Isaiah 29
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TheGreat Isaiah Scroll, the best preserved of the biblical scrolls found atQumran from the second century BC, contains all the verses in this chapter.
Book	Book of Isaiah
Hebrew Bible part	Nevi'im
Order in the Hebrew part	5
Category	Latter Prophets
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	23

Isaiah 29 is the twenty-ninthchapter of theBook of Isaiah in theHebrew Bible or theOld Testament of theChristianBible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophetIsaiah, and is one of theBook of the Prophets. TheJerusalem Bible groups chapters 28-35 together as a collection of "poems on Israel and Judah".^[1]

The original text was written inHebrew language.This chapter is divided into 24 verses.

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter inHebrew are of theMasoretic Text tradition, which includes theCodex Cairensis (895),the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916),Aleppo Codex (10th century),Codex Leningradensis (1008).^[2]

Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among theDead Sea Scrolls (3rd century BC or later):

• 1QIsa^a: complete
• 1QIsa^b: extant: verses 1‑8
• 4QIsa^f (4Q60): extant: verses 1‑8
• 4QIsa^k (4Q64): extant: verses 1‑9

There is also a translation intoKoine Greek known as theSeptuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of theSeptuagint version includeCodex Vaticanus (B;${\displaystyle \mathfrak{G}}$^B; 4th century),Codex Sinaiticus (S;BHK:${\displaystyle \mathfrak{G}}$^S; 4th century),Codex Alexandrinus (A;${\displaystyle \mathfrak{G}}$^A; 5th century) andCodex Marchalianus (Q;${\displaystyle \mathfrak{G}}$^Q; 6th century).^[3]

Theparashah sections listed here are based on theAleppo Codex.^[4] Isaiah 29 is a part of theProphecies about Judah and Israel (Isaiah 24–35). {P}: openparashah; {S}: closedparashah.

{P} 29:1-8 {P} 29:9-12 {S} 29:13-14 {S} 29:15-21 {P} 29:22-24 {S}

This part contains two oracles which can be 'paired with complete ease'.^[5]

"Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city whereDavid dwelt!

Add year to year;

Let feasts come around".^[6]

• "Ariel": that is"Jerusalem",lit. "Lion of God".^[7]

Thename given to Jerusalem in verses 1-7 is "Ariel": God will bring distress upon Ariel, and will make her like "an ariel". TheEncyclopedia Judaica suggests that the word is derived from aroot,ari, meaning "to burn", similar to theArabic wordʿiratun, meaning "hearth", such that Isaiah expects that Jerusalem will "become like the altar, i.e., a scene ofholocaust"^[8] (compare verse 6).

"Dwelt":Robert Lowth's nineteenth century version,Brenton's Septuagint Translation,^[9] and theNew English Translation all render "dwelt" (ḥā·nāh) as "besieged", recalling the events of2 Samuel 5:6–7 when David and his men captured the stronghold of Zion from theJebusites.

You will be visited by the Lord of hosts

with thunder and with earthquake and great noise,

with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.^[10]

• "Visited" (KJV,ESV): is rendered as "punished" inNKJV andMEV.^[11]

For the Lord has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep

and has closed your eyes, the prophets;

and He has covered your heads, the seers.^[12]

The wordtar·dê·māh, translated as "deep sleep", reflects the deep sleep which the Lord God caused to fall onAdam inGenesis 2:21.^[13]

¹³Therefore 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

¹⁴Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work

Among this people,

A marvelous work and a wonder;

For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,

And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden."^[14]

Jesus Christ quoted verse 13 as noted inMatthew 15:7–9 andMark 7:6–7.

The poem in this section can be divided into three parts (just as the theme of the opening three 'woes') offering 'a meditation on the theme of transformation'.^[15]

1. The first transformation: the subverting of reason (verses 15–16)
2. The second transformation: coming world renewal (verses 17–21)
3. The third transformation: the changed fortune of Jacob (verses 22–24)^[16]

Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemedAbraham, concerning the house of Jacob:

Jacob shall not now be ashamed,

nor shall his face now turn pale;^[17]

TheCambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges argues that "[this] clause is suspicious, both from its position in the original, and from its contents. There is no incident in the biblical history of Abraham to which the expression "redeem" is specially appropriate; there is, however, a late Jewish legend about his being delivered from a fiery death prepared for him by his heathen relations (Book of Jubilees, chapter 12). The words may be a late interpolation."^[18]

• Abraham
• Ariel (angel)
• Jacob
• Jerusalem
• Lebanon
• RelatedBible parts:Matthew 15,Mark 7,Revelation 2

• Motyer, J. Alec (2015).The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary. InterVarsity Press.ISBN 9780830895243.
• Würthwein, Ernst (1995).The Text of the Old Testament. Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans.ISBN 0-8028-0788-7. RetrievedJanuary 26, 2019.

• Isaiah 29 Original Hebrew with Parallel English

• Isaiah 29 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate

• Book of Isaiah chapters

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata