Isaiah 29:14

Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, [even] a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise [men] shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent [men] shall be hid.

Therefore, behold, I will proceed {H3254} to do a marvellous work {H6381} among this people {H5971}, even a marvellous work {H6381} and a wonder {H6382}: for the wisdom {H2451} of their wise {H2450} men shall perish {H6}, and the understanding {H998} of their prudent {H995} men shall be hid {H5641}.

therefore, I will have to keep shocking these people with astounding and amazing things, until the 'wisdom' of their 'wise ones' vanishes, and the 'discernment' of their 'discerning ones' is hidden away."

Therefore I will again confound these people with wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of the wise will vanish, and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden.”

therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Isaiah 29:14 KJV is a powerful prophetic declaration concerning God's judgment upon a people who honored Him with their lips but whose hearts were far from Him. This verse highlights a pivotal moment where divine action would confound human intellect and self-reliance.

Context of Isaiah 29:14

This verse follows a stern rebuke from the Lord against Judah (specifically Jerusalem, referred to as "Ariel" in earlier verses of the chapter) for their spiritual blindness, hypocrisy, and reliance on human schemes rather than on God's counsel. Isaiah 29:13 directly precedes this, condemning those who "draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me." The "marvellous work" is God's direct response to this spiritual apathy and rebellion, a work that would astound them by dismantling their perceived wisdom and understanding.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Divine Judgment on Human Pride: The verse emphasizes God's sovereign power to overturn the plans and wisdom of humanity. It's a declaration that no human strategy, no matter how cunning, can thwart His ultimate will.
  • Futility of Earthly Wisdom: The core message is that God will actively cause the "wisdom of their wise men" to perish and the "understanding of their prudent men" to be hidden. This signifies a divine intervention where human intellectual prowess becomes utterly useless and exposed as foolish in the face of God's truth.
  • God's Astonishing Work: The phrase "a marvellous work and a wonder" (Hebrew: pele) denotes something extraordinary, miraculous, and beyond human comprehension. While it speaks of judgment here, it also foreshadows God's unexpected ways of working, which can include both chastisement and eventual restoration.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew term for "marvellous work" is pele, which conveys a sense of something astonishing, miraculous, or extraordinary. It's often used in the Old Testament to describe God's acts that defy natural explanation. The doubling of the phrase "a marvellous work and a wonder" emphasizes the profound and shocking nature of what God intends to do. The contrast is sharp: the "wisdom" (chokmah) and "understanding" (binah) that people pride themselves on will be rendered void by God's own incomprehensible actions.

Related Scriptures

This prophecy found a significant fulfillment in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul directly quotes this verse in 1 Corinthians 1:19 to illustrate how God confounds the wisdom of the world through the seemingly foolish message of the cross. This highlights a recurring biblical principle: God often chooses to work in ways that defy human logic and expose the emptiness of worldly wisdom, as also seen in Romans 11:33 regarding God's unsearchable judgments.

Practical Application

For believers today, Isaiah 29:14 serves as a potent reminder not to rely on our own intellect, worldly strategies, or human institutions for spiritual understanding or salvation. True wisdom comes from God alone, revealed through His Word and Spirit. It calls us to humility, urging us to trust in God's often unexpected and "marvellous" ways, rather than leaning on our own limited understanding. It encourages us to seek genuine heart-worship over mere outward religious observance, recognizing that God sees beyond our words to the true condition of our hearts.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Habakkuk 1:5

    ¶ Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for [I] will work a work in your days, [which] ye will not believe, though it be told [you].

  • 1 Corinthians 1:19

    For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

  • 1 Corinthians 1:24

    But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

  • Isaiah 28:21

    For the LORD shall rise up as [in] mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as [in] the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

  • Jeremiah 49:7

    ¶ Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; [Is] wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?

  • Job 5:13

    He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.

  • Obadiah 1:8

    Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise [men] out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?

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