Isaiah 29:11

KJV

And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which [men] deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it [is] sealed:

KJV (with Strong's)

And the vision {H2380} of all is become unto you as the words {H1697} of a book {H5612} that is sealed {H2856}, which men deliver {H5414} to one that is learned {H3045}, saying {H559}, Read {H7121} this, I pray thee: and he saith {H559}, I cannot {H3201}; for it is sealed {H2856}:

Complete Jewish Bible

For you this whole prophetic vision has become like the message in a sealed-up scroll. When one gives it to someone who can read and says, "Please read this," he answers, "I can't, because it's sealed."

Berean Standard Bible

And the entire vision will be to you like the words sealed in a scroll. If it is handed to someone to read, he will say, “I cannot, because it is sealed.”

American Standard Version

And all vision is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed:

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Isaiah 29:11 powerfully depicts the spiritual condition of Jerusalem, where God's profound prophetic revelation, intended to illuminate and guide, had become utterly incomprehensible to its inhabitants. This divine "vision" is metaphorically presented as a sealed book, inaccessible even to those deemed learned and intellectually capable, who confess their inability to decipher its contents. This state of spiritual obscurity is portrayed not as an accident, but as a direct consequence of the people's deep-seated spiritual apathy, hypocrisy, and rebellion against God.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is intricately woven into Isaiah's broader prophetic indictment against Jerusalem, which he symbolically names "Ariel" in [Isaiah 29](/isaiah/29 "Isaiah 29 - Judgment and Restoration for Jerusalem"). The immediate preceding verses, [Isaiah 29:9-10](/isaiah/29-9-10 "Isaiah 29:9-10 - Stupor and Blindness"), lay the groundwork for this spiritual blindness, describing a divine judgment where God has poured out a "spirit of deep sleep" upon His people, causing their prophets and seers to be covered, effectively rendering them incapable of perceiving divine truth. This spiritual stupor is a direct consequence of their hypocrisy, as further elaborated in [Isaiah 29:13](/isaiah/29-13 "Isaiah 29:13 - Lip Service vs. Heart Worship"), where their worship is characterized as mere lip service, their hearts being far removed from genuine devotion. Thus, the "sealed book" imagery in verse 11 serves as a vivid and poignant illustration of this divinely imposed spiritual incomprehension, acting as a direct consequence and symbol of their judgment.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** Isaiah prophesied during a period of intense political and spiritual turmoil for the Southern Kingdom of Judah, particularly in the late 8th century BCE. The nation faced existential threats from the powerful Assyrian Empire, yet internally, the people of Jerusalem, despite being God's covenant people and possessing His revealed law and prophetic word, had largely succumbed to a superficial religiosity, prioritizing ritual and outward piety over true heart obedience. In the ancient Near East, a sealed document held significant legal or administrative weight, its contents being private and inaccessible until the seals were officially broken, often by an authorized individual. This cultural practice underscores the idea of hidden, protected, or divinely withheld knowledge. The "learned" man in this context would typically be a scribe, scholar, or someone proficient in reading and interpreting texts. The profound irony of such an individual being unable to read a sealed book would have been a deeply relatable and impactful metaphor for Isaiah's original audience, highlighting the futility of human intellect when divine truth is obscured.
* **Key Themes:** [Isaiah 29:11](/isaiah/29-11 "Isaiah 29:11 - The Sealed Book") contributes significantly to several overarching themes found throughout the book of Isaiah and the broader prophetic corpus. Foremost among these is the theme of **spiritual blindness and incomprehension**, where God's own people, despite having direct access to divine revelation, are rendered incapable of understanding it due to their spiritual insensitivity, rebellion, and hardened hearts. This inability is not merely a natural failing but is presented as a form of **divine judgment** for their hypocrisy and unfaithfulness, transforming God's life-giving word from a source of light and guidance into an obscure, impenetrable mystery. Furthermore, the imagery of the "sealed book" speaks deeply to the **nature of revelation** itself, suggesting that divine truth is not always openly accessible to all; its profound understanding often requires a specific spiritual disposition, a humble heart, or indeed, direct divine intervention. This concept foreshadows later biblical themes where revelation is unveiled at God's appointed time and through His chosen means, culminating in the unsealing of the scroll by the Lamb in [Revelation 5](/revelation/5 "Revelation 5 - The Lamb and the Sealed Scroll").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **vision (Hebrew, _châzûwth'_):** Derived from a root meaning "to see," this term refers to a prophetic revelation or a divinely imparted insight. In the context of [Isaiah 29:11](/isaiah/29-11 "Isaiah 29:11 - The Sealed Book"), it encompasses the entirety of God's revealed truth and prophetic word given to Judah, which was intended to provide clarity, direction, and understanding for their lives and their covenant relationship with God.
* **sealed (Hebrew, _châtham'_):** This primitive root signifies "to close up" or "to seal," implying that something is made inaccessible, hidden, or preserved. The act of sealing a document renders its contents unreadable until the seal is broken. Here, it powerfully conveys the idea that God's word, though physically present, was spiritually impenetrable to those lacking discernment, a state of divine judgment.
* **learned (Hebrew, _yâdaʻ'_):** A broad primitive root meaning "to know," this word encompasses a wide range of understanding, including discerning, having skill, or being acquainted with something. In this verse, it specifically refers to someone intellectually capable or educated, such as a scribe or scholar. The profound irony lies in the fact that even this individual, possessing human intellectual prowess, is utterly unable to comprehend the divine message because of its divinely sealed nature.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed":** This opening clause establishes the central metaphor of the verse. God's comprehensive prophetic revelation ("the vision of all"), intended for His people, has tragically become for them like the text of a book whose contents are hidden and inaccessible. The "sealed" nature signifies not a physical inability to read, but a profound spiritual incapacity to comprehend, receive, or apply the truth contained within.
* **"which [men] deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee:":** This phrase describes the futile attempt to access the sealed knowledge through conventional, human means. The book is presented to someone intellectually capable ("one that is learned"), implying that human wisdom, academic prowess, or scholarly effort is applied to the divine text, accompanied by an earnest request for interpretation or understanding.
* **"and he saith, I cannot; for it [is] sealed:":** This final clause starkly reveals the utter futility of human effort alone in the face of divine judgment. Despite the learned man's intellect and the earnest plea, he confesses his complete inability to read or understand the book. The reason provided, "for it is sealed," reiterates that the barrier is not a lack of literacy but an inherent, divinely ordained inaccessibility, signifying a spiritual blindness that no amount of human learning or intellectual capacity can overcome.

