the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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Updated Bible Version
Isaiah 8:20
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To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
Get thee to the lawe, and the testimonie: and if they speake not after this worde, there is no light in them.
To the law and the testimony! If they speak not according to this word, for them there is no daybreak.
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
To the Law and to the Testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because there is no dawn to them!
You should follow the teachings and the agreement. I swear, if you follow those other things, there is no future for you.
To the law and to the testimony! if they don't speak according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.
To the Law and to the Testimonie: if they speake not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Yf eny man want light, let him loke vpon the lawe and the testimony, whether they speake not after this meanynge.
[Direct those people] to the law and to the testimony! If their teachings are not in accord with this word, it is because they have no dawn.
To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.
Then say to them, Put your faith in the teaching and the witness. Three dots are used where it is no longer possible to be certain of the true sense of the Hebrew words, and for this reason no attempt has been made to put them into Basic English. If they do not say such things. Three dots are used where it is no longer possible to be certain of the true sense of the Hebrew words, and for this reason no attempt has been made to put them into Basic English. For him there is no dawn. Three dots are used where it is no longer possible to be certain of the true sense of the Hebrew words, and for this reason no attempt has been made to put them into Basic English.
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.
Then you must recall the Lord 's instructions and the prophetic testimony of what would happen. Certainly they say such things because their minds are spiritually darkened.
what it should do." None of those who talk like that will live to see the light of day!
for teaching and instruction?" For they will indeed give you this unenlightened suggestion.
To the Law, and to the testimonie, if they speake not according to this worde: it is because there is no light in them.
As for the law and the testimony, if they do not speak according to this word, it is because they do not receive a bribe for it.
To the law and to the testimony! if they don't speak according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.
for instruction and for testimony?'--Surely they will speak according to this word, wherein there is no light.--
Look to God's instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.
Tell them to put their faith in the teaching and the Law. If they do not speak what this word says, it is because they have no light in them.
For he has given the law for a help, that they should not speak according to this word, concerning which there are no gifts to give for it.
To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
for teaching and for instruction?" surely, those who speak like this will have no dawn!
To the law and to the testimony! If they speak not according to this word, It is , because they have no dawning day.
To the law rather, and to the testimony. And if they speak not according to this word, they shall not have the morning light.
for teaching and for testimony?" surely they who speak like this have no dawn.
To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
To the Law and to the testimony! If they do not speak in accordance with this word, it is because they have no dawn.
You should follow the teachings and the agreement with the Lord . The mediums and fortune-tellers do not speak the word of the Lord , so their words are worth nothing.
You are to answer them, "Listen to what the Lord is teaching you! Don't listen to mediums—what they tell you cannot keep trouble away."
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them.
It is to go to the lawe more and to the witnessyng, that if thei seien not after this word, morewtide liyt schal not be to hem.
To the teaching and to the testimony! Surely for this word which they speak there is no dawn.
To the law and to the testimony! If not, let them say after this manner, `That there is no dawn to it.'
