Isaiah 8:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples.

NIV: Bind up this testimony of warning and seal up God's instruction among my disciples.

NASB: Bind up the testimony, seal the Law among my disciples.

CSB: Bind up the testimony. Seal up the instruction among my disciples.

NLT: Preserve the teaching of God; entrust his instructions to those who follow me.

KJV: Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

NKJV: Bind up the testimony, Seal the law among my disciples.

Beginning with this verse, commentators differ about who might be speaking. Some suggest these are the words and thoughts of Isaiah, himself, saying the time has come to seal up his writings and to put them away. Then, at some later date when his prophecy has been fulfilled, his disciples or students can pull out the sealed writings to show that Isaiah's revelation was true.

Others say that this is the Lord speaking: that He is telling Isaiah to take the revelations He has given to the prophet and to seal them in the sense of affirming them as God's Word. In other words, God is saying to Isaiah, mark these words as the very word of God.

Finally, the writer of Hebrews 2:13 quotes Isaiah 8:17 and 18 as being spoken by Christ. Some scholars suggest that it is the Messiah who is speaking in this verse and in the following verses through the prophet Isaiah. Most scholars, however, show that Isaiah is applying God's revelation to his own time. And in the book of Hebrews, Christ quotes Isaiah to connect that time to the events of the future.

Isaiah 8:11–22 follows the prophecy about the coming destruction from the Assyrians. It includes a strong warning from the Lord to Isaiah to not follow the sins of the rest of Judah. He must not fear real or imagined threats. Instead, Isaiah must honor God and find safety in Him. The people will reject God, leading to ruin, and being taken away. Isaiah declares he will wait on the Lord and his family will be a sign that God has not abandoned those who trust Him. Those who reject God's Word, however, will remain in darkness.

Isaiah 8 begins with the Lord telling Isaiah to write a name on a large sign. Then Isaiah conceives a son, with a woman referred to as the "prophetess," likely his wife. The son is given the name on the sign. Before the son can speak, Judah's enemies will be wiped out by Assyria. Assyria will then bring destruction on Judah. Isaiah must not live in fear and dread as the people do. They will stumble over the stone of the Lord instead of trusting in Him. Isaiah will continue to hope in the Lord. Those who reject God's truth will live in darkness.

The prior chapter included a famous prophecy regarding the virgin birth of Jesus. Isaiah 8 continues to prophesy about the coming destruction of Judah's current enemies: Syria and Israel. Isaiah has a son whose name he has written on a sign. Before that son is old enough to talk, Assyria will destroy Judah's enemies and then bring destruction into Judah. The Lord warns Isaiah to honor God, not live in fear. The people will reject God as their foundation, falling into further sin. But Isaiah declares that he and his family will continue to point toward God's faithfulness. Those who reject God's revelation will live in and frustration and despair. This sets up additional prophecies which connect to the ministry of Christ.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 5/4/2024 3:24:28 AM