Isaiah 8:20
New International Version
Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

New Living Translation
Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.

English Standard Version
To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.

Berean Standard Bible
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

King James Bible
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

New King James Version
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

New American Standard Bible
To the Law and to the testimony! If they do not speak in accordance with this word, it is because they have no dawn.

NASB 1995
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.

NASB 1977
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.

Legacy Standard Bible
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.

Amplified Bible
[Direct those people] to the law and to the testimony! If their teachings are not in accord with this word, it is because they have no dawn.

Christian Standard Bible
Go to God’s instruction and testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them.

American Standard Version
To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.

Contemporary English Version
what it should do." None of those who talk like that will live to see the light of day!

English Revised Version
To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They should go to the teachings and to the written instructions. If people don't speak these words, it is because it doesn't dawn on them.

Good News Translation
You are to answer them, "Listen to what the LORD is teaching you! Don't listen to mediums--what they tell you cannot keep trouble away."

International Standard Version
for instruction and for testimony? Surely they are speaking like this because the truth hasn't dawned on them.

Majority Standard Bible
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

NET Bible
Then you must recall the LORD's instructions and the prophetic testimony of what would happen. Certainly they say such things because their minds are spiritually darkened.

New Heart English Bible
Turn to the law and to the testimony. If they do not speak according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.

Webster's Bible Translation
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

World English Bible
Turn to the law and to the covenant! If they don’t speak according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
To the Law and to the testimony! If not, let them say after this manner, “That there is no dawn to it.”

Young's Literal Translation
To the law and to the testimony! If not, let them say after this manner, 'That there is no dawn to it.'

Smith's Literal Translation
To the law and to the testimony if they will not speak according to this word, because no morning is in them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
To the law rather, and to the testimony. And if they speak not according to this word, they shall not have the morning light.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And this is, moreover, for the sake of the law and the testimony. But if they do not speak according to this Word, then he will not have the morning light.

New American Bible
for instruction and testimony?” Surely, those who speak like this are the ones for whom there is no dawn.

New Revised Standard Version
for teaching and for instruction?” surely, those who speak like this will have no dawn!
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
As for the law and the testimony, if they do not speak according to this word, it is because they do not receive a bribe for it.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
To the Written Law and to the Testimony, for they will not speak according to this Word, because there is no one to give a bribe for it
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
for instruction and for testimony?'--Surely they will speak according to this word, wherein there is no light.--

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For he has given the law for a help, that they should not speak according to this word, concerning which there are no gifts to give for it.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Darkness and Light
19When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 13:1-4
If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, / and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” / you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul. ...

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, / so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

Acts 17:11
Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.

Matthew 5:17-18
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. / For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

John 5:39
You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me,

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

2 Peter 1:19-21
We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. / Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. / For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 1:8-9
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! / As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!

Jeremiah 23:28-29
Let the prophet who has a dream retell it, but let him who has My word speak it truthfully. For what is straw compared to grain?” declares the LORD. / “Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?”

1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Proverbs 6:23
For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life,

Revelation 22:18-19
I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. / And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and the holy city, which are described in this book.

1 Thessalonians 5:21
but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.


Treasury of Scripture

To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

the law

Isaiah 8:16
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

Luke 10:26
He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

Luke 16:29-31
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them…

it is

Isaiah 30:8-11
Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: …

Psalm 19:7,8
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple…

Psalm 119:130
The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

light.

Proverbs 4:18
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Hosea 6:3
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

Malachi 4:2
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

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Isaiah 8
1. In Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, he prophesies Syria and Israel shall be subdued by Assyria
5. Judah likewise for their infidelity
9. God's judgments shall be irresistible
11. Comfort shall be to those who fear God
19. Great afflictions to idolaters














To the law and to the testimony!
This phrase emphasizes the importance of adhering to the divine revelation given through the Mosaic Law and the prophetic testimony. In Hebrew, "law" is "torah," which signifies instruction or teaching, and "testimony" is "te'udah," referring to the witness or evidence of God's will. Historically, this underscores the centrality of Scripture as the ultimate authority for faith and practice. The call to return to the law and testimony is a call to align with God's revealed truth, rejecting false teachings and practices that deviate from His word.

If they do not speak according to this word
The phrase "this word" refers to the divine revelation contained in the Scriptures. The Hebrew term for "word" is "dabar," which can mean a matter, thing, or word, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of God's communication. This part of the verse serves as a litmus test for truth, urging believers to measure all teachings against the standard of Scripture. Historically, this was a direct challenge to the false prophets and diviners of Isaiah's time, who led people astray with messages not rooted in God's truth.

they have no light of dawn
The imagery of "light of dawn" symbolizes understanding, guidance, and hope. In Hebrew, "light" is "or," often associated with God's presence and truth, while "dawn" suggests the beginning of a new day, a fresh start. The absence of this light indicates spiritual darkness and confusion. This serves as a warning that those who reject God's word are devoid of true enlightenment and are left in spiritual obscurity. Historically, this reflects the dire consequences faced by Israel when they turned away from God's guidance, leading to judgment and exile.

(20) To the law and to the testimony.--The words are only remotely and by analogy an exhortation to the study of Scripture in general, or even to that of the Law of Moses in particular. "The law and the testimony" are obviously here, as in Isaiah 8:16, the "word of Jehovah," spoken to the prophet himself, the revelation which had come to him with such an intensity of power.

If they speak not according to this word . . .--The personal pronoun refers to the people of Isaiah 8:19 who were hunting after soothsayers. The second clause should be rendered, for them there is no light of morning. The light here is that of hope rather than of knowledge. No morning dawn should shine on those who haunted the caves and darkened rooms of the diviners, the seances of the spiritualists of Jerusalem. The verse admits, however, of a different construction. As the Hebrew idiom, "If they shall . . ." stands, as in Psalm 95:11; Hebrews 4:3; Hebrews 4:5, for the strongest form of negative prediction, so "if they shall not . . ." may stand here for the strongest form of positive. So taken the verse would read, Surely they will speak according to this word. (i.e., will have recourse to the true Revelation) when there is no morning-dawn for them, when they look above and around, and see nothing but darkness. . . .

Verse 20. - To the Law and to the testimony. A sort of watchword or battle-cry, to be used by the faithful when God's enemies assailed them. Compare Gideon's cry (Judges 7:18), "For the Lord and for Gideon." If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them; rather, Surely they will speak according to this word, when there is no dawn for them; i.e. when they are plunged in darkness (ver. 22) and distress, and see no prospect of better days, surely they - the people generally - will rally to this cry, and repeat it, "For the Law and for the testimony." They will not always trust in necromancy.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
To the law
לְתוֹרָ֖ה (lə·ṯō·w·rāh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8451: Direction, instruction, law

and to the testimony!
וְלִתְעוּדָ֑ה (wə·liṯ·‘ū·ḏāh)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8584: Attestation, a precept, usage

If
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

they do not
לֹ֤א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

speak
יֹֽאמְרוּ֙ (yō·mə·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

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

word,
כַּדָּבָ֣ר (kad·dā·ḇār)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

they have no
אֵֽין־ (’ên-)
Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

light of dawn.
שָֽׁחַר׃ (šā·ḥar)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7837: Dawn


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