Then the book will be given to the one who is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I cannot read.”
Parallel translations
- WEB and the book is delivered to one who is not educated, saying, “Read this, please”; and he says, “I can’t read.”
- KJV And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
- BSB Or if the scroll is handed to one unable to read, he will say, “I cannot read.”
- NKJV Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I am not literate.”
- NLT When you give it to those who cannot read, they will say, “We don’t know how to read.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
And to the uneducated the book is useless too, for he says he cannot read—total incomprehension.
Overview
The sealed message is equally lost on the unlearned, who simply cannot read it. Whether learned or not, none can grasp God's word in their hardened state. This universal blindness underscores humanity's need for the Spirit to open eyes to understand and receive God's truth.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- John 7:15–16The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How does this man know letters, having never been educated?”
- Isa 29:18In that day, the deaf will hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind will see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
- Jer 5:4Then I said, “Surely these are poor. They are foolish; for they don’t know the way of Yahweh, nor the law of their God.
- Isa 28:12–13to whom he said, “This is the resting place. Give rest to weary”; and “This is the refreshing”; yet they would not hear.
- Hos 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you may be no priest to me. Because you have forgotten your God’s law, I will also forget your children.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 29:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.