“Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 30:10 Mean?
Isaiah exposes Israel's demand for comfortable falsehood: which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.
Which say to the seers (roim — those who see, the prophets whose function is spiritual perception), See not (lo tirau — do not see, stop seeing) — the people command the seers to stop seeing. The function that defines the prophet — perception of spiritual reality — is the function the people want eliminated. Stop seeing what God shows you. Stop perceiving what is true. We do not want your sight. The demand is to blind the ones who see.
And to the prophets (chozim — visionaries, those who receive divine visions), Prophesy not unto us right things (nekhochot — straight things, correct things, what is true and morally aligned) — the demand is specific: stop speaking truth. Not: stop speaking. Stop speaking right things — the straight, correct, morally accurate words that the prophets are commissioned to deliver. The people do not want silence. They want a different kind of speech.
Speak unto us smooth things (chalaqot — flattering things, slippery things, words that go down easy) — smooth replaces right. The people want words that do not confront, do not challenge, do not demand change. Smooth — the surface is pleasant, the content is empty, and the listener walks away undisturbed. The smooth things are the words that comfort without correcting.
Prophesy deceits (mahatallot — illusions, deceptions, things that mislead) — the demand escalates to its logical conclusion: prophesy lies. Tell us what is not true. Give us the comfortable falsehood rather than the uncomfortable reality. The people prefer deception to truth — because truth demands change and deception allows the status quo.
The progression: stop seeing → stop speaking truth → speak flattery → prophesy lies. Each step moves further from reality and closer to comfortable delusion. The people do not want the prophet to stop speaking. They want the prophet to change what he says — from truth to falsehood, from right things to smooth things, from reality to deception.
The verse describes the perennial human preference: we would rather be comfortably deceived than uncomfortably told the truth. The smooth things are what the itching ears of 2 Timothy 4:3 desire. The deceits are what the false prophets of Jeremiah 23:17 provide. The demand has not changed in three thousand years: tell us what we want to hear.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does the demand 'see not' reveal about the human desire to suppress prophetic perception?
- 2.How does the progression from 'right things' to 'smooth things' to 'deceits' describe the escalating demand for comfortable falsehood?
- 3.Where do you see the smooth-things demand operating — in churches, in culture, in your own preferences?
- 4.Who in your life speaks right things that hurt — and are you listening or demanding smooth things instead?
Devotional
See not. Prophesy not unto us right things. Speak unto us smooth things. Prophesy deceits. The people of God — not pagans, not outsiders — telling the prophets: stop telling the truth. We do not want right things. We want smooth things. We do not want reality. We want deception. The demand is not for silence. It is for a different kind of speech — the kind that flatters instead of confronts, that comforts instead of corrects, that lies instead of tells the truth.
Speak unto us smooth things. Smooth — pleasant, easy to hear, going down without resistance. The smooth things are the sermons that never convict. The teachings that never challenge. The words that leave you feeling good about yourself without requiring anything to change. The smooth things are popular because they do not hurt. And they do not help — but the people who demand them do not care about help. They care about comfort.
Prophesy deceits. The logical end of the smooth-things demand: tell us lies. If we do not want truth and we do not want confrontation, then give us what is left: deception. Prophesy what is not real. Tell us we are fine when we are not. Tell us God is pleased when he is angry. Tell us the judgment is not coming when it is already on its way. The demand for deceits is the final destination of the demand for smooth things.
The progression is the diagnosis: stop seeing → stop speaking truth → speak flattery → prophesy lies. Each step takes you further from reality and deeper into the comfortable delusion that feels like peace but is actually the road to judgment. The smooth things do not prevent the judgment. They prevent the repentance that could have prevented the judgment.
Who are you listening to? The seer who sees and speaks right things — even when the right things hurt? Or the prophet of smooth things — the voice that tells you what you want to hear and never demands change? The demand has not changed in three thousand years. And the people who demand smooth things always arrive at the same destination: the judgment that the right things would have prepared them for.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Which say to the seers, See not,.... The same with the prophets in the next clause, which explains this:
and to the…
Which say to the seers - The prophets (see the note at Isa 1:1). See not - They desire not that they should communicate…
Here, I. The preface is very awful. The prophet must not only preach this, but he must write it (Isa 30:8), write it in…
the seers (1Sa 9:9.)
the prophets The word rightly rendered "seer" in Amo 7:12 and elsewhere. See on Isa 1:1. The…
Cross References
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