the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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Isaiah 8:12
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"You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!'In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy;And you are not to fear what they fear, and you shall not tremble.
"You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.
Ye shall not speake [wordes] of conspiracie in all thinges, when this people shall say conspiracie: feare them not, neither be afraide of them.
Ye shall not say, Conspiracy, of everything of which this people saith, Conspiracy; and fear ye not their fear, and be not in dread.
"Do not say, "A conspiracy,' Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.
Do not say, A conspiracy, to everything of which this people says, A conspiracy! And do not fear its fear, and do not dread.
"Don't think there is a plan against you just because the people say there is. Don't be afraid of what they fear. Don't let them frighten you!"
Don't you say, "A conspiracy!" concerning all whereof this people shall say, "A conspiracy!" neither fear their fear, nor be in dread [of it].
Say ye not, A confederacie to all them, to whom this people shall say, A confederacie; neither feare yee their feare, nor be afraid.
Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
rounde with none of the, who so euer saye: yonder people are bounde together. Neuertheles feare them not, nether be afrayde of them,
"You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear nor be in dread of it.
Say ye not, A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people shall say, A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be in dread thereof.
Do not say, It is holy, about everything of which this people says, It is holy; and do not be in fear of what they go in fear of.
Say ye not, A confederacy, to all [them to] whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
"Do not say, ‘Conspiracy,' every time these people say the word. Don't be afraid of what scares them; don't be terrified.
Don't call something a rebellious plot, just because they do, and don't be afraid of something, just because they are.
"Don't regard as alliance what this people calls alliance, and don't fear what they fear or be awestruck by it;
Say ye not, A confederacie to all them, to whome this people sayth a confederacie, neither feare you their feare, nor be afrayd of them.
Do not say, A conspiracy, as this people has said conspiracy, neither shall you worship their idols nor be afraid of them.
Don't you say, "A conspiracy!" concerning all whereof this people shall say, "A conspiracy!" neither fear their fear, nor be in dread [of it].
'Say ye not: A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people do say: A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor account it dreadful.
"Don't call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don't live in dread of what frightens them.
"Do not call holy all that these people call holy. Do not fear what they fear, or be afraid of it.
Let them not say, It is hard, for whatsoever this people says, is hard: but fear not ye their fear, neither be dismayed.
Say ye not, A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people shall say, A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be in dread thereof.
"Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread.
Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread.
Ye shall not say - A confederacy! of everything of which this people may say. A confederacy! And their fear, shall ye not fear or regard as awful:
Say ye not: A conspiracy: for all that this people speaketh, is a conspiracy: neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
"You must not call conspiracy everything that this people calls conspiracy, and you must not share its fear, and you must not be in dread.
"Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread.
"You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' Regarding everything that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.
"People are saying that others make plans against them, but you should not believe them. Don't be afraid of what they fear; do not dread those things.
"Do not join in the schemes of the people and do not be afraid of the things that they fear.
Do not call everything an alliance these people say is an alliance. Do not fear what they fear; do not be terrified.
and seide, Seie ye not, It is sweryng togidere, for whi alle thingis which this puple spekith is sweryng togidere; and drede ye not the ferdfulnesse therof, nether be ye aferd.
"Do not call conspiracy all that this people call conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread.
`Ye do not say, A confederacy, To all to whom this people saith, A confederacy, And its fear ye do not fear, Nor declare fearful.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
A confederacy: Isaiah 7:2-6, Isaiah 51:12, Isaiah 51:13, 2 Kings 16:5-7
fear ye: Isaiah 7:4, Isaiah 57:9-11, Psalms 53:5, Matthew 28:2-5, Luke 12:4, Luke 12:5, Luke 21:9, 1 Peter 3:14, 1 Peter 3:15
Reciprocal: Exodus 14:10 - sore afraid Numbers 35:34 - dwell among Deuteronomy 20:3 - be ye terrified Joshua 9:2 - gathered Joshua 10:7 - General 1 Samuel 22:4 - in the hold 1 Kings 20:34 - So he made a covenant 2 Kings 6:16 - Fear not 2 Kings 17:39 - the Lord Proverbs 3:25 - Be Isaiah 10:24 - be not afraid Matthew 10:28 - And Matthew 24:6 - see Mark 13:7 - when Luke 23:51 - had not 2 Thessalonians 2:2 - shaken Hebrews 11:23 - and they
Cross-References
the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.
And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
and he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
And he stayed yet another seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
Wait for Yahweh: Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for Yahweh.
And I will wait for Yahweh, that hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
And it shall be said in that day, Look, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is Yahweh; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Say ye not, a confederacy,.... With the king of Assyria, or any other; do not cry it up as a right thing, and express pleasure and satisfaction in it, and encourage others to come into it, and vote for it, and declare an approbation of it; or a "rebellion", as the Targum, that is, against Ahaz; and so deliver up the kingdom of the house of David into the hands of its enemies:
to all [them] to whom this people shall say, a confederacy: who either were for entering into an alliance with the Assyrian monarch, and sending for him to help; or were for joining with their enemies, to the subversion of the present government. Jarchi interprets this of Shebna the Scribe, and his company; who, as he suggests, conspired against Hezekiah, and secretly made an agreement with Sennacherib king of Assyria; but the former sense is best:
neither fear their fear, nor be afraid: let not the same fear possess you as does them, on account of Syria and Israel combining together against Judah; nor be afraid of their two kings, as they were; since there was nothing to fear from them; it being impossible that the kingdom of Judah should fail until Shiloh came, or Immanuel was born of a virgin in it; nor does it become the people of God, and especially his prophets and ministers, to be afraid of men; since the fear of men brings a snare. See 1 Peter 3:14.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Say 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 interpretation of this passage. The Septuagint renders the word קשׁר qesher, ‘confederacy,’ by the word σκληρόν sklēron - ‘Everything which this people say, is hard.’ The Syriac, ‘Do not say, rebellion,’ etc. The Chaldee understands the word in the same sense. Lowth proposes to change the word קשׁר qesher, into קדשׁ qâdôsh, because Dr. Seeker possessed one manuscript in which this reading was found; and he translates the passage:
‘Say ye not it is holy,
Of everything of which this people shall say it is holy.’
