The Meaning of Isaiah 29:4 Explained

Isaiah 29:4

KJV: And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

YLT: And thou hast been low, From the earth thou speakest, And from the dust makest thy saying low, And thy voice hath been from the earth, As one having a familiar spirit, And from the dust thy saying whisperest,

Darby: And thou shalt be brought low, thou shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall come low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

ASV: And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust; and thy voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And thou shalt be brought down,  [and] shalt speak  out of the ground,  and thy speech  shall be low  out of the dust,  and thy voice  shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit,  out of the ground,  and thy speech  shall whisper  out of the dust. 

What does Isaiah 29:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Both the status and the strength of the city would suffer humiliation. The people"s weak voices would reflect their abject condition under Yahweh"s sovereign discipline.

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 29:4 mean?

And You shall be brought down out of the ground You shall speak and out of the dust shall be low Your speech and shall be like a medium's out of the ground Your voice and out of the dust your speech shall whisper
וְשָׁפַלְתְּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ תְּדַבֵּ֔רִי וּמֵֽעָפָ֖ר תִּשַּׁ֣ח אִמְרָתֵ֑ךְ וְֽ֠הָיָה כְּא֤וֹב מֵאֶ֙רֶץ֙ קוֹלֵ֔ךְ וּמֵעָפָ֖ר אִמְרָתֵ֥ךְ תְּצַפְצֵֽף

וְשָׁפַלְתְּ֙  And  You  shall  be  brought  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: שָׁפֵל  
Sense: to be or become low, sink, be humbled, be abased.
מֵאֶ֣רֶץ  out  of  the  ground 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
תְּדַבֵּ֔רִי  You  shall  speak 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
וּמֵֽעָפָ֖ר  and  out  of  the  dust 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָפָר  
Sense: dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish.
תִּשַּׁ֣ח  shall  be  low 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁחַח 
Sense: to bow, crouch, bow down, be bowed down.
אִמְרָתֵ֑ךְ  Your  speech 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אִמְרָה 
Sense: utterance, speech, word.
וְֽ֠הָיָה  and  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כְּא֤וֹב  like  a  medium's 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֹוב 
Sense: water skin bottle.
מֵאֶ֙רֶץ֙  out  of  the  ground 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
קוֹלֵ֔ךְ  Your  voice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
וּמֵעָפָ֖ר  and  out  of  the  dust 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָפָר  
Sense: dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish.
אִמְרָתֵ֥ךְ  your  speech 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אִמְרָה 
Sense: utterance, speech, word.
תְּצַפְצֵֽף  shall  whisper 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: צָפַף  
Sense: (Pilpel) to chirp, peep.