Isaiah 44
44
Yahweh, the Only True God
1-2“Now, listen to me, my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one.
I am Yahweh, your Creator, who shaped you in my womb. # 44:1–2 There is no verse in the Bible that speaks of God as our mother, but there are frequent metaphors that imply God gave us birth (and new birth), nurtured us in his love, and even formed us in his womb. The love God has for us is similar to a mother’s love. The Hebrew concept of compassion carries this thought, for the Hebrew word for “compassion” (racham) is the same word as “womb.” God has a womb-love for each of us. This thought resurfaces more than once in these later chapters of Isaiah.
Hear what I have to say to you:
‘Don’t fear. I will help you, O Jacob my servant,
Do not fear, my pleasing one, # 44:1–2 Or “Jeshurun,” a symbolic name for Israel showing her unique, intimate relationship with God. It is taken from the root word yashar, “to please.” Others translate this endearing term for Israel as “upright one.” God will straighten out the crookedness of Jacob. “Jeshurun” is found only here and in Deuteronomy (see Deut. 32:15; 33:5, 26). Israel.
3I will pour refreshing water on the thirsty
and streams on the dry ground.
I will pour out my Spirit on your children, # 44:3 See Acts 2:12–17.
my blessing upon your descendants.
4They will spring up like grass blanketing a meadow, # 44:4 Or “like a binu-tree” (Dead Sea scroll 1QIsaa).
like poplars growing by gushing streams.
5One will say, “I belong to Yahweh.”
Another will be called Jacob.
Yet another will write on his hand # 44:5 Or “with his own hand.” “Property of Yahweh.”
Another will adopt the name Israel.’ ”
6The words of Yahweh,
Israel’s true King # 44:6 See Matt. 27:42; Mark 15:32; John 1:49; 12:13. and Kinsman-Redeemer,
Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies, says:
“I am the Beginning and I am the Ending, # 44:6 Or “I am the First, and I am the Last.”
and I am the only God there is.
7Who is like me? Go ahead, stand and speak up.
I’ll wait for him to announce it and explain it all to me!
Who else has announced from everlasting # 44:7 The Hebrew word for “everlasting” is ʿolam, and there are nine more everlasting things found in Isaiah: (1) everlasting God (Isa. 40:28), (2) everlasting covenant (Isa. 55:3; 61:8), (3) everlasting kindness (Isa. 54:8), (4) everlasting salvation (Isa. 45:17), (5) everlasting majesty of God’s people (Isa. 60:15), (6) everlasting joy (Isa. 51:11), (7) everlasting favor (Isa. 56:5), (8) everlasting light (Isa. 60:19–20), and (9) everlasting signs (Isa. 55:13). what is to come? # 44:7 Or “from my placing an eternal people and things to come.” The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
Let him prophesy what is yet to be.
8Do not fear nor be shaken!
Haven’t I foretold it, announcing it to you ahead of time?
You are my witnesses, so tell me, is there any god besides me?
There is no other Rock of shelter; I know not one.”
9Idol-makers amount to nothing,
and the things they treasure can do no one any good.
They are witnesses with blind eyes who know nothing;
they will be disgraced.
10What kind of person would form an idol-god
or cast an image with no ability to do any good?
11No wonder those who worship them # 44:11 Or “those who produce them.” will be put to shame.
Their craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand.
They will all be terrified and put to shame!
12The blacksmith takes his tongs and heats it over the coals,
forming it with hammers, forging it with his strong arm.
But when he gets hungry, his strength ebbs away,
and if he doesn’t drink water, he quickly grows weary.
13The woodworker stretches out a measuring line,
then marks it and fashions his idol-god with his carving tools.
Then he uses a stylus to trace it out on the wood # 44:13 Or “rounds it with his instruments.”
and shapes it into the figure of a man,
trying to make it look like a beautiful human
to be displayed somewhere in a shrine.
14He chooses a cedar or a cypress or an oak,
but first lets it grow strong in the forest.
He plants a pine tree, and it is nourished by the rain.
15The wood serves man for fuel;
some he uses to warm himself
and with some he bakes his bread.
But from this same wood he also makes a god to worship
and bows down to the idol he formed.
16Half of the wood he burns in the fire to roast his meat.
Then he eats his fill and is satisfied.
Part he uses to warm himself and says,
“Ah, I’m warm and cozy sitting by the fire.”
17With the rest of it he makes his idol-god,
bows down to it, and worships it!
He prays to it, saying, “Save me, for you are my god!”
18They have no clue what they’re doing
and don’t comprehend how absurd it is!
For they shut their eyes so they cannot see.
They close their hearts so they cannot understand.
19They have no knowledge, no understanding,
no discernment to say,
“Half of the wood I burned in the fire.
I roasted meat and cooked my dinner.
Now should I take the rest of the wood
and make it into an abomination?
Should I bow down and worship a block of wood?”
20He feeds his spirit on ashes! # 44:20 Or “the shepherd of ashes.”
His deluded heart leads him astray.
He can’t even ask himself,
“Is this thing I’m holding in my right hand a fraud?”
God Never Forgets Israel
21“Remember these things, O Jacob’s tribes,
and Israel, you are my servant.
I created you to be my servant, and I will never forget you!
22I have swept away your sins like a thick cloud. # 44:22 This “thick cloud” of our sins was a barrier between God and man. Grace has swept it away so that we can freely come before him.
I have made your guilt vanish
like mist disappearing into thin air.
Now come back, come back to me,
for I have paid the price for you.” # 44:22 See Gal. 3:13–14.
23Sing! Starry sky above, break loose with singing,
for Yahweh has finished it!
Shout! Earth deep below, give up your shout!
Mountains high, break out with joyous songs of praise!
Let the forest choirs join in, with every tree singing its notes!
For Yahweh has paid the ransom price for Jacob’s tribes,
and he will be glorified in Israel!
God Is in Control
24Here is what Yahweh,
your Kinsman-Redeemer, who formed you in his womb, has to say:
“I am Yahweh, Creator of all.
I alone stretched out the canvas of the cosmos.
I who shaped the earth needed no one’s help.
25Now I make fools of fortune-tellers
and frustrate astrologers’ predictions.
I confuse the wise, who think they know it all,
and make their ‘knowledge’ into foolishness.
26I confirm the word of my servants
and fulfill the prophecies of my messengers.
I say to Jerusalem, ‘Many people will live in you again,’
and to the cities of Judah, ‘I will raise up your ruins; you will be rebuilt!’
27I say to deep waters, ‘Dry up!’ and to rivers, ‘Become dry!’ # 44:27 This actually happened at the taking of Babylon by Cyrus. See Jer. 50:38; 51:31–36.
28I say concerning Cyrus, # 44:28 Cyrus, king of Persia, reigned from 559–529 BC. He permitted the Jews to return from captivity to Jerusalem and issued a decree to authorize the temple to be rebuilt (2 Chron. 36:22–23; Ezra 1:1–4). Even though Isaiah prophesied 175 years before Cyrus became king, he called him by name. This is one of the greatest proofs of God’s omniscience and sovereignty as well as the supernatural aspect of prophecy. ‘He is my shepherd,
and he will carry out all the purposes I have for him,’
saying to Jerusalem, ‘You will be rebuilt and flourish again!’
saying to the temple, ‘You will be reconstructed!’ ” # 44:28 Josephus, the Jewish historian, wrote that “when Cyrus read this [Isaiah’s prophecy], and admired the Divine Power, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfill what was so written.” These verses in chs. 44–45 convinced Cyrus to issue the decree to rebuild the temple. See Josephus, Ant. 11.1.2 and Ezra 5:13.
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Isaiah 44: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationIsaiah 44
44
The Lord Will Renew Israel
1 “Now, listen, Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!”
2 This is what the Lord, the one who made you, says –
the one who formed you in the womb and helps you:
“Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob,
Jeshurun,#sn Jeshurun is a poetic name for Israel; it occurs here and in Deut 32:15; 33:5, 26. whom I have chosen!