That is, ‘call not their idols holy; nor fear ye the object of their fear; that is, the gods of the idolaters.’ But it is plain that this does not suit the connection of the passage, since the prophet is not reproving them for their idolatry, but is discoursing of the alliance between the kings of Syria and Samaria. Besides, the authority of one manuscript, without the concurrence of any ancient version, is not a sufficient authority for changing the Hebrew text. Most commentators have understood this word ‘confederacy’ as referring to the alliance between the kings of Syria and Samaria; as if the prophet had said, ‘Do not join in the cry so common and almost universal in the nation, “There is a confederacy between those two kingdoms; there is an alliance formed which endangers our liberty” - a cry that produces alarm and trepidation in the nation.’ Thus Rosenmuller and Gesenius explain it.
Aben Ezra, and Kimchi, however. understand it of a conspiracy, which they suppose was formed in the kingdom of Ahaz, against him and the house of David; and that the prophet warns the people against joining in such a conspiracy. But of the existence of such a conspiracy there is no evidence. Had there been such a conspiracy, it is not probable that it would have been so well known as to make it a proper subject of public denunciation. Conspiracies are usually secret and concealed. I regard this, however, as a caution to the prophet not to join in the prevailing demand for an alliance with the king of Assyria. Ahaz trembled before the united armies of Syria and Samaria. He sought, therefore, foreign assistance - the assistance of the king of Assyria. It is probable that in this he was encouraged by the leaders of the people, and that this would be a popular measure with the mass of the nation. Yet it implied distrust of God (note, Isaiah 8:6); and, therefore, the prophet was directed not to unite with them in seeking this ‘confederacy,’ or alliance, but to oppose it. The word translated ‘confederacy,’ קשׁר qesher is derived from the verb קשׁר qâshar, “to bind, to fetter;” to enter into a conspiracy. It usually refers to a conspiracy, but it may mean a combination or alliance of any kind. Or, if it here means a conspiracy, a union between Ahaz and the Assyrians may be regarded as a species of conspiracy, as it was an unnatural alliance; a species of combination against the natural and proper government of Judah - the theocracy.
Neither fear ye their fear - Do not partake of their alarm at the invasion of the land by the united armies of Syria and Samaria. Rather put confidence in God, and believe that he is able to save you; compare 1 Peter 3:13-15.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Isaiah 8:12. Say 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 σκληρον, hard. The Syriac and Chaldee render it מרדא merda, and 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 this place. For why should God forbid his faithful servants to say with the unbelieving Jews, It is hard; or, There is a rebellion; or, as our translators render it, a confederacy? And how can this be called "walking in the way of this people?" Isaiah 8:11, which usually means, following their example, joining with them in religious worship. Or what confederacy do they mean? The union of the kingdoms of Syria and Israel against Judah? That was properly a league between two independent states, not an unlawful conspiracy of one part against another in the same state; this is the meaning of the word קשר kesher. For want of any satisfactory interpretation of this place that I can meet with, I adopt a conjecture of Archbishop Secker, which he proposes with great diffidence, and even seems immediately to give up, as being destitute of any authority to support it. I will give it in his own words: -
"Videri potest ex cap. v. 16, et hujus cap. 13, 14, 19, legendum קרש vel קדוש kadosh, eadem sententia, qua אלהינו Eloheynu, Hosea 14:3. Sed nihil necesse est. Vide enim Jeremiah 11:9; Ezekiel 22:25. Optime tamen sic responderent huic versiculo versiculi 13, 14."
The passages of Jeremiah and Ezekiel above referred to seem to me not at all to clear up the sense of the word קשר kesher in this place. But the context greatly favours the conjecture here given, and makes it highly probable: "Walk not in the way of this people; call not their idols holy, nor fear ye the object of their fear:" (that is, the σεβασματα, or gods of the idolaters; for so fear here signifies, to wit, the thing feared. So God is called "The fear of Isaac," Genesis 31:42; Genesis 31:53:) "but look up to JEHOVAH as your Holy One; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread; and he shall be a holy Refuge unto you." Here there is a harmony and consistency running through the whole sentence; and the latter part naturally arises out of the former, and answers to it. Idolatry, however, is full of fears. The superstitious fears of the Hindoos are very numerous. They fear death, bad spirits generally, and hobgoblins of all descriptions. They fear also the cries of jackalls, owls, crows, cats, asses, vultures, dogs, lizards, c. They also dread different sights in the air, and are alarmed at various dreams. See WARD'S Customs. Observe that the difference between קשר kesher and קדש kadosh is chiefly in the transposition of the two last letters, for the letters ר resh and ד daleth are hardly distinguishable in some copies, printed as well as MS. so that the mistake, in respect of the letters themselves, is a very easy and a very common one. - L.
