Isaiah 29:8-18

8 And as an hungry man dreameth, and eateth, but when he is awaked, his soul is void; and as a thirsty man dreameth, and drinketh, and after that he is awaked, he is weary, and thirsteth yet, and his soul is void; so shall be the multitude of all folks, that fought against the hill of Zion. (And like when a hungry man dreameth, and eateth in it, but when he awakeneth, his body is still empty; or like when a thirsty man dreameth, and drinketh in it, but after that he awakeneth, he is still weary, and still thirsteth, and his body is empty; so shall be the multitude of all the nations, that fought against Mount Zion.)

9 Be ye astonied, and wonder; wake ye, and doubt ye; be ye drunk, and not of wine; be ye moved, and not with drunkenness. (Be ye astonished, and wonder; wake ye, and doubt ye; be ye drunk, but not with wine; be ye moved, but not with drunkenness.)

10 For the Lord hath meddled to you the spirit of sleep; he shall close your eyes, and [he] shall cover your prophets, and princes that see visions. (For the Lord hath mixed for you the spirit of sleep; he shall close your eyes, that is, your prophets, and he shall cover your heads, that is, your leaders, who see visions.)

11 And the vision of all prophets shall be to you as the words of a book asealed; which when they shall give to him that knoweth letters, they shall say, Read thou this book; and he shall answer, I may not, for it is asealed. (And the vision of all the prophets shall be to you like the words of a sealed book; which when they shall give to him who knoweth how to read, they shall say, Read thou this book; and he shall answer, I cannot, for it is sealed.)

12 And the book shall be given to him that knoweth not letters, and it shall be said to him, Read thou; and he shall answer, I know no letters. (And the book shall be given to him who cannot read, and it shall be said to him, Read thou; and he shall answer, I do not know how to read.)

13 And (then) the Lord said, For that (that) this people nigheth with their mouth, and glorifieth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; and they dreaded me for the commandment and (the) teachings of men,

14 therefore lo! I shall add, that I make [great] wondering to this people, in a great miracle and wonderful (and so lo! I shall add, that I make a great wonder before this people, yea, a great and wonderful miracle); for why wisdom shall perish from (the) wise men thereof, and the understanding of prudent men thereof shall be hid.

15 Woe to you that be deep of heart, that ye hide (your) counsel from the Lord (Woe to you who go deep into your hearts, in order to hide your plans from the Lord); the works of which be in darknesses, and they say, Who seeth us, and who knoweth us?

16 This thought of you is wayward, as if clay think against a potter, and the work say to his maker, Thou madest not me; and a thing made, say to his maker, Thou understandest not. (This thought of yours is wayward, like if a piece of clay think against a potter, and the work say to its maker, Thou madest me not, and a made thing say to its maker, Thou understandest not how to do this.)

17 Whether not yet in a little time and short, the Lebanon shall be turned into Carmel, and Carmel shall be areckoned into the forest? (Whether not yet in a brief, or a short, time, Lebanon shall be turned into a plentiful land, and the plentiful land shall be reckoned as a forest?)

18 And in that day deaf men shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of blind men shall see from darknesses and misty (And on that day, the deaf shall hear the words read from a book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of their darkness and mist;)

Isaiah 29:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 29

This chapter contains a prophecy concerning the destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem by the Romans; the character and condition of the people of the Jews, previous to it; the calling of the Gentiles, by the preaching of the Gospel; the ruin of antichrist, and the conversion of the Jews, in the latter day. The siege and destruction of Jerusalem are described in Isa 29:1-6 the disappointment of their enemies, notwithstanding their taking and destroying it, Isa 29:7,8 the stupidity, judicial blindness, and hardness of the Jews, which brought on their ruin, are predicted, Isa 29:9,10 the ignorance of their learned, as well as of their unlearned men, with respect to the Scripture, and the prophecies of it, Isa 29:11,12 their hypocrisy and formality in worship, Isa 29:13 a blast upon all their wisdom and prudence, who thought to be wiser than the Lord, and too many for him, whose folly and atheism are exposed, Isa 29:14-16, and a great change both in Judea and the Gentile world, by the removal of the Gospel from the one to the other, Isa 29:17 the effects of which are, deaf sinners hear the word, dark minds are enlightened, and joy increased among the meek and poor, Isa 29:18,19 the fall of the Jews, or else of antichrist, is foretold, Isa 29:20,21 and the chapter is closed with a promise and prophecy of the conversion of the seed of Abraham and Jacob, Isa 29:22-24.