#### Literary Devices
Isaiah 29:11 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey its somber message. The most prominent is **Simile**, where "the vision of all" is explicitly compared to "the words of a book that is sealed." This comparison vividly illustrates the profound incomprehensibility of God's message to His people. Central to the verse is also **Symbolism**, with the "sealed book" representing divine revelation that is rendered inaccessible due to spiritual blindness and divine judgment. The act of sealing itself symbolizes God's sovereign control over the revelation of His truth, indicating His decision to withhold understanding from those who are rebellious and hypocritical. Furthermore, a strong element of **Irony** pervades the verse, particularly in the learned man's inability to read the book. One would naturally expect a "learned" person to possess the skill and intellect to decipher texts; yet, here, their intellectual capacity is rendered utterly useless against a divinely imposed spiritual barrier, powerfully highlighting that divine truth requires far more than mere human intellect for genuine comprehension.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 29:11 provides a profound theological commentary on the nature of spiritual blindness and the accessibility of divine revelation. It underscores that true understanding of God's word is not merely an intellectual exercise or a matter of human erudition, but fundamentally requires a humble, receptive heart and divine enablement. The sealing of the book represents God's sovereign judgment upon a people whose hearts were far from Him, demonstrating His capacity to withhold understanding from those who reject His ways and engage in hypocrisy. This passage serves as a powerful foreshadowing of New Testament themes concerning the necessity of the Holy Spirit to illuminate Scripture and the unique role of Christ as the ultimate revealer of God's truth, the one who opens understanding.

* [Matthew 13:13-15](/matthew/13-13-15 "Matthew 13:13-15 - Spiritual Blindness Explained")
* [2 Corinthians 3:14-16](/2_corinthians/3-14-16 "2 Corinthians 3:14-16 - The Veil Removed in Christ")
* [Revelation 5:1-5](/revelation/5-1-5 "Revelation 5:1-5 - The Lamb and the Sealed Scroll")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 29:11 stands as a timeless and sobering warning against spiritual apathy, hypocrisy, and intellectual pride. It profoundly reminds us that comprehending God's Word is not solely a matter of academic learning or intellectual ability, but fundamentally demands a humble, repentant, and receptive heart. Just as the learned man in the prophecy could not read the sealed book, so too is human wisdom alone utterly incapable of unlocking the profound depths of divine truth. True insight, spiritual comprehension, and life-transforming understanding of Scripture come from the Holy Spirit, who alone can illuminate the sacred texts and apply their truths directly to our lives. For believers today, this passage underscores the absolute necessity of approaching the Bible with prayer, profound humility, and an unwavering reliance on the Spirit's guidance, rather than with a closed mind, a hardened heart, or an over-reliance on human intellect. It challenges each of us to honestly examine our own hearts: are we genuinely seeking God's truth with a desire to obey, or are we merely going through the motions of religious activity, inadvertently leaving the "book" of His precious revelation sealed to our souls?

