Isaiah
Isaiah 8:19–20
19When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
Word by word
Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.
Isaiah 8:19
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| When | וְכִֽי־ | wə·ḵî- | Conjunction | H3588 burning, branding |
| men tell | יֹאמְר֣וּ | yō·mə·rū | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | H559 utter, say |
| you | אֲלֵיכֶ֗ם | ’ă·lê·ḵem | Preposition; second person masculine plural | H413 motion to |
| to consult | דִּרְשׁ֤וּ | dir·šū | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural | H1875 resort to, seek |
| mediums | הָאֹבוֹת֙ | hā·’ō·ḇō·wṯ | Article; Noun - masculine plural | H178 skin-bottle, necromancer |
| and spiritists | הַיִּדְּעֹנִ֔ים | hay·yid·də·‘ō·nîm | Article; Noun - masculine plural | H3049 familiar spirit |
| who whisper | הַֽמְצַפְצְפִ֖ים | ham·ṣap̄·ṣə·p̄îm | Article; Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural | H6850 chirp, peep |
| and mutter | וְהַמַּהְגִּ֑ים | wə·ham·mah·gîm | Conjunctive waw, Article; Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural | H1897 moan, growl, utter, speak, muse |
| shouldn’t | הֲלוֹא־ | hă·lō·w- | Adverb - Negative particle | H3808 not |
| a people | עַם֙ | ‘am | Noun - masculine singular | H5971 people |
| consult | יִדְרֹ֔שׁ | yiḏ·rōš | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | H1875 resort to, seek |
| their God | אֱלֹהָ֣יו | ’ĕ·lō·hāw | Noun - masculine plural construct; third person masculine singular | H430 God |
| Why consult the dead | הַמֵּתִֽים׃ | ham·mê·ṯîm | Article; Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural | H4191 die |
| on behalf of | בְּעַ֥ד | bə·‘aḏ | Preposition | H1157 separation |
| the living | הַחַיִּ֖ים | ha·ḥay·yîm | Article; Adjective - masculine plural | H2416 alive, living |
Isaiah 8:20
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To the law | לְתוֹרָ֖ה | lə·ṯō·w·rāh | Preposition-l; Noun - feminine singular | H8451 direction, instruction, law |
| and to the testimony | וְלִתְעוּדָ֑ה | wə·liṯ·‘ū·ḏāh | Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l; Noun - feminine singular | H8584 testimony, attestation |
| If | אִם־ | ’im- | Conjunction | H518 if |
| they do not | לֹ֤א | lō | Adverb - Negative particle | H3808 not |
| speak | יֹֽאמְרוּ֙ | yō·mə·rū | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | H559 utter, say |
| according to this | הַזֶּ֔ה | haz·zeh | Article; Pronoun - masculine singular | H2088 this, that |
| word | כַּדָּבָ֣ר | kad·dā·ḇār | Preposition-k, Article; Noun - masculine singular | H1697 speech, word |
| they have no | אֵֽין־ | ’ên- | Adverb | H369 nothing, nought |
| light of dawn | שָֽׁחַר׃ | šā·ḥar | Noun - masculine singular | H7837 dawn |
Cross-references
Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.
Isaiah 8:19 1 Chronicles 10:13 · Leviticus 20:6 · 2 Chronicles 33:6 · Psalm 106:28 · Leviticus 19:31 · 1 Samuel 28:8 · Isaiah 29:4 · Deuteronomy 18:11 · Isaiah 19:3 · Jeremiah 10:10 · 2 Kings 1:3 · 2 Kings 21:6
Isaiah 8:20 2 Peter 1:19 · 2 Timothy 3:15–17 · Acts 17:11 · Psalm 119:130 · John 5:39 · Isaiah 30:8–11 · John 5:46–47 · Hosea 6:3 · Romans 1:22 · Jeremiah 8:9 · Mark 7:7–9 · Matthew 22:29
Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.