Isaiah 29:13–14
Lips near, heart far: Isaiah 29:13 in the Gospels
"This people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." Mark 7:6–7 and Matthew 15:8–9 report Jesus quoting the verse, in a form that follows the Greek ("in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men"). Paul quotes v. 14 in 1 Corinthians 1:19.
Same letters, different readings: the consonants agree, but ancient readers vocalized or interpreted them differently
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✓ contains it · ✕ does not · ❝ quotes part of it · ⓘ reports on manuscripts · ▢ pages lost · – no copy survives
- Same line, through lost copies
- Translation
- Uncertain connection
- The oracle as first spoken or written8th–6th century BC (by section; debated)
- Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa-a), Qumran Cave 1c. 125 BC (palaeography; reported)Descends, through lost copies, from The oracle as first spoken or written
- Masoretic Text (Leningrad Codex)AD 1008Descends, through lost copies, from The oracle as first spoken or written
- Mark 7:6–7 (Greek New Testament; library: Statistical Restoration text)1st century AD; edition 2010sUncertain relationship to the verse (which wording it followed is the question)
- Matthew 15:8–9 (Greek New Testament; library: Statistical Restoration text)1st century AD; edition 2010sUncertain relationship to the verse (which wording it followed is the question)
- 1 Corinthians 1:19 (Greek New Testament; library: Statistical Restoration text)1st century AD; edition 2010sUncertain relationship to the verse (which wording it followed is the question)
Every witness, in order
8th–6th century BC (by section; debated)
The oracle as first spoken or written
No original survives. The oldest copies of Isaiah are the Qumran scrolls: the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa-a, about 125 BC, nearly complete), 1QIsa-b (1Q8) and some twenty other fragmentary manuscripts.
c. 125 BC (palaeography; reported)
Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa-a), Qumran Cave 1
How the site knows this: Described from a published transcription of the manuscript. Described in the site's own words from Martin Abegg's transcription (ETCBC/CACCHT Dead Sea Scrolls dataset v2.0.5); the transcription itself is not reproduced. Photographs and DJD XXXII not yet checked.
Hebrew numbering: Isaiah 29:13–14. Draw near with mouth and honor with lips, heart far away, as in the Masoretic Text; "their fear of me is as a commandment of men" adds "as" (k-), and v. 14 has "behold, I" written as two words. Otherwise the differences are of spelling (fuller use of vowel letters) and small grammatical forms.
1st century AD; edition 2010s
Mark 7:6–7 (Greek New Testament; library: Statistical Restoration text)
How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: the Greek New Testament editions in the library (Textus Receptus, Byzantine Textform, Statistical Restoration).
Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, “Καλῶς ἐπροφήτευσεν Ἠσαΐας περὶ ὑμῶν τῶν ὑποκριτῶν, ὡς γέγραπται, ὅτι ‘Οὗτος ὁ λαὸς τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ. Μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με, διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων.’
Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men
Mark's report of Jesus' words. Words attributed to Jesus. KJV: "He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
1st century AD; edition 2010s
Matthew 15:8–9 (Greek New Testament; library: Statistical Restoration text)
How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: the Greek New Testament editions in the library (Textus Receptus, Byzantine Textform, Statistical Restoration).
‘Ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ. Μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με, διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων.’”
This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men
Matthew's report of Jesus' words. Words attributed to Jesus. KJV: "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
1st century AD; edition 2010s
1 Corinthians 1:19 (Greek New Testament; library: Statistical Restoration text)
How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: the Greek New Testament editions in the library (Textus Receptus, Byzantine Textform, Statistical Restoration).
Γέγραπται γάρ, “Ἀπολῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν, καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν ἀθετήσω.”
For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the understanding of the understanding I will set aside
Paul quotes v. 14. KJV: "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."
Jerome c. AD 400, from Hebrew; edition 1592
Latin Vulgate (Clementine)
How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: Clementine Vulgate (1592 edition).
Et dixit Dominus: Eo quod appropinquat populus iste ore suo, et labiis suis glorificat me, cor autem ejus longe est a me, et timuerunt me mandato hominum et doctrinis, ideo ecce ego addam ut admirationem faciam populo huic miraculo grandi et stupendo; peribit enim sapientia a sapientibus ejus, et intellectus prudentium ejus abscondetur.