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what ways might I be approaching God's Word with a "sealed heart" or a "closed mind," even if I am intellectually engaged with it?**
* **How does my daily walk demonstrate a genuine reliance on the Holy Spirit for understanding Scripture, rather than just my own intellect or accumulated knowledge?**
* **What practical steps can I take to cultivate a more humble, receptive, and obedient heart towards God's revelation, allowing His Spirit to unseal its truths for me?**

### FAQ
**Why was the "vision" sealed for the people of Judah?**

Answer: The "vision" was sealed as a direct divine judgment upon the people of Judah for their pervasive spiritual hypocrisy and rebellion against God. As [Isaiah 29:13](/isaiah/29-13 "Isaiah 29:13 - Lip Service vs. Heart Worship") highlights, despite their outward religious observance, their hearts were far from God. The Lord had poured out a "spirit of deep sleep" upon them ([Isaiah 29:10](/isaiah/29-10 "Isaiah 29:10 - God's Judgment of Stupor")), causing them to become spiritually blind and deaf to His truth. The sealed book vividly illustrates that their inability to comprehend God's word was not accidental but a deliberate consequence of their unfaithfulness and God's sovereign response to their hardened hearts.

**Who is the "learned" man in this verse, and what does his inability signify?**

Answer: The "learned" man represents an individual with intellectual capacity and scholarly training, likely a scribe or a scholar, who would typically be expected to read, interpret, and explain texts. His profound inability to read the sealed book signifies the utter futility of human wisdom, intellectual prowess, or academic study alone in comprehending divine truth when God has chosen to withhold understanding. It powerfully emphasizes that spiritual revelation is not accessible through mere human intellect or scholarly effort, but requires divine enablement and a receptive, humble spiritual condition.

**How does this passage relate to the accessibility of God's Word today?**

Answer: While the physical Bible is now widely accessible globally and its pages are literally "unsealed," [Isaiah 29:11](/isaiah/29-11 "Isaiah 29:11 - The Sealed Book") serves as a timeless and crucial warning against spiritual apathy and the profound danger of approaching God's Word without a humble and receptive heart. Just as the learned man could not understand the sealed book, individuals today can read the Bible intellectually and even analyze it academically, yet remain spiritually blind to its life-transforming truths if their hearts are hardened by sin, pride, or indifference. True spiritual understanding and discernment still require the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit ([1 Corinthians 2:14](/1_corinthians/2-14 "1 Corinthians 2:14 - Spiritual Discernment")), reminding us that the "seal" can be spiritual and internal, not merely physical.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 29:11, with its poignant imagery of a sealed book and the tragic inability to comprehend divine truth due to spiritual blindness, finds its ultimate and profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He is the preeminent revealer of God, the one who definitively unseals the divine mysteries that were previously hidden from human understanding. While the "vision" was sealed to the learned in Isaiah's day because of spiritual blindness, Jesus came precisely to open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf, fulfilling prophecies like [Isaiah 35:5](/isaiah/35-5 "Isaiah 35:5 - Eyes Opened, Ears Unstopped"). He is the true "Word" of God made flesh ([John 1:1](/john/1-1 "John 1:1 - The Word Was God")), and through Him alone, God's very nature, character, and redemptive will are fully and perfectly revealed ([John 1:18](/john/1-18 "John 1:18 - No One Has Seen God Except the Son")). Furthermore, in the New Testament, it is the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who is found uniquely worthy to open the scroll with seven seals in [Revelation 5:5](/revelation/5-5 "Revelation 5:5 - The Lion of Judah Opens the Scroll"), signifying His unparalleled authority and power to reveal God's sovereign plan of salvation and bring all things to their appointed consummation. He is the one who, by His Spirit, opens the minds of His disciples to truly understand the Scriptures ([Luke 24:45](/luke/24-45 "Luke 24:45 - Jesus Opens Their Minds")), ensuring that God's revelation is no longer a sealed book of judgment but an open, living invitation to know Him intimately and walk in His truth.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Matthew 13:11

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Isaiah 8:16

¶ Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

Daniel 12:4

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Daniel 12:9

And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Matthew 11:25

¶ At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Matthew 16:17

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Revelation 5:1

¶ And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.