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
the law: Isaiah 8:16, Luke 10:26, Luke 16:29-31, John 5:39, John 5:46, John 5:47, Acts 17:11, Galatians 3:8-29, Galatians 4:21, Galatians 4:22, 2 Timothy 3:15-17, 2 Peter 1:19
it is: Isaiah 30:8-11, Psalms 19:7, Psalms 19:8, Psalms 119:130, Jeremiah 8:9, Micah 3:6, Matthew 6:23, Matthew 22:29, Mark 7:7-9, Romans 1:22, 2 Peter 1:9
light: Heb. morning, Proverbs 4:18, Hosea 6:3, Malachi 4:2, 2 Peter 1:19
Reciprocal: Exodus 25:37 - give Exodus 35:29 - the Lord Exodus 40:16 - according Leviticus 24:2 - the lamps Numbers 8:2 - General Deuteronomy 13:3 - hearken Deuteronomy 18:10 - that useth divination Deuteronomy 29:29 - revealed Judges 8:27 - an ephod Judges 18:14 - now therefore 1 Samuel 28:7 - Seek me 2 Kings 11:12 - the testimony 2 Kings 23:24 - that he might 2 Chronicles 17:9 - the book 2 Chronicles 23:11 - the testimony Ezra 7:14 - according Ezra 10:3 - let it Nehemiah 8:1 - bring Psalms 26:3 - and Psalms 78:5 - For he Psalms 93:5 - Thy Psalms 119:24 - my counsellors Proverbs 2:6 - out Proverbs 6:23 - the commandment Proverbs 14:6 - scorner Jeremiah 6:16 - Stand Ezekiel 40:3 - with Micah 5:12 - General Malachi 4:4 - the law Matthew 4:7 - It Matthew 14:4 - General Matthew 15:4 - God Mark 7:13 - the word Mark 10:3 - What Mark 10:19 - knowest Mark 12:24 - Do Luke 4:4 - It Luke 8:11 - The seed Luke 11:36 - the whole Luke 18:20 - knowest John 1:9 - every John 3:21 - he that Acts 13:6 - certain Romans 3:2 - because Romans 3:10 - As it is Romans 4:3 - what 1 Corinthians 2:1 - the testimony 1 Corinthians 3:13 - and the fire 1 Corinthians 9:8 - or 1 Thessalonians 5:21 - Prove 2 Timothy 1:8 - the testimony James 1:25 - looketh 1 Peter 4:11 - any 1 John 4:6 - Hereby
Cross-References
And Abel, he also brought of the firstborns of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Yahweh had respect to Abel and to his offering:
Of every clean beast you shall take to you seven and seven, the male and his female; and of the beasts that are not clean two, the male and his female:
And God remembered Noah, and all the beasts, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided;
And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.
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 God spoke to Noah, saying,
Go forth from the ark, you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you.
Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, both birds, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth.
to the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of Yahweh.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
To the law, and to the testimony,.... Kimchi takes this to be an oath, "by the law, and by the testimony", it is so and so; but Aben Ezra observes there is no instance of this kind in Scripture; it is a direction of Christ's to his disciples, to attend to the writings of Moses and the prophets, to search the Scriptures, as in John 5:39 and particularly what is before said in this prophecy concerning himself, the same is meant as on Isaiah 8:16.
if they speak not according to this word; this sure word of prophecy, to which men do well to take heed, as to a light shining in a dark place, it being the rule of faith and practice, a lamp to the feet, and a light to the path:
[it is] because [there is] no light in them; that is, in them that speak not according to it, meaning the Scribes and Pharisees; who, rejecting the written word, set up the traditions of the elders above it, and taught the people to walk according to them; and so were, as our Lord says, "blind leaders of the blind", Matthew 15:14 or the words may be read, "if not"; if they will not regard the Scriptures, and the evangelical doctrine in them, and the testimony they give concerning Christ; "let them speak according to this word"; or instruction, and counsel, they have from the Scribes and Pharisees: "in which there is no light" b; but the darkness of ignorance, infidelity, superstition, and will worship; or "no morning"; but a night of Jewish darkness, even though the sun of righteousness was risen, and the dayspring from on high had visited the earth; yet they had received no light and knowledge from him, which was their condemnation, John 1:4 John 3:19 or thus, "to the law, and to the testimony, though they may say after this manner, there is no light in it" c; in the law and testimony, preferring the traditions, decisions, and determinations of their doctors above it. Noldhius d renders the words thus, "seeing they speak not according to this word, certainly they shall have no morning"; that is, seeing the seducers and false teachers, in the preceding verse Isaiah 8:19, speak not according to the word of God, and testimony of Jesus, they shall have no morning of light and joy, of grace and comfort, or any spiritual felicity; Christ will be no morning to them, but they will continue in their dark, benighted, and miserable condition, described in the following verse.
b ?? ?? ????? "sin minus, dicant secundum verbum istud, cui mon est aurora", Piscator. So Sanctius. c "Licet ipsi dicent, in verbis legis, nihil lucis esse", Oleaster in Bootius. d Ebr. Part. Concord. p. 374. No. 1302.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
To the law ... - To the revelation which God has given. This is a solemn call of the prophet to try everything by the revealed will of God; see Isaiah 8:16.
