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Isaiah 29:4

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 29:4 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “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.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

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.
Isaiah 29:4 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 29

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1Ho Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! add ye year to year; let the feasts come round:
2then will I distress Ariel, and there shall be mourning and lamentation; and she shall be unto me as Ariel.
3And I will encamp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with posted troops, and I will raise siege works against thee.
4And 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.
5But the multitude of thy foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be in an instant suddenly.
6She shall be visited of Jehovah of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.
7And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her stronghold, and that distress her, shall be as a dream, a vision of the night.
← Isaiah 29:3Isaiah 29:5 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And thou shalt be brought down, &c.] To the ground, and laid level with it, even the city of Jerusalem, as it was by the Romans; and as it was predicted by Christ it would, (<421944>Luke 19:44) though some understand this of the humbling of the inhabitants of it, by the appearance of Sennacherib’s army before it, and of which they interpret the following clauses: [and] shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust; which some explain of the submissive language of Hezekiah to Sennacherib, and of his messengers to Rabshakeh, (<121814>2 Kings 18:14,26) as Aben Ezra and Kimchi; but it is expressive of the great famine in Jerusalem, at the time of its siege by the…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Jerusalem shall be as a captive, humbled to the dust. Her voice shall come from the earth as that of the spirit-charmers or necromancers (Isa 8:19), faint and shrill, as the voice of the dead was supposed to be. Ventriloquism was doubtless the trick caused to make the voice appear to come from the earth (Isa 19:3). An appropriate retribution that Jerusalem, which consulted necromancers, should be made like them!”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“And thou - Thou who now speakest so loftily, shall be humbled, and with a low voice, beg the favour of thine enemies. As one - Who, that they might possess the people with a kind of reverence and horror, used to deliver their answers with a low voice, from some cave under the ground. Isaiah 29:5”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“29:4 God’s goal was to destroy the sinful pride of the people of Jerusalem. Their voice would rise as if from the grave. Through the Assyrians, God would humble his people, but he would not abandon them.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“thou shalt: Isa 2:11-21, Isa 3:8, Isa 51:23; Psa 44:25; Lam 1:9 whisper: Heb. peep, or chirp, Isa 8:19 Isaiah 29:5”
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Related study paths

Read Isaiah 29 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification