Isaiah 8:16
in Isaiah 8Bind up the testimony and seal the law among my disciples.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Bind thou up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
KJV
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
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This verse in Isaiah 8
Commentary
10 notes on this verse(Verse 16, 17.) Join the testimonies, establish the law among my disciples, and I will wait for the Lord, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. The voice of the Lord speaking to the Prophet: because, he said, the Lord has become a stumbling stone and a rock of offense to the two houses of Israel, and they did not want to receive Emmanuel sent to them. Join the testimonies of the old Testament, and give them to my disciples, who have received the Gospel, namely the Apostles or the apostolic men.
This site's exposition
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples
on Isaiah 8:16-18
Isaiah is told to bind up the testimony and seal the law among his disciples, sealing here meaning kept safe and certified for a later day rather than hidden from view, since a sealed document was a legal instrument protected against tampering until it was needed. The prophet then declares his own posture in the meantime, I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him, patient trust standing in deliberate contrast to Ahaz's earlier refusal to wait on a sign at all. Isaiah and the children the Lord has given him, Shear-jashub and Maher-shalal-hash-baz, stand as signs and wonders in Israel, their very names a sealed testimony walking the streets of Jerusalem.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
290. Bind up the testimony. Here he sets out the closing of the law, and first, he sets out the hiding of the law, where it says, bind up the testimony, that is, roll up the prophecy of Christ in obscurity, lest the Jews see, …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Bind up the testimony,.... These are not the words of the prophet, as Kimchi thinks, but of the Lord to the prophet, and are part of that instruction given him, Isa 8:
The testimony - By the testimony and the law or doctrine, he understands one and the same thing, as he doth also, ver. 20, the word of God, and especially that which is the main scope thereof, the doctrine of the Messiah, which, though now professed by all the Israelites, shall be disowned by the generality of them, when the Messiah shall come.
quarantine:anchor (2026-07-29) — cites-ver-20-anchored-16-16
Note, It is a great instance of God's care of his church and love to it that he has lodged in it the invaluable treasure of divine revelation. It is a testimony and a law; not only this prophecy is so, which must therefore be preserved safely for the comfort of God's people in the approaching times of trouble and distress, but the whole word of God is so;
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Among my disciples - בלמדי belimmudai. The Septuagint render it του μη μαθειν. Bishop Chandler, Defence of Christianity, p. 308, thinks they read מלמד, that it be not understood, and approves of this reading. - Abp. Secker.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The words of Jehovah. confederacy--rather, a conspiracy; an appropriate term for the unnatural combination of Israel with Syrian foreigners against Judea and the theocracy, to which the former was bound by ties of blood and hereditary religion [MAURER]. to all . . . say--rather, of all which this people calleth a conspiracy [G.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-brackets
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
"The words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end"; but Re 22:10, "Seal not the sayings of the prophecy . . . for the time is at hand" (compare Re 5:1, 5, 9), testimony--attested by Uriah and Zechariah (Isa 8:2). law--the revelation just given, having the force of a law. disciples--not as MAURER, Uriah and Zechariah (compare Joh 7:17;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Bind up - This expression is one that is applicable to a volume, or roll of writing. Thus far the prophet seems to have had the roll opened, which is mentioned in Isa 8:1. Now the prophecy is complete, and he directs to bind it up, or close it. Perhaps, also, it is implied that it would be useless any further to address a rebellious and headstrong people. He had delivered his message, but they disregarded it. The testimony - The message; especially that of which Uriah and Zechariah had been called to bear witness, Isa 8:2. Any message from God is, however, sometimes called a testimony, as being that to which a prophet bears witness; Psa 19:7; 2Ki 11:12; Deu 4:45; Deu 6:17, Deu 6:20; 1Ki 2:3; Neh 9:34. Seal - Books were made in the form of rolls, and were often sealed when completed - as we seal a letter. The mode of sealing them was not by wax only, but by uniting them by any adhesive matter, as paste, or glue. Wax in warm climates would be generally rendered useless by the heat. The meaning here is, to secure, to close up - perhaps by passing a cord or string around the volume, and making it secure, denoting that it was finished; see Dan 8:26; Dan 12:4. The law - The communication or command which he had delivered, and which, being given by inspiration, had now the force of law. Among my disciples - Most of the Jewish commentators suppose that the volume, when completed by a prophet, was given for safe keeping to his disciples, or to some employed to preserve it securely. The word disciples means those who are taught, and here means those who were taught by the prophet; perhaps the pious and holy part of the people who would listen to his instructions. The Chaldee translates this verse, ‘O prophet, preserve the testimony, lest ye testify to those who will not obey; seal and hide the law, because they will not learn it.’
The words behind it
5 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| צ֖וֹר | tzor | bind up | H6887 → | 54 times |
| תְּעוּדָ֑ה | teudah | [the] testimony | H8584 → | |
| חֲת֥וֹם | chatom | seal up | H2856 → | 26 times |
| תּוֹרָ֖ה | torah | [the] instruction | H8451 → | 219 times |
| בְּלִמֻּדָֽי׃ | belimudai | among disciples my | H3928 → | 6 times |
צ֖וֹרbind up
tzorH6887 →54 times
תְּעוּדָ֑ה[the] testimony
teudahH8584 →
חֲת֥וֹםseal up
chatomH2856 →26 times
תּוֹרָ֖ה[the] instruction
torahH8451 →219 times
בְּלִמֻּדָֽי׃among disciples my
belimudaiH3928 →6 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 13:11He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 2:9–10
Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
- 1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- Matthew 19:11
“Not everyone can accept this word,” He replied, “but only those to whom it has been given.
- James 1:5
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
- 1 John 2:27
And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all…
- 1 Corinthians 2:9–10
Through
Daniel 12:4But you, Daniel, shut up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase.”
it leads to
- Daniel 12:9
“Go on your way, Daniel,” he replied, “for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.
- Revelation 22:10
Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.
- Daniel 8:26
The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been spoken is true. Now you must seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”
- Daniel 12:9
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.