If they speak not - If the necromancers - those that pretended to have contact with the dead.
According to this word - According to what God has revealed. By this standard all their pretended revelations were to be tried. By this standard all doctrines are still to be tried.
It is because - There has been a great variety of criticism upon this verse, but our translation expresses, probably, the true idea. The word rendered here �because,� ???? 'a?sher, commonly denotes �which;� but it seems here to be used in the sense of the Syriac? �Dolath,� or the Greek ????? hoti.
No light - Margin, �Morning.� Hebrew ???? sha?char. The word usually means the morning light; the mingled light and darkness of the aurora; daybreak. It is an emblem of advancing knowledge, and perhaps, also, of prosperity or happiness after calamity, as the break of day succeeds the dark night. The meaning here may be, �If their teachings do not accord with the law and the testimony, it is proof that they are totally ignorant, without even the twilight of true knowledge; that it is total darkness with them.� Or it may mean, �If they do not speak according to this word, then no dawn will arise, that is, no prosperity will smile upon this people.� - Gesenius. Lowth understands it of obscurity, darkness:
�If they speak not according to this word,
In which there is no obscurity.�
But there is no evidence that the word is ever used in this sense. Others suppose that the Arabic sense of the word is to be retained here, deception, or magic. �If they speak not according to this oracle, in which there is no deception.� But the word is not used in this sense in the Hebrew. The meaning is, probably, this: �The law of God is the standard by which all professed communications from the invisible world are to be tested. If the necromancers deliver a doctrine which is not sustained by that, and not in accordance with the prophetic communications, it shows that they are in utter ignorance. There is not even the glimmering of the morning twilight; all is total night, and error, and obscurity with them, and they are not to be followed.�
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Isaiah 8:20. To the law and to the testimony - "Unto the command, and unto the testimony."] "Is not ????? teudah here the attested prophecy, Isaiah 8:1-4? and perhaps ???? torah the command, Isaiah 8:11-15? for it means sometimes a particular, and even a human, command; see Proverbs 6:20, and Proverbs 7:1-2, where it is ordered to be hid, that is, secretly kept." - Abp. Secker. So Deschamps, in his translation, or rather paraphrase, understands it: "Tenons nous a l'instrument authentique mis en depot par ordre du Seigneur," "Let us stick to the authentic instrument, laid up by the command of the Lord." If this be right, the sixteenth verse must be understood in the same manner.
Because there is no light in them - "In which there is no obscurity."] ??? shachor, as an adjective, frequently signifies dark, obscure; and the noun ??? shachar signifies darkness, gloominess, Joel 2:2, if we may judge by the context: -
"A day of darkness and obscurity;
Of cloud, and of thick vapour;
As the gloom spread upon the mountains:
A people mighty and numerous."
Where the gloom, ??? shachar, seems to be the same with the cloud and thick vapour mentioned in the line preceding. See Lamentations 4:8, and Job 30:30. See this meaning of the word ??? shachar well supported in Christ. Muller. Sat. Observat. Phil. p. 53, Lugd. Bat. 1752. The morning seems to have been an idea wholly incongruous in the passage of Joel; and in this of Isaiah the words in which there is no morning (for so it ought to be rendered if ??? shachar in this place signifies, according to its usual sense, morning) seem to give no meaning at all. "It is because there is no light in them," says our translation. If there be any sense in these words, it is not the sense of the original; which cannot justly be so translated. Qui n'a rien d'obscur, "which has no obscurity." - Deschamps. The reading of the Septuagint and Syriac, ??? shochad, gift, affords no assistance towards the clearing up of any of this difficult place. R. D. Kimchi says this was the form of an oath: "By the law and by the testimony such and such things are so." Now if they had sworn this falsely, it is because there is no light, no illumination, ??? shachar, no scruple of conscience, in them.
