Bible Dictionary
MUTTER
To mutter may describe a low or indistinct human voice, the cooing of a dove, or the growling of a lion. In Isaiah 8:19 it characterizes the subdued speech of necromancers.
Definition
To mutter may describe a low or indistinct human voice, the mourning sound of a dove, or the growling of a lion. The underlying word is onomatopoetic, and context determines whether it should be translated “mutter” or by another expression such as “speak” or “growl.”
Biblical Usage
In Isaiah 8:19, “mutter” describes the subdued and indistinct formulas of necromancers. In other passages the same word refers to a lion’s growl, a dove’s mourning, or ordinary human speech, and Isaiah 59:3 does not require the meaning “mutter.”
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>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.</p><p>See PEEP.</p><p>Burton Scott Easton</p>