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Unless you have believed, you will not understand.

Isaiah

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Unless You Have Believed

Topic: Belief & Faith

“Unless you have believed, you will not understand.”

 


Judaism and Christianity
Isaiah

Wilson, Andrew, editor. World Scripture - a Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Paragon House, 1991, p. 536 [Isaiah 7.9].

Pope Francis on Isaiah 7.9

Unless you believe, you will not understand (cf. Is 7:9). The Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint translation produced in Alexandria, gives the above rendering of the words spoken by the prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz. In this way, the issue of the knowledge of truth became central to faith. The Hebrew text, though, reads differently; the prophet says to the king: “If you will not believe, you shall not be established”. Here there is a play on words, based on two forms of the verb ’am?n: “you will believe” (ta’amînû) and “you shall be established” (t?’?m?nû). Terrified by the might of his enemies, the king seeks the security that an alliance with the great Assyrian empire can offer. The prophet tells him instead to trust completely in the solid and steadfast rock which is the God of Israel. Because God is trustworthy, it is reasonable to have faith in him, to stand fast on his word. He is the same God that Isaiah will later call, twice in one verse, the God who is Amen, “the God of truth” (cf. Is 65:16), the enduring foundation of covenant fidelity.

–Pope Francis [Lumen Fidei, June 29, 2013].

Related Quotes

  • Do Not Grieve , Bhagavad Gita
  • Light comes through faith , Rig Veda
  • By Faith You Shall Be Free , Sutta Nipata
  • We See Light , The Book of Psalms
  • Add Faith to Their Faith , The Qur'an
  • The Reward of Faith - Saint Augustine, On the Gospel of John
  • Through Faith - Apostle Paul, Letter to the Galations

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