The Meaning of Isaiah 29:15 Explained

Isaiah 29:15

KJV: Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?

YLT: Woe to those going deep from Jehovah to hide counsel, And whose works have been in darkness. And they say, 'Who is seeing us? And who is knowing us?'

Darby: Woe unto them that hide deep, far from Jehovah, their counsel! And their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?

ASV: Woe unto them that hide deep their counsel from Jehovah, and whose works are in the dark, and that say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Woe  unto them that seek deep  to hide  their counsel  from the LORD,  and their works  are in the dark,  and they say,  Who seeth  us? and who knoweth  us? 

What does Isaiah 29:15 Mean?

Verse Meaning

"Woe" announces divine condemnation of another trait of the Jerusalemites: their habitual and determined decision to try to hide from God (cf. Genesis 3:8). The political strategists seem to be particularly in view. [1] They tried to hide their plans from the Lord so they could be their own masters, as they thought, to live as they pleased rather than as He instructed them. Previously King Ahaz had tried to hide his appeal to Assyria for help (ch7).

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 29

1  God's heavy judgment upon Jerusalem
7  The insatiableness of her enemies
9  The senselessness
13  And deep hypocrisy of the people
17  A promise of sanctification to the godly

What do the individual words in Isaiah 29:15 mean?

Woe to those who seek deep from Yahweh to hide far their counsel and are in the dark their works and they say who sees us and who knows us
ה֛וֹי הַמַּעֲמִיקִ֥ים מֵֽיהוָ֖ה לַסְתִּ֣ר עֵצָ֑ה וְהָיָ֤ה בְמַחְשָׁךְ֙ מַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֔ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מִ֥י רֹאֵ֖נוּ וּמִ֥י יוֹדְעֵֽנוּ

ה֛וֹי  Woe  to 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הֹוי  
Sense: ah!, alas!, ha!, ho!, O!, woe!.
הַמַּעֲמִיקִ֥ים  those  who  seek  deep 
Parse: Article, Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine plural
Root: עָמַק  
Sense: to be deep, be profound, make deep.
מֵֽיהוָ֖ה  from  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
לַסְתִּ֣ר  to  hide  far 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: סָתַר  
Sense: to hide, conceal.
עֵצָ֑ה  their  counsel 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֵצָה 
Sense: counsel, advice, purpose.
וְהָיָ֤ה  and  are 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בְמַחְשָׁךְ֙  in  the  dark 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַחְשָׁךְ  
Sense: dark place, darkness, secrecy.
מַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֔ם  their  works 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: מַעֲשֶׂה  
Sense: deed, work.
וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ  and  they  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
רֹאֵ֖נוּ  sees  us 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וּמִ֥י  and  who 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interrogative
Root: מִי  
Sense: who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever.
יוֹדְעֵֽנוּ  knows  us 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.