3 For I will pour water on the parched ground#tn Heb “the thirsty.” Parallelism suggests that dry ground is in view (see “dry land” in the next line.)
and cause streams to flow#tn Heb “and streams”; KJV “floods.” The verb “cause…to flow” is supplied in the second line for clarity and for stylistic reasons. on the dry land.
I will pour my spirit on your offspring
and my blessing on your children.
4 They will sprout up like a tree in the grass,#tn The Hebrew term בֵין (ven) is usually taken as a preposition, in which case one might translate, “among the grass.” But בֵין is probably the name of a tree (cf. C. R. North, Second Isaiah, 133). If one alters the preposition bet (בְּ) to kaf (כְּ), one can then read, “like a binu-tree.” (The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa supports this reading.) This forms a nice parallel to “like poplars” in the next line. חָצִיר (khatsir) is functioning as an adverbial accusative of location.
like poplars beside channels of water.
5 One will say, ‘I belong to the Lord,’
and another will use#tn The Hebrew text has a Qal verb form, “and another will call by the name of Jacob.” With support from Symmachus (an ancient Greek textual witness), some read the Niphal, “and another will be called by the name of Jacob.” the name ‘Jacob.’
One will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and use the name ‘Israel.’”#tn Heb “and by the name of Israel he will title.” Some, with support from several ancient versions, prefer to change the Piel (active) verb form to a Pual (passive), “and he will be titled by the name of Israel.”
The Absurdity of Idolatry
6 This is what the Lord, Israel’s king, says,
their protector,#tn Heb “his kinsman redeemer.” See the note at 41:14. the Lord who commands armies:
“I am the first and I am the last,
there is no God but me.
7 Who is like me? Let him make his claim!#tn Heb “let him call” or “let him proclaim” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “Let him stand up and speak.”
Let him announce it and explain it to me –
since I established an ancient people – #tc The Hebrew text reads, “from (the time) I established an ancient people, and the coming things.” Various emendations have been proposed. One of the options assumes the reading מַשְׁמִיעִים מֵעוֹלָם אוֹתִיּוֹת (mashmi’im me’olam ’otiyyot); This literally reads “the ones causing to hear from antiquity coming things,” but more idiomatically would read “as for those who predict from antiquity what will happen” (cf. NAB, NEB, REB). The emendation directs the attention of the reader to those who claim to be able to predict the future, challenging them to actually do what they claim they can do. The MT presents Yahweh as an example to whom these alleged “predictors of the future” can compare themselves. Since the ancient versions are unanimous in their support of the MT, the emendations should be set aside.
let them announce future events!#tn Heb and those things which are coming let them declare for themselves.”
8 Don’t panic! Don’t be afraid!#tn BDB 923 s.v. רָהָה derives this verb from an otherwise unattested root, while HALOT 403 s.v. יָרָה defines it as “be stupefied” on the basis of an Arabic cognate. The form is likely a corruption of תיראו, the reading attested in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa.
Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it?
You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me?
There is no other sheltering rock;#tn Heb “rock” or “rocky cliff,” a title that depicts God as a protective refuge in his role as sovereign king; thus the translation “sheltering rock.” I know of none.
9 All who form idols are nothing;
the things in which they delight are worthless.
Their witnesses cannot see;
they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame.
10 Who forms a god and casts an idol
that will prove worthless?#tn The rhetorical question is sarcastic. The sense is, “Who is foolish enough…?”
11 Look, all his associates#tn The pronoun “his” probably refers to the one who forms/casts an idol (v. 10), in which case it refers to the craftsman’s associates in the idol-manufacturing guild. will be put to shame;
the craftsmen are mere humans.#sn The point seems to be this: If the idols are the mere products of human hands, then those who trust in them will be disappointed, for man-made gods are incapable of helping their “creators.”
Let them all assemble and take their stand!
They will panic and be put to shame.
12 A blacksmith works with his tool#tn The noun מַעֲצָד (ma’atsad), which refers to some type of tool used for cutting, occurs only here and in Jer 10:3. See HALOT 615 s.v. מַעֲצָד.
and forges metal over the coals.
