THE FULL ARTICLE — from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), general editor James Orr — public domain, printed whole.

mut'-er (haghah (Isa 8:19; 59:3)): An onomatopoetic word, used of the growling of a lion (Isa 31:4), of the "mourning" of a dove (Isa 38:14), or of the human voice, whether speaking inarticulately (Isa 16:7) or articulately (Ps 37:30, "The mouth of the righteous talketh of wisdom" compare Job 27:4; Pr 8:7, etc.). Hence, it is only the context that can give to haghah the meaning "mutter." No such meaning can be gathered from the context of Isa 59:3, and, in fact, the open shamelessness of the sinners seems to be in point. So the verse should be rendered, "Your lips have spoken lies, your tongue uttereth wickedness." In Isa 8:19 haghah describes the tone of voice used by the necromancers in uttering their formulas, "that chirp and that mutter." That this tone was subdued and indistinct is quite probable.

See PEEP.

Burton Scott Easton