy. Don’t fear what they fear. Don’t let it terrify you.” 13Remember that the Lord of Armies is holy. He is the one you should fear and the one you should be terrified of. 14He will be a place of safety for you. But he will be a rock that makes people trip and a stumbling block for both kingdoms of Israel. He will be a trap and a snare for those who live in 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 word reached David’s family that the Arameans had made an alliance with Ephraim, the hearts of the king and his people were shaken as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
- Isaiah 51:12I alone am the one who comforts you. Why, then, are you afraid of mortals, who must die, of humans, who are like grass?
- 2 Kings 16:5Then King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah, son of Remaliah of Israel, came to wage war against Jerusalem. They blockaded Ahaz but couldn’t get him to fight.
- Isaiah 7:4Say to him, ‘Be careful, stay calm, and don’t be afraid. Don’t lose heart because of the fierce anger of Rezin from Aram and Remaliah’s son. These two are smoldering logs.’
- Isaiah 57:9You’ve journeyed to the king with perfumed oils and put on plenty of perfume. You’ve sent your ambassadors far away and sent them down to Sheol.
- Psalms 53:5There they are—panic-stricken— ⌞but⌟ there was no reason to panic, because God has scattered the bones of those who set up camp against you. You put them to shame. After all, God has rejected them.
- Matthew 28:2Suddenly, there was a powerful earthquake. An angel of the Lord had come down from heaven, rolled the stone away, and was sitting on it.
- Luke 12:4“My friends, I can guarantee that you don’t need to be afraid of those who kill the body. After that they can’t do anything more.
- Luke 21:9“When you hear of wars and revolutions, don’t be terrified! These things must happen first, but the end will not come immediately.”
- 1 Peter 3:14But even if you suffer for doing what God approves, you are blessed. Don’t be afraid of those who want to harm you. Don’t get upset.
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries