Isaiah 45:19

King James Version

I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
I have not spoken in secret,In some dark land;I did not say to the seed of Jacob,‘Seek Me in a formless place';I, Yahweh, speak righteousness,Declaring things that are upright.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"I have not spoken in secret, In some dark land; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek Me in a waste place'; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, Declaring things that are upright.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
I haue not spoken secretly, neither in darke places of the earth: I sayde not in vayne to the seede of Iacob, seeke me: I am the Lorde, whiche when I speake, do declare the thing that is righteous and true.

Darby Translation
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek me in vain: I [am] Jehovah, speaking righteousness, declaring things which are right.

New King James Version
I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, "Seek Me in vain'; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Literal Translation
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth. I did not say to Jacob's seed, Seek Me in vain. I Jehovah speak righteousness, declaring right things.

Easy-to-Read Version
I have spoken openly, not in secret. I did not hide my words in a dark and secret place. I did not tell the people of Jacob to look for me in empty places. I am the Lord , and I speak the truth. I say only what is right.

World English Bible
I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I didn't say to the seed of Jacob, Seek you me in vain: I, Yahweh, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

King James Version (1611)
I haue not spoken in secret, in a darke place of the earth: I said not vnto the seed of Iacob, Seeke ye mee in vaine: I the Lord speake righteousnesse, I declare things that are right.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I haue not spoken secretly, nether in darcke places of the earth. It is not for naught, that I sayde vnto the sede of Iacob: seke me. I am the LORDE, which whe I speake, declare the thinge that is rightuous and true.

Amplified Bible
"I have not spoken in secret, In a corner of a land of darkness; I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].' I, the LORD, speak righteousness [the truth—trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words], Declaring things that are upright.

American Standard Version
I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I, Jehovah, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Bible in Basic English
I have not given my word in secret, in a place in the underworld; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, Go into a waste land to make request of me: I the Lord say what is true, my word is righteousness.

Update Bible Version
I haven't spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I didn't say to the seed of Jacob, Seek me in vain: I, Yahweh, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Webster's Bible Translation
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I have not said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

New Century Version
I did not speak in secret or hide my words in some dark place. I did not tell the family of Jacob to look for me in empty places. I am the Lord , and I speak the truth; I say what is right.

New English Translation
I have not spoken in secret, in some hidden place. I did not tell Jacob's descendants, ‘Seek me in vain!' I am the Lord , the one who speaks honestly, who makes reliable announcements.

Contemporary English Version
The Lord did not speak in a dark secret place or command Jacob's descendants to search for him in vain. The Lord speaks the truth, and this is what he says

Complete Jewish Bible
I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Ya‘akov, ‘It is in vain that you will seek me.' I, Adonai , speak rightly; I say what is true.

Geneva Bible (1587)
I haue not spoken in secrete, neither in a place of darkenes in the earth: I saide not in vaine vnto the seede of Iaakob, Seeke you me: I the Lord doe speake righteousnesse, and declare righteous things.

George Lamsa Translation
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I said not to the descendants of Jacob, Seek me in vain; I the LORD speak righteousness; I declare things that are right.

Hebrew Names Version
I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I didn't say to the seed of Ya`akov, Seek you me in vain: I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob: 'Seek ye Me in vain'; I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

New Living Translation
I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found. I, the Lord , speak only what is true and declare only what is right.

New Life Bible
I have not spoken in secret in some dark land. I did not say to the children of Jacob, ‘Look for Me for nothing.' I the Lord speak the truth. I say what is right.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place of the earth: I said not to the seed of Jacob, Seek vanity: I, even I, am the Lord, speaking righteousness, and proclaiming truth.

English Revised Version
I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Berean Standard Bible
I have not spoken in secret, from a place in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob: 'Seek Me in a wasteland.' I, the LORD, speak the truth; I say what is right.

New Revised Standard
I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, "Seek me in chaos." I the Lord speak the truth, I declare what is right.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Not in secret, have I spoken In a place of the earth that is dark, - I have not said unto the seed of Jacob, In a waste, seek ye me, - I, am Yahweh, Speaking the thing that is right, Declaring the things that are just.

Douay-Rheims Bible
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I have not said to the seed of Jacob: Seek me in vain. I am the Lord that speak justice, that declare right things.

Lexham English Bible
I have spoken not in secrecy, in a place, a land, of darkness, I have not said to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain!' I, Yahweh, am speaking righteousness, declaring uprightness.

English Standard Version
I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.' I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right.

New American Standard Bible
"I have not spoken in secret, In some dark land; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek Me in a wasteland'; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, Declaring things that are right.

Good News Translation
I have not spoken in secret or kept my purpose hidden. I did not require the people of Israel to look for me in a desolate waste. I am the Lord , and I speak the truth; I make known what is right."

Christian Standard Bible®
I have not spoken in secret, somewhere in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob: Seek Me in a wasteland. I, Yahweh, speak truthfully; I say what is right.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y spak not in hid place, not in a derk place of erthe; I seide not to the seed of Jacob, Seke ye me in veyn. Y am the Lord spekynge riytfulnesse, tellynge riytful thingis.

Revised Standard Version
I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek me in chaos.' I the LORD speak the truth, I declare what is right.

Young's Literal Translation
Not in secret have I spoken, in a dark place of the earth, I have not said to the seed of Jacob, In vain seek ye Me, I [am] Jehovah, speaking righteousness, Declaring uprightness.

Contextual Overview

¹¹ Thus saith the Lord , the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. ¹² I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. ¹³ I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts. ¹⁴ Thus saith the Lord , The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God. ¹⁵ Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. ¹⁶ They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols. ¹⁷ But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. ¹⁸ For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord ; and there is none else. ¹⁹ I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

spoken: Isaiah 43:9, Isaiah 43:10, Isaiah 48:16, Deuteronomy 29:29, Deuteronomy 30:11-14, Proverbs 1:21, Proverbs 8:1-4, John 7:26, John 7:28, John 7:37-39, John 18:20, Acts 2:4-8

Seek: Isaiah 1:15, Isaiah 8:19, Isaiah 55:6, Isaiah 55:7, Isaiah 58:1-3, 1 Chronicles 28:8, 2 Chronicles 15:2, Ezra 8:22, Psalms 24:6, Psalms 69:13, Psalms 69:32, Proverbs 15:8, Jeremiah 29:13, Amos 5:4, Malachi 3:13, Malachi 3:14, Matthew 15:8, Matthew 15:9, James 4:3

speak righteousness: Isaiah 63:1, Numbers 23:19, Numbers 23:20, Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalms 9:10, Psalms 12:6, Psalms 19:7-10, Psalms 111:7, Psalms 111:8, Psalms 119:137, Psalms 119:138, Proverbs 8:6, Proverbs 30:5

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 32:47 - General 1 Chronicles 16:10 - let the heart 1 Chronicles 28:9 - if thou seek 2 Chronicles 7:14 - seek my face 2 Chronicles 12:14 - to seek 2 Chronicles 15:15 - sought him Job 21:15 - if we Psalms 27:8 - Seek Psalms 36:6 - righteousness Psalms 105:3 - let the heart Proverbs 8:17 - those Song of Solomon 3:4 - but Isaiah 45:23 - the word Isaiah 45:25 - the seed Isaiah 51:1 - ye that seek Jeremiah 29:14 - I will be Jeremiah 50:4 - seek the Luke 11:9 - seek Acts 10:4 - thine Romans 2:2 - judgment

Cross-References

Genesis 45:17
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;

Genesis 45:18
And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.

Genesis 45:27
And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:

Genesis 46:5
And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

Isaiah 49:1
Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

Isaiah 49:23
And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord : for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth,.... In a private whisper, in a muttering manner, and out of the belly, as the Heathen priests did; and from out of cells, dens, and caverns of the earth, from whence the oracles of Heathen deities were delivered; but in a free, open, clear, and public manner, before multitudes, in the face of all men, or where there was a great concourse of people: so Christ delivered the law on Mount Sinai, in an audible manner, attended with a multitude of angels, and before all the people; and when here on earth he said nothing in secret, but openly to the world, in the synagogues and temple of the Jews, where they resorted in great numbers, John 18:20 and ordered his disciples also to publish on the housetops what they heard with their ears, Matthew 10:27:

I said not unto the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain; that is, he never suffered the seed of Jacob, Israelites indeed, praying Jacobs and prevailing Israels, the true worshippers of him, to seek him in vain; to pray unto and worship him to no purpose, or without fruit to themselves; for all such who seek him early and earnestly, heartily and diligently, and where he may be found, always find him; he receives them, and not rejects them; and they receive that from him which is worth seeking after, and amply rewards all their trouble. The Targum is,

"nor have I said to the seed of the house of Jacob in vain, seek my fear:''

I the Lord speak righteousness; the word of righteousness, the doctrine of justification by his own righteousness; that which he wrought out by his obedience, sufferings, and death, he declared and brought near in the ministry of the word; see Isaiah 46:13. The Targum renders it, "truth"; grace and truth came by Christ, John 1:17:

I declare things that are right; according to right reason, agreeably to the word of God, both law and Gospel, fit for men to receive, and what made for his own and his Father's glory; see Proverbs 8:6.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I have not spoken in secret - The word rendered ‘secret’ (סתר sı̂ther) denotes a hiding, or covering; and the phrase here means secretly, privately. He did not imitate the pagan oracles by uttering his predictions from dark and deep caverns, and encompassed with the circumstances of awful mystery, and with designed obscurity.

In a dark place of the earth - From a cave, or dark recess, in the manner of the pagan oracles. The pagan responses were usually given from some dark cavern or recess, doubtless the bettcr to impress with awe the minds of those who consulted the oracles, and to make them more ready to credit the revelations of the fancied god. Such was the seat of the Sybil, mentioned by Virgil, AEn. vi. 4:

Excisum Euhoicae latus ingens rupis in antrum

Such also was the famous oracle at Delphi. Strobe (ix.) says, ‘The oracle is said to be a hollow cavern of considerable depth, with an opening not very wide.’ Diodorus, giving an account of this oracle, says, ‘that there was in that place a great chasm, or cleft in the earth; in which very place is now situated what is called the Adytum of the temple.’ In contradistinction from all this, God says that he had spoken openly, and without these circumstances of designed obscurity and darkness. In the language here, there is a remarkable resemblance to what the Saviour said of himself, and it is not improbable that he had this passage in his mind: ‘I spoke openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing’ John 18:20. A similar declaration occurs in Deuteronomy 30:11 : ‘This commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.’

I said not to the seed of Jacob - The seed, or the race of Jacob, here means his people: and the idea is, that he had not commanded them to call upon him without his being ready to answer them.

Seek ye me in vain - The phrase, ‘seek ye,’ may refer to worship in general; or more properly to their calling upon him in times of calamity and trial. The sense is, that it had not been a vain or useless thing for them to serve him; that he had been their protector, and their friend; and that they had not gone to him, and spread out their needs for nothing. It is still true, that God does not command his people to seek him in vain (compare Deuteronomy 32:47). His service is always attended with a rich blessing to them; and they are his witnesses that he confers on them inexpressibly great and valuable rewards. It follows from this - first, that his people have abundant encouragement to go to him in all times of trial, persecution, and affliction; secondly, that they have encouragement to go to him in a low state of religion, to confess their sins, to supplicate his mercy, and to pray for the influences of his Holy Spirit, and the revival of his work; and, thirdly, that the service of God is always attended with rich reward. Idols do not benefit those wire serve them. The pursuit of pleasure, gain, and ambition, is often attended with no reward, and is never attended with any benefits that satisfy the needs of the undying mind; but the service of God meets all the needs of the soul; fills all its desires, and confers permanent and eternal rewards.

I the Lord speak righteousness - This stands in opposition to the pagan oracles, which often gave false, delusive, and unjust responses. But not so with God. He had not spoken, as they did, from deep and dark plates - fit emblems of the obscurity of their answers; he had not, as they had, commanded a service that was unprofitable and vain; and he had not, as they had, uttered oracles which were untrue and fitted to delude.

I declare things that are right - Lowth renders this, ‘Who give direct answers;’ and supposes it refers to the fact, that the pagan oracles often give ambiguous and deceitful responses. God never deceived. His responses were always true and unambiguous.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 45:19. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth — In opposition to the manner in which the heathen oracles gave their answers, which were generally delivered from some deep and obscure cavern. Such was the seat of the Cumean Sybil: -

Excisum Euboicae latus ingens rupis in antrum.

VIRG. AEn. vi. 42.

"A cave cut in the side of a huge rock."

Such was that of the famous oracle at Delphi; of which, says Strabo, lib. ix., φασι δ' ειναι το μαντειον αντρον κοιλον μετα βαθους, ου μαλα ευρυστομον. "The oracle is said to be a hollow cavern of considerable depth, with an opening not very wide." And Diodorus, giving an account of the origin of this oracle, says "that there was in that place a great chasm or cleft in the earth; in which very place is now situated what is called the Adytum of the temple." Αδυτον· σπηλαιον, η το αποκρυφον μερος του ἱερου. Hesych. "Adytum means a cavern, or the hidden part of the temple."

I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right - "I am JEHOVAH, who speak truth, who give direct answers."] This also is said in opposition to the false and ambiguous answers given by the heathen oracles, of which there are many noted examples; none more so than that of the answer given to Croesus when he marched against Cyrus, which piece of history has some connexion with this part of Isaiah's prophecies. Let us hear Cicero's account of the Delphic answers in general, and of this in particular: Sed jam ad te venio,

O sancte Apollo, qui umbilicum certum terrarum obsides,

Unde superstitiosa primum saeva evasit vox fera.

Tuis enim oraculis Chrysippus totum volumen implevit, partim falsis, ut ego opinor; partim casu veris, ut fit in omni oratione saepissime; partim flexiloquis et obscuris, ut interpres egeat interprete, et sors ipsa ad sortes referenda sit; partim ambiguis, et quae ad dialecticum deferenda sint. Nam cum sors illa edita est opulentissimo regi Asiea,

Croesus Halym penetrans magnam pervertet opum vim: hostium vim sese perversurum putavit; pervertit autem suam. Utrum igitur eorum accidisset, verum oraculum fuisset. De Divinat. ii. 56. Mountainous countries, and those which abounded in chasms, caves, and grottos, were the places in which oracles were most frequent. The horror and gloom inspired by such places were useful to the lying priests in their system of deception. The terms in which those oracles were conceived, (they were always ambiguous, or equivocal, or false, or illusory,) sometimes the turn of a phrase, or a peculiarity in idiom or construction which might be turned pro or con, contained the essence of the oracular declaration. Sometimes, in the multitude of guesses, one turned out to be true; at other times, so equivocal was the oracle, that, however the thing fell out, the declaration could be interpreted in that way, as in the above to Croesus, from the oracle at Delphi, which was: If Croesus march against Cyrus, he shall overthrow a great empire: he, supposing that this promised him success, fought, and lost his own, while he expected to destroy that of his enemy. Here the quack demon took refuge in his designed ambiguity. He predicted the destruction of a great empire, but did not say which it was; and therefore he was safe, howsoever the case fell out. Not one of the predictions of God's prophets is conceived in this way.