Latin numbering: Isaiah 29:13–14. Jerome translated Isaiah from Hebrew (c. AD 400).
AD 1008
Masoretic Text (Leningrad Codex)
How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, a digital transcription of the Leningrad Codex.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲדֹנָ֗י יַ֚עַן כִּ֤י נִגַּשׁ֙ הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה בְּפִ֤יו וּבִשְׂפָתָיו֙ כִּבְּד֔וּנִי וְלִבּ֖וֹ רִחַ֣ק מִמֶּ֑נִּי וַתְּהִ֤י יִרְאָתָם֙ אֹתִ֔י מִצְוַ֥ת אֲנָשִׁ֖ים מְלֻמָּדָֽה׃ לָכֵ֗ן הִנְנִ֥י יוֹסִ֛ף לְהַפְלִ֥יא אֶת־הָֽעָם־הַזֶּ֖ה הַפְלֵ֣א וָפֶ֑לֶא וְאָֽבְדָה֙ חָכְמַ֣ת חֲכָמָ֔יו וּבִינַ֥ת נְבֹנָ֖יו תִּסְתַּתָּֽר׃
Because this people draws near with its mouth and honors me with its lips, while its heart is far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote (v. 13)
Hebrew numbering: Isaiah 29:13–14.
1611
King James Bible
How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: King James Version (1769 text).
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: 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.
Greek translation c. 2nd century BC; French 1872
Greek Isaiah (library: Giguet's French)
How the site knows this: Known here only through a translation.
Et le Seigneur a dit: Ce peuple s’approche de moi en parole, et il m’honore des lèvres; mais son cœur est loin de moi. Ils m’honorent en vain, enseignant la science et les maximes des hommes. À cause de cela, voilà que je vais encore transporter ce peuple; je les transporterai, et je perdrai la sagesse des sages, et je tromperai la prudence des prudents.
Greek (digital file) numbering: Isaiah 29:13–14. Giguet's 1872 French of a printed Greek text (D check only); a C check needs Ziegler's Göttingen Isaiah or Rahlfs–Hanhart.
What changed, and why
Classification: later quotation following the Greek; Mark and Matthew each have their own wording; Hebrew witnesses agree in substance.
Hebrew: "their fear of me is a commandment of men, learned by rote." Greek: "they worship me in vain, teaching the commandments and teachings of men."
In the Gospels the setting is a dispute about hand-washing and tradition (Mark 7:1–13; Matthew 15:1–9). It is an argument within Judaism about tradition and the heart, not a verdict on Jewish worship as such.
What the evidence shows
- Mark 7:6–7 and Matthew 15:8–9 report Jesus quoting Isaiah 29:13.
- The Gospel form follows the Greek "in vain."
- 1 Corinthians 1:19 quotes Isaiah 29:14.
Sources
Related lessons
- Isaiah 29: Woe to Ariel →Woe to Ariel, the city where David camped: God himself will besiege it until its voice whispers from the dust like a ghost's; then suddenly the attacking nations vanish like a dream (29:1–8). The people are stupefied; the vision is like a sealed book that the literate cannot read and the illiterate cannot read either (vv. 9–12). "This people draw near me with their mouth… but have removed their heart far from me" (vv. 13–14). Woe to those who hide plans from God, as if clay could say to the potter, "He made me not" (vv. 15–16). Soon Lebanon will be a garden, the deaf will hear the book, the blind see, the poor rejoice (vv. 17–24).
- Investigation: Jesus and Isaiah →Isaiah is quoted in the Gospels more than any other prophet. This study registers 55 uses that involve Jesus: 20 in Matthew, 14 in Mark, 12 in Luke and 9 in John. For each it records who speaks (Jesus as the Gospel reports him, the narrator, John the Baptist, a heavenly voice, Simeon, or a later scribe), the Isaiah passage and its original setting, the Gospel's Greek wording, whether the use is an explicit quotation, a quotation without formula, an allusion, a proposed allusion, or a later Christian connection, and how that Gospel uses it. Each Gospel is kept separate.