ris3n's Apologetics Codex
Isaiah 44.6-8
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Passage

Isaiah 44.6-8

Book: Isaiah · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

4. and they shall spring up among the grass, as willows by the watercourses. 5. One shall say, I am Jehovah's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto Jehovah, and surname himself by the name of Israel.

6. Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God. 7. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I established the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and that shall come to pass, let them declare. 8. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have I not declared unto thee of old, and showed it? and ye are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? yea, there is no Rock; I know not any.

  1. They that fashion a graven image are all of them vanity; and the things that they delight in shall not profit; and their own witnesses see not, nor know: that they may be put to shame. 10. Who hath fashioned a god, or molten an image that is profitable for nothing? (Isaiah 44:4-10, ASV)
WEB

4. and they will spring up among the grass, as willows by the watercourses. 5. One will say, ‘I am Yahweh’s;’ and another will be called by the name of Jacob; and another will write with his hand ‘to Yahweh,’ and honor the name of Israel.”

6. This is what Yahweh, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies, says: “I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God. 7. Who is like me? Who will call, and will declare it, and set it in order for me, since I established the ancient people? Let them declare the things that are coming, and that will happen. 8. Don’t fear, neither be afraid. Haven’t I declared it to you long ago, and shown it? You are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? Indeed, there is not. I don’t know any other Rock.”

  1. Everyone who makes an engraved image is vain. The things that they delight in will not profit. Their own witnesses don’t see, nor know, that they may be disappointed. 10. Who has fashioned a god, or molds an image that is profitable for nothing? (Isaiah 44:4-10, WEB)
KJV

4. And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. 5. One shall say, I am the LORD'S; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.

6. Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. 7. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. 8. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any. God; I: Heb. rock, etc

  1. They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. delectable: Heb. desirable 10. Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? (Isaiah 44:4-10, KJV)
YLT

4. And they have sprung up as among grass, As willows by streams of water. 5. This [one] saith, For Jehovah I [am], And this calleth [himself] by the name of Jacob, And this [one] writeth [with] his hand, 'For Jehovah,' and by the name of Israel surnameth himself.

6. Thus said Jehovah, king of Israel, And his Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts: 'I [am] the first, and I the last, And besides Me there is no God. 7. And who as I, doth call and declare it, And arrange it for Me, Since My placing the people of antiquity, And things that are coming, And those that do come, declare they to them? 8. Fear not, nor be afraid, Have I not from that time caused thee to hear, and declared? And ye [are] My witnesses, Is there a God besides Me? yea, there is none, A Rock I have not known.

  1. Framers of a graven image [are] all of them emptiness, And their desirable things do not profit, And their own witnesses they [are], They see not, nor know, that they may be ashamed. 10. Who hath formed a god, And a molten image poured out, not profitable? (Isaiah 44:4-10, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: YHWH, "the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts" (44:6), speaking through the prophet
  • Audience: Israel, addressed as "Jacob my servant" (44:1-2) and called to act as God's witnesses (44:8)
  • Location: Judah on the traditional view; Babylon among the exiles on the common critical view of chapters 40-55
  • Time period: Traditionally the eighth-century prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, speaking ahead to the exile and return; many critical scholars date chapters 40-55 to the late exile, c. 550-539 BC, shortly before Cyrus took Babylon (44:28)

Theological reading

"Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God." The passage is a courtroom scene. God challenges the idols to predict the future (44:7; compare 41:21-23), calls Israel to the witness stand (44:8), and then mocks the craftsmen who carve gods out of firewood (44:9-20).

The titles. God names himself "King," "Redeemer" (Strong's H1350, goel, the next-of-kin who buys back a relative), and "Jehovah of hosts" (H6635). "I am the first (H7223), and I am the last (H314)" means there was no god before him and there will be none after him, the same claim made in 41:4 and 48:12 and in Isaiah 43:10, "before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me."

The test of prophecy. "Who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me ... and the things that are coming, and that shall come to pass, let them declare" (44:7). The proof offered is not a philosophical argument but a track record: God announces events ahead of time, and the idols cannot. Israel has heard it "of old," so "ye are my witnesses" (H5707). The Jehovah's Witnesses take their name from the parallel in Isaiah 43:10; see Jehovah's Witnesses vs the Christian God.

"I know not any." Verse 8 closes the case with a question and an answer from God's own knowledge: "Is there a God (H433, eloah) besides me? yea, there is no Rock (H6697); I know not any." Some readers take such lines as claims of incomparability, allowing other heavenly beings called elohim to exist; see Elohim Is a Divine Council Objection Defeater and OT Polytheism Objection Defeater. Latter-day Saint teaching reads "no God besides me" as no other God for us to worship, which leaves room for other exalted beings. The text grounds the claim in God being sole Creator, "that stretcheth forth the heavens alone" (44:24), and an all-knowing God who knows of no other God is denying that any exists. See Mormonism vs the Christian God.

The first and the last in Revelation. The risen Jesus uses the same title of himself: "I am the first and the last, and the Living one" (Revelation 1:17-18; compare 22:13). Christians read this as Jesus sharing the one identity Isaiah 44:6 reserves for Jehovah, not as a second God beside him. Those who hold that Jesus is a created being read the Revelation title in a lesser sense. See Monotheism.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

People:

Lexicon:

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.