Isaiah 29:4 - Exposition

Thy speech shall be low . The feeble cries of a people wasted and worn out by a long siege are intended. These cries would resemble those which seemed to come out of the ground when a necromancer professed to raise a ghost. The Hebrew 'ohv is used both of the necromancers (Le 19:31; Isaiah 20:6 , etc.) and of the ghosts which they professed to raise ( 1 Samuel 28:7 , 1 Samuel 28:8 ; 2 Kings 20:6 , etc.). Here the "ghost" is spoken of. Thy speech shall whisper ; literally, chirp (comp. Isaiah 8:19 ). The word used occurs only in Isaiah.