Isaiah 45:19

45:19 I have not spoken in secret,

in some hidden place.

I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,

‘Seek me in vain!’

I am the Lord,

the one who speaks honestly,

who makes reliable announcements.


tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”

tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”

tn The translation above assumes that צֶדֶק (tsedeq) and מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim) are adverbial accusatives (see 33:15). If they are taken as direct objects, indicating the content of what is spoken, one might translate, “who proclaims deliverance, who announces justice.”