Isaiah

Isaiah 8:20–22

²⁰To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

²¹They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God. ²²Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness.

Read all of Isaiah 8

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 8:20

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

Isaiah 8:21

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
They will roam the land	וְעָ֥בַר	wə·‘ā·ḇar	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular	H5674 pass over, through, by, pass on
dejected	נִקְשֶׁ֣ה	niq·šeh	Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular	H7185 be hard, severe, fierce
and hungry	וְרָעֵ֑ב	wə·rā·‘êḇ	Conjunctive waw; Adjective - masculine singular	H7457 hungry
When	כִֽי־	ḵî-	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
they are famished	יִרְעַ֜ב	yir·‘aḇ	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular	H7456 be hungry
they will become enraged	וְהִתְקַצַּ֗ף	wə·hiṯ·qaṣ·ṣap̄	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Hitpael - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular	H7107 be wroth
and looking	וּפָנָ֥ה	ū·p̄ā·nāh	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular	H6437 turn
upward	לְמָֽעְלָה׃	lə·mā·‘ə·lāh	Preposition-l; Adverb; third person feminine singular	H4605 higher part
they will curse	וְקִלֵּ֧ל	wə·qil·lêl	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular	H7043 be slight, swift, trifling
their king	בְּמַלְכּ֛וֹ	bə·mal·kōw	Preposition-b; Noun - masculine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H4428 king
and their God	וּבֵאלֹהָ֖יו	ū·ḇê·lō·hāw	Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b; Noun - masculine plural construct; third person masculine singular	H430 God

Isaiah 8:22

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Then they will look	יַבִּ֑יט	yab·bîṭ	Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular	H5027 look
to	וְאֶל־	wə·’el-	Conjunctive waw; Preposition	H413 motion to
the earth	אֶ֖רֶץ	’e·reṣ	Noun - feminine singular	H776 earth, land
and see	וְהִנֵּ֨ה	wə·hin·nêh	Conjunctive waw; Interjection	H2009 lo! behold!
only distress	צָרָ֤ה	ṣā·rāh	Noun - feminine singular	H6869 id.
and darkness	וַחֲשֵׁכָה֙	wa·ḥă·šê·ḵāh	Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine singular	H2825 darkness
and the gloom	מְע֣וּף	mə·‘ūp̄	Noun - masculine singular construct	H4588 id.
of anguish	צוּקָ֔ה	ṣū·qāh	Noun - feminine singular	H6695 constraint, distress
And they will be driven	מְנֻדָּֽח׃	mə·nud·dāḥ	Verb - Pual - Participle - masculine singular	H5080 impel, thrust, banish
into utter darkness	וַאֲפֵלָ֖ה	wa·’ă·p̄ê·lāh	Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine singular	H653 darkness, gloominess, calamity

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

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

Isaiah 8:21 Isaiah 9:20 · Proverbs 19:3

Isaiah 8:22 Isaiah 5:30 · Matthew 22:13 · Jeremiah 13:16 · Matthew 8:12 · Jude 1:13 · Job 18:18 · Zephaniah 1:14–15 · Jeremiah 30:6–7 · Proverbs 14:32

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.