Isaiah 29:15

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

⁹Stop and be astonished; blind yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not from strong drink. ¹⁰For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep; He has shut your eyes, O prophets, and covered your heads, O seers. ¹¹And the entire vision will be to you like the words sealed in a scroll. If it is handed to a reader, he will say, "I cannot read it, because it is sealed." ¹²Or if the scroll is given to one who is not able 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 perish, and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden. ¹⁵Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, "Who sees us, and who will know?"¹⁶You have turned things upside down, as if the potter were regarded as clay. Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pottery say of the potter, "He has no understanding"?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

seek: Isaiah 5:18, Isaiah 5:19, Isaiah 28:15, Isaiah 28:17, Isaiah 30:1, Job 22:13, Job 22:14, Psalms 10:11-13, Psalms 64:5, Psalms 64:6, Psalms 139:1-8, Jeremiah 23:24, Ezekiel 8:12, Ezekiel 9:9, Zephaniah 1:12, Revelation 2:23

and their works: Job 24:13-17, Job 34:22, Luke 12:1-3, John 3:19, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Corinthians 4:2

Who seeth: Isaiah 47:10, Psalms 59:7, Psalms 73:11, Psalms 94:7-9, Malachi 2:17

Reciprocal: Joshua 7:21 - they are hid 1 Samuel 23:12 - They will 2 Samuel 11:8 - go down 2 Samuel 16:20 - Give counsel 2 Kings 5:24 - and bestowed 2 Kings 6:12 - telleth Psalms 139:3 - and art acquainted Psalms 139:11 - Surely Isaiah 31:6 - deeply Jeremiah 16:17 - General Ezekiel 8:8 - General Hosea 5:2 - profound Acts 5:3 - lie to

Cross-References

Genesis 30:28
And he added, "Name your wages, and I will pay them."

Genesis 31:7
And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Woe unto them,.... Or, "O ye",

that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord; which they consulted against Christ, to take away his life, to persecute his apostles, and hinder the spread of his Gospel; which though they consulted in private, and formed deep schemes, imagining they were not observed by the Lord, yet he that sits in the heaven saw them, and laughed at their vain imaginations, Psalms 2:1:

and their works are in the dark; in the dark night, as if the darkness could conceal them from the all seeing eye of God; such works are truly works of darkness, but cannot be hid, though they flatter themselves they will:

and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? as no man, they imagined, did, so not God himself; into such atheism do wicked men sink, when desirous of bringing their schemes into execution, they have taken great pains to form; and which they please themselves are so deeply laid, as that they cannot fail of succeeding; but hear what follows Isaiah 29:16.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Woe unto them that seek deep ... - That is, who attempt to conceal their “real” intentions under a plausible exterior, and correct outward deportment. This is most strikingly descriptive of the character of a hypocrite who seeks to conceal his plans and his purposes from the eyes of people and of God. His external conduct is fair; his observance of the duties of religion exemplary; his attendance on the means of grace and the worship of God regular; his professions loud and constant, but the whole design is to “conceal” his real sentiments, and to accomplish some sinister and wicked purpose by it.

From the Lord - This proves that the design of the hypocrite is not always to attempt to deceive his fellowmen, but that he also aims to deceive God.