Isaiah 45:19
New International Version
I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right.

New Living Translation
I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found. I, the LORD, speak only what is true and declare only what is right.

English Standard Version
I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right.

Berean Standard Bible
I have not spoken in secret, from a place in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I say what is right.

King James Bible
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

New King James Version
I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

New American Standard Bible
“I have not spoken in secret, In some dark land; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a wasteland’; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, Declaring things that are right.

NASB 1995
“I have not spoken in secret, In some dark land; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a waste place’ I, the LORD, speak righteousness, Declaring things that are upright.

NASB 1977
“I have not spoken in secret, In some dark land; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a waste place’; I, the LORD, speak righteousness Declaring things that are upright.

Legacy Standard Bible
I have not spoken in secret, In some dark land; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a formless place’; I, Yahweh, speak righteousness, Declaring things that are upright.

Amplified Bible
“I have not spoken in secret, In a corner of a land of darkness; I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].’ I, the LORD, speak righteousness [the truth—trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words], Declaring things that are upright.

Christian Standard Bible
I have not spoken in secret, somewhere in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob: Seek me in a wasteland. I am the LORD, who speaks righteously, who declares what is right.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I have not spoken in secret, somewhere in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob: Seek Me in a wasteland. I, Yahweh, speak truthfully; I say what is right.”

American Standard Version
I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I, Jehovah, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
It was not in a secret place I have spoken in a dark place of the Earth, and I have not said to the seed of Yaqob, "Seek me for nothing." I AM LORD JEHOVAH, I who speak righteousness and I show integrity

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place of the earth: I said not to the seed of Jacob, Seek vanity: I, even I, am the Lord, speaking righteousness, and proclaiming truth.

Contemporary English Version
The LORD did not speak in a dark secret place or command Jacob's descendants to search for him in vain. The LORD speaks the truth, and this is what he says

Douay-Rheims Bible
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I have not said to the seed of Jacob: Seek me in vain. I am the Lord that speak justice, that declare right things.

English Revised Version
I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I haven't spoken privately or in some dark corner of the world. I didn't say to Jacob's descendants, "Search for me in vain!" I, the LORD, speak what is fair and say what is right.

Good News Translation
I have not spoken in secret or kept my purpose hidden. I did not require the people of Israel to look for me in a desolate waste. I am the LORD, and I speak the truth; I make known what is right."

International Standard Version
I didn't speak in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I didn't say to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in chaos.' I, the LORD, speak truth, declaring what is right.

JPS Tanakh 1917
I have not spoken in secret, In a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob: 'Seek ye Me in vain'; I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Literal Standard Version
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth, | I have not said to the seed of Jacob, | Seek Me in vain, | I [am] YHWH, speaking righteousness, | Declaring uprightness.

Majority Standard Bible
I have not spoken in secret, from a place in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I say what is right.

New American Bible
I have not spoken in secret from some place in the land of darkness, I have not said to the descendants of Jacob, “Look for me in an empty waste.” I, the LORD, promise justice, I declare what is right.

NET Bible
I have not spoken in secret, in some hidden place. I did not tell Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain!' I am the LORD, the one who speaks honestly, who makes reliable announcements.

New Revised Standard Version
I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, “Seek me in chaos.” I the LORD speak the truth, I declare what is right.

New Heart English Bible
I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the LORD, speak righteousness. I declare things that are right.

Webster's Bible Translation
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I have not said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

World English Bible
I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness. I didn’t say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, Yahweh, speak righteousness. I declare things that are right.

Young's Literal Translation
Not in secret have I spoken, in a dark place of the earth, I have not said to the seed of Jacob, In vain seek ye Me, I am Jehovah, speaking righteousness, Declaring uprightness.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Calls Cyrus
18For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other. 19I have not spoken in secret, from a place in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I say what is right. 20Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save.…

Cross References
2 Chronicles 15:2
So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

Psalm 78:34
When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for God.

