Isaiah 29:13
New International Version
The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

New Living Translation
And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

English Standard Version
And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Berean Standard Bible
Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.

King James Bible
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

New King James Version
Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

New American Standard Bible
Then the Lord said, “Because this people approaches Me with their words And honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of the commandment of men that is taught;

NASB 1995
Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,

NASB 1977
Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their mouth And honor Me with their lips, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their fear of Me is in the command of men learned by rote,

Amplified Bible
Then the Lord said, “Because this nation approaches [Me only] with their words And honors Me [only] with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me is a tradition that is learned by rote [without any regard for its meaning],

Christian Standard Bible
The Lord said: These people approach me with their speeches to honor me with lip-service, yet their hearts are far from me, and human rules direct their worship of me.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Lord said: Because these people approach Me with their mouths to honor Me with lip-service— yet their hearts are far from Me, and their worship consists of man-made rules learned by rote—

American Standard Version
And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which hath been taught them;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And LORD JEHOVAH said: “Because this people approaches me with its mouth and by its lips it honors me and its heart is far from me, and their worship of me was by the commandment and in the teaching of man

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Lord has said, This people draw nigh to me with their mouth, and they honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me: but in vain do they worship me, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men.

Contemporary English Version
The Lord has said: "These people praise me with their words, but they never really think about me. They worship me by repeating rules made up by humans.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said: Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify me, but their heart is far from me, and they have feared me with the commandment and doctrines of men:

English Revised Version
And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which hath been taught them:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The Lord says, "These people worship me with their mouths and honor me with their lips. But their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is [based on] rules made by humans.

Good News Translation
The Lord said, "These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized.

International Standard Version
Then the Lord said: "Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, worship of me has become merely like rules taught by human beings.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the Lord said: Forasmuch as this people draw near, And with their mouth and with their lips do honour Me, But have removed their heart far from Me, And their fear of Me is a command-ment of men learned by rote;

Literal Standard Version
And the Lord says: “Because this people has drawn near with its mouth, | And they have honored Me with its lips, | And it has put its heart far off from Me, | And their fear of Me is a precept taught by men!

Majority Standard Bible
Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.

New American Bible
The Lord said: Since this people draws near with words only and honors me with their lips alone, though their hearts are far from me, And fear of me has become mere precept of human teaching,

NET Bible
The sovereign master says, "These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me, but they are not really loyal to me. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual.

New Revised Standard Version
The Lord said: Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote;

New Heart English Bible
And the Lord said, "Because these people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but they have removed their heart far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching instructions that are the commandments of humans.

Webster's Bible Translation
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precept of men:

World English Bible
The Lord said, “Because this people draws near with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but they have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught;

Young's Literal Translation
And the Lord saith: Because drawn near hath this people, with its mouth, And with its lips they have honoured Me, And its heart it hath put far off from Me, And their fear of Me is -- A precept of men is taught!

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Woe to the City of David
12Or if the scroll is handed to one unable to read, he will say, “I cannot read.” 13Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men. 14Therefore I will again confound these people with wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of the wise will vanish, and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden.”…

Cross References
Matthew 15:8
These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.

Matthew 15:9
They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.'"

Mark 7:6
Jesus answered them, "Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: 'These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.

Mark 7:7
They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.'

Colossians 2:22
These will all perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.

1 Samuel 15:30
"I have sinned," Saul replied. "Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. Come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God."

Psalm 17:1
Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.


Treasury of Scripture

Why the Lord said, For as much as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

forasmuch

Isaiah 10:6
I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Isaiah 48:1,2
Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness…

Isaiah 58:2,3
Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God…

their fear

2 Chronicles 29:1
Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

2 Chronicles 30:1
And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel.

2 Chronicles 31:1
Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.

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Commandment Consists Draw Draws Far Fear Forasmuch Heart Honor Honour Lips Mouth Mouths Precept Remove Removed Reverence Rule Service Taught Teaching Towards Wherefore Worship
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Commandment Consists Draw Draws Far Fear Forasmuch Heart Honor Honour Lips Mouth Mouths Precept Remove Removed Reverence Rule Service Taught Teaching Towards Wherefore Worship
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














(13) Wherefore the Lord said . . .--We pass from the effect to the cause. The blind stupor was the outcome of a long hypocrisy. Lip-homage and an estranged heart had been the notes of the religious life of Israel, and they could bear no other fruit.

Their fear toward me . . .--The words point to what we may call an anticipated Pharisaism. Side by side with the great commandments of the Law and with the incisive teaching of the prophets there was growing up even then a traditional system of ethics and religion, based upon wrong principles, ending in a dishonest casuistry and a formal devotion. Commentaries even then were darkening counsel by words without knowledge, as they did in the Mishna and the Gemara of the later days of Judaism (Matthew 15:3; Mark 7:6).

Verse 13. - Wherefore the Lord said; rather, moreover the Lord said. This people draw near me with their mouth. Samaria had been punished for open idolatry and flagrant neglect of Jehovah (2 Kings 17:7-17). Jerusalem had not gone these lengths. She still, in profession, clung to the worship of Jehovah, and had even recently accepted a purification of religion at the hand of Hezekiah, who had "removed the high places," and cut down the groves, and broken in pieces the brazen serpent," because the people burnt incense to it (2 Kings 18:4). But her religion was a mere lip-service, which God detested - it was outward, formal, hypocritical (comp. Isaiah 1:11-17). Jerusalem, therefore, no less than Samaria, deserved and would receive a severe chastisement. But have removed their heart far from me. Here lies the gist of the charge. It was not that there was too much outward religion, but that there was no inward religion corresponding to it. Lip-service without inward religion is a mockery, though it is not always felt as such. Their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men. Mr. Cheyne conjectures that ritual books had been already published by the authority of the priests, and that these were followed, on account of the human authority which had issued them, without any reference to the Law. Thus ritual obedience became mere obedience to "the precept of men."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Therefore
יַ֚עַן (ya·‘an)
Adverb
Strong's 3282: Heed, purpose, to indicate the reason, cause

the Lord
אֲדֹנָ֗י (’ă·ḏō·nāy)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 136: The Lord

said:
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“These
הַזֶּ֔ה (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

people
הָעָ֣ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

draw near to Me
נִגַּשׁ֙ (nig·gaš)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5066: To draw near, approach

with their mouths
בְּפִ֤יו (bə·p̄îw)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to

and honor Me
כִּבְּד֔וּנִי (kib·bə·ḏū·nî)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural | first person common singular
Strong's 3513: To be heavy, weighty, or burdensome

with their lips,
וּבִשְׂפָתָיו֙ (ū·ḇiś·p̄ā·ṯāw)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - fdc | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8193: The lip, language, a margin

but their hearts
וְלִבּ֖וֹ (wə·lib·bōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

are far
רִחַ֣ק (ri·ḥaq)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7368: To be or become far or distant

from Me.
מִמֶּ֑נִּי (mim·men·nî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

Their worship
יִרְאָתָם֙ (yir·’ā·ṯām)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3373: Fearing, reverent

of Me
אֹתִ֔י (’ō·ṯî)
Direct object marker | first person common singular
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

is but
וַתְּהִ֤י (wat·tə·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

rules
מִצְוַ֥ת (miṣ·waṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 4687: Commandment

taught
מְלֻמָּדָֽה׃ (mə·lum·mā·ḏāh)
Verb - Pual - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 3925: To exercise in, learn

by men.
אֲנָשִׁ֖ים (’ă·nā·šîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 29:13 The Lord said Because this people draws (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 29:12
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