Isaiah 29:14

“therefore look, I will again do wonders with this people, a wonder and a marvel; and the wisdom of its wise men will perish, and the understanding of its men of understanding will be hidden.””
Isaiah 29:14 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

thereforeלָכֵןlook, Iהִנְנִיwill againיוֹסִףdo wondersלְהַפְלִיאwith this people,אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּהa wonderהַפְלֵאand a marvel;וָפֶלֶאand the wisdomוְ חָכְמַתof its wise menחֲכָמָיוwill perish,אָבְדָהand the understandingוּבִינַתof its men of understandingנְבֹנָיוwill be hidden.”תִּסְתַּתָּר

Quotation · 1 Corinthians 1:19

Go to 1 Corinthians 1:19

Where the Hebrew says “the understanding of its men of understanding will be hidden,” Paul says “the understanding of the understanding I will set aside.”

Formula: γέγραπται “it is written” (1 Corinthians 1:19)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: γέγραπται γάρ Ἀπολῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν ἀθετήσω

Hebrew (Masoretic text): לָכֵן הִנְנִי יוֹסִף לְהַפְלִיא אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה הַפְלֵא וָפֶלֶא וְאָבְדָה חָכְמַת חֲכָמָיו וּבִינַת נְבֹנָיו תִּסְתַּתָּר

Septuagint (Isaiah 29:14 in the Septuagint numbering): διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ προσθήσω τοῦ μεταθεῖναι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον· καὶ μεταθήσω αὐτούς, καὶ ἀπολῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν, καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν κρύψω.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 10 consecutive words: “Ἀπολῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Isaiah 29:14, word by word

will againיוֹסִףyosif

do again

To do again what had already been done.

Where else “yosif” appears

do wondersהַפְלִיאhafli

wonder

What YHWH does, beyond what a person can do or understand.

Where else “hafli” appears

with this peopleעָםam

crowd

The people gathered in a place: the crowd, or the troops that go out to war.

Where else “am” appears

and a marvelפֶלֶאfele

wonder

Wonder: something only God can do.

Where else “fele” appears

and the wisdomחָכְמַתchachmat

wisdom

Knowing how to live well; it begins with revering YHWH.

Where else “chachmat” appears

of its wise menחֲכָמָיchachamay

wise

Someone who knows how to live well, revering YHWH.

Where else “chachamay” appears

will perishאָבְדָהavda

perish

To die, be ruined.

Where else “avda” appears

and the understandingבִינַתvinat

understanding

Understanding: the ability to comprehend and to tell one thing from another.

Where else “vinat” appears

of its men of understandingנְבֹנָיnevonay

be skilled

To be very wise and skilled in what one does.

Where else “nevonay” appears

will be hiddenתִּסְתַּתָּרtistatar

hide

To put someone or something out of sight, to keep it safe or to flee.

Where else “tistatar” appears

Translation note

Paul quotes the second half in 1 Corinthians 1:19.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · 1 Corinthians 1:19

Where the Hebrew says “the understanding of its men of understanding will be hidden,” Paul says “the understanding of the understanding I will set aside.”

See them side by side

Isaiah 29:14

¹⁴therefore look, I will again do wonders with this people, a wonder and a marvel; and the wisdom of its wise men will perish, and the understanding of its men of understanding will be hidden.”

1 Corinthians 1:19

¹⁹For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the understanding of the discerning I will set aside.

The context

13And Adonai said: “Because this people draws near with its mouth, and with its lips they honor me, but its heart it has removed far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote,

14 · This verse (above)

15Woe to those who go deep to hide their plan from YHWH, and their works are in the dark, and they say, “Who sees us? And who knows us?”

Read all of Isaiah 29

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