He forms it#tn Some English versions take the pronoun “it” to refer to an idol being fashioned by the blacksmith (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV). NLT understands the referent to be “a sharp tool,” which is then used by the carpenter in the following verse to carve an idol from wood. with hammers;
he makes it with his strong arm.
He gets hungry and loses his energy;#tn Heb “and there is no strength”; NASB “his strength fails.”
he drinks no water and gets tired.
13 A carpenter takes measurements;#tn Heb “stretches out a line” (ASV similar); NIV “measures with a line.”
he marks out an outline of its form;#tn Heb “he makes an outline with the [?].” The noun שֶׂרֶד (shered) occurs only here; it apparently refers to some type of tool or marker. Cf. KJV “with a line”; ASV “with a pencil”; NAB, NRSV “with a stylus”; NASB “with red chalk”; NIV “with a marker.”
he scrapes#tn Heb “works” (so NASB) or “fashions” (so NRSV); NIV “he roughs it out.” it with chisels,
and marks it with a compass.
He patterns it after the human form,#tn Heb “he makes it like the pattern of a man”; NAB “like a man in appearance.”
like a well-built human being,
and puts it in a shrine.#tn Heb “like the glory of man to sit [in] a house”; NIV “that it may dwell in a shrine.”
14 He cuts down cedars
and acquires a cypress#tn It is not certain what type of tree this otherwise unattested noun refers to. Cf. ASV “a holm-tree” (NRSV similar). or an oak.
He gets#tn Heb “strengthens for himself,” i.e., “secures for himself” (see BDB 55 s.v. אָמֵץ Pi.2). trees from the forest;
he plants a cedar#tn Some prefer to emend אֹרֶן (’oren) to אֶרֶז (’erez, “cedar”), but the otherwise unattested noun appears to have an Akkadian cognate, meaning “cedar.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 44-45. HALOT 90 s.v. I אֹרֶן offers the meaning “laurel.” and the rain makes it grow.
15 A man uses it to make a fire;#tn Heb “and it becomes burning [i.e., firewood] for a man”; NAB “to serve man for fuel.”
he takes some of it and warms himself.
Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
Then he makes a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.#tn Or perhaps, “them.”
16 Half of it he burns in the fire –
over that half he cooks#tn Heb “eats” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “roasts.” meat;
he roasts a meal and fills himself.
Yes, he warms himself and says,
‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’
17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships it.
He prays to it, saying,
‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’
18 They do not comprehend or understand,
for their eyes are blind and cannot see;
their minds do not discern.#tn Heb “for their eyes are smeared over so they cannot see, so their heart cannot be wise.”
19 No one thinks to himself,
nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:
‘I burned half of it in the fire –
yes, I baked bread over the coals;
I roasted meat and ate it.
With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?
Should I bow down to dry wood?’#tn There is no formal interrogative sign here, but the context seems to indicate these are rhetorical questions. See GKC 473 §150.a.
20 He feeds on ashes;#tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”
his deceived mind misleads him.
He cannot rescue himself,
nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’#tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”
21 Remember these things, O Jacob,
O Israel, for you are my servant.
I formed you to be my servant;
O Israel, I will not forget you!#tc The verb in the Hebrew text is a Niphal imperfect with a pronominal suffix. Although the Niphal ordinarily has the passive sense, it can have a reflexive nuance as well (see above translation). Some have suggested an emendation to a Qal form: “Do not forget me” (all the ancient versions, NEB, REB; see GKC 369 §117.x). “Do not forget me” would make a good parallel with “remember these things” in the first line. Since the MT is the harder reading and fits with Israel’s complaint that God had forgotten her (Isa 40:27), the MT reading should be retained (NASB, NKJV, NRSV, ESV). The passive has been rendered as an active in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style (so also NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).
22 I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud,
the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud.#tn Heb “I blot out like a cloud your rebellious deeds, and like a cloud your sins.” “Rebellious deeds” and “sins” stand by metonymy for the guilt they produce. Both עָב (’av) and עָנָן (’anan) refer to the clouds in the sky. It is tempting for stylistic purposes to translate the second with “fog” or “mist” (cf. NAB, NRSV “cloud…mist”; NIV “cloud…morning mist”; NLT “morning mists…clouds”), but this distinction between the synonyms is unwarranted here. The point of the simile seems to be this: The Lord forgives their sins, causing them to vanish just as clouds disappear from the sky (see Job 7:9; 30:15).