Isaiah 43:12
I alone decreed and saved and proclaimed--I, and not some foreign god among you. So you are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God.

Isaiah 44:8
Do not tremble or fear. Have I not told you and declared it long ago? You are My witnesses! Is there any God but Me? There is no other Rock; I know not one."

Isaiah 45:23
By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.

Isaiah 45:25
In the LORD all descendants of Israel will be justified and will exult.


Treasury of Scripture

I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not to the seed of Jacob, Seek you me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

spoken

Isaiah 43:9,10
Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth…

Isaiah 48:16
Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.

Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

seek

Isaiah 1:15
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

Isaiah 8:19
And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

Isaiah 55:6,7
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: …

speak righteousness

Isaiah 63:1
Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.

Numbers 23:19,20
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? …

Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

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Isaiah 45
1. God calls Cyrus for his church's sake
5. By his omnipotence he challenges obedience
20. He convinces the idols of vanity by his saving power














(19) I have not spoken in secret.--The words are in marked contrast to the thought expressed in Isaiah 45:15. God had been all along revealing Himself, not like the oracles of the heathen, in the gloom of caves and darkened shrines (Isaiah 8:19; Isaiah 65:4; Isaiah 29:4), but in the broad daylight of history and in the law written on men's hearts. He had bidden men seek Him not in chaos, but in a world of order, and to recognise His utterances by their righteousness.

Verse 19. - I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; literally, in a place of the land of darkness. Jehovah's oracles have not been given, like those of the necromancers, or those of the heathen gods, in dark places of the earth - caves like that of Trophonius (Pansan., 9:29, § 2), or the inmost recesses (adyta) of temples; but openly on Sinai, or by the mouth of prophets who proclaimed his words to all Israel (romp. Dent. 30:11-14, "This commandment which I command thee this day, is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off... . But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it"). So our Lord says of his own teaching, "I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing" (John 18:20). Seek ye me in vain; rather, seek ye me as a chaos (romp. Jeremiah 2:31, where God says to his people, "Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness?"). God has no more revealed himself to his people as chaotic, confused, disordered, than he has presented the world to them in this condition.! the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. There is an allusion to the crooked and ambiguous utterances of the heathen oracles, which rarely gave direct answers or plainly expressed any definite meaning. God in his utterances never diverges from the straight line of righteousness and truth (comp. Proverbs 8:6).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I have not
לֹ֧א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

spoken
דִּבַּ֗רְתִּי (dib·bar·tî)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

in secret,
בַסֵּ֣תֶר (ḇas·sê·ṯer)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5643: A covering, hiding place, secrecy

from a place
בִּמְקוֹם֙ (bim·qō·wm)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4725: A standing, a spot, a condition

in a land
אֶ֣רֶץ (’e·reṣ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 776: Earth, land

of darkness.
חֹ֔שֶׁךְ (ḥō·šeḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2822: The dark, darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness

I did not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

say
אָמַ֛רְתִּי (’ā·mar·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to the descendants
לְזֶ֥רַע (lə·ze·ra‘)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2233: Seed, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity

of Jacob:
יַעֲקֹ֖ב (ya·‘ă·qōḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3290: Jacob -- a son of Isaac, also his desc

‘Seek
בַקְּשׁ֑וּנִי (ḇaq·qə·šū·nî)
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine plural | first person common singular
Strong's 1245: To search out, to strive after

Me in a wasteland.’
תֹּ֣הוּ (tō·hū)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8414: A desolation, desert, a worthless thing, in vain

I,
אֲנִ֤י (’ă·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

the LORD,
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

speak
דֹּבֵ֣ר (dō·ḇêr)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

the truth;
צֶ֔דֶק (ṣe·ḏeq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6664: The right, equity, prosperity

I say
מַגִּ֖יד (mag·gîḏ)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

what is right.
מֵישָׁרִֽים׃ (mê·šā·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4339: Evenness, prosperity, concord, straightness, rectitude


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 45:19 I have not spoken in secret (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 45:18
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