Come back to me, for I protect#tn Heb “redeem.” See the note at 41:14. you.”
23 Shout for joy, O sky, for the Lord intervenes;#tn Heb “acts”; NASB, NRSV “has done it”; NLT “has done this wondrous thing.”
shout out, you subterranean regions#tn Heb “lower regions.” This refers to Sheol and forms a merism with “sky” in the previous line. See Pss 63:9; 71:20. of the earth.
O mountains, give a joyful shout;
you too, O forest and all your trees!#tn Heb “O forest and all the trees in it”; NASB, NRSV “and every tree in it.”
For the Lord protects#tn Heb “redeems.” See the note at 41:14. Jacob;
he reveals his splendor through Israel.#tn That is, by delivering Israel. Cf. NCV “showed his glory when he saved Israel”; TEV “has shown his greatness by saving his people Israel.”
The Lord Empowers Cyrus
24 This is what the Lord, your protector,#tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14. says,
the one who formed you in the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made everything,
who alone stretched out the sky,
who fashioned the earth all by myself,#tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has “Who [was] with me?” The marginal reading (Qere) is “from with me,” i.e., “by myself.” See BDB 87 s.v. II אֵת 4.c.
25 who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers#tc The Hebrew text has בַּדִּים (baddim), perhaps meaning “empty talkers” (BDB 95 s.v. III בַּד). In the four other occurrences of this word (Job 11:3; Isa 16:6; Jer 48:30; 50:36) the context does not make the meaning of the term very clear. Its primary point appears to be that the words spoken are meaningless or false. In light of its parallelism with “omen readers,” some have proposed an emendation to בָּרִים (barim, “seers”). The Mesopotamian baru-priests were divination specialists who played an important role in court life. See R. Wilson, Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel, 93-98. Rather than supporting an emendation, J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:189, n. 79) suggests that Isaiah used בַּדִּים purposively as a derisive wordplay on the Akkadian word baru (in light of the close similarity of the d and r consonants).
and humiliates#tn Or “makes fools of” (NIV, NRSV); NAB and NASB both similar. the omen readers,
who overturns the counsel of the wise men#tn Heb “who turns back the wise” (so NRSV); NIV “overthrows the learning of the wise”; TEV “The words of the wise I refute.”
and makes their advice#tn Heb “their knowledge” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV). seem foolish,
26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants#tn Heb “the word of his servant.” The following context indicates that the Lord’s prophets are in view.
and brings to pass the announcements#tn Heb “counsel.” The Hebrew term עֵצָה (’etsah) probably refers here to the divine plan as announced by the prophets. See HALOT 867 s.v. I עֵצָה. of his messengers,
who says about Jerusalem,#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. ‘She will be inhabited,’
and about the towns of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt,
her ruins I will raise up,’
27 who says to the deep sea, ‘Be dry!
I will dry up your sea currents,’
28 who commissions#tn Heb “says to.” It is possible that the sentence is not completed, as the description of Cyrus and his God-given role is developed in the rest of the verse. 45:1 picks up where 44:28a leaves off with the Lord’s actual words to Cyrus finally being quoted in 45:2. Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd#tn Heb “my shepherd.” The shepherd motif is sometimes applied, as here, to a royal figure who is responsible for the well-being of the people whom he rules.
to carry out all my wishes#tn Heb “that he might bring to completion all my desire.”
and to decree concerning Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’
and concerning the temple, ‘It will be reconstructed.’”#tn Heb “and [concerning the] temple, you will be founded.” The preposition -לְ (lÿ) is understood by ellipsis at the beginning of the second line. The verb תִּוָּסֵד (tivvased, “you will be founded”) is second masculine singular and is probably addressed to the personified temple (הֵיכָל [hekhal, “temple”] is masculine).
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