Isaiah 40:21 kjv
Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Isaiah 40:21 nkjv
Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Isaiah 40:21 niv
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
Isaiah 40:21 esv
Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Isaiah 40:21 nlt
Haven't you heard? Don't you understand?
Are you deaf to the words of God ?
the words he gave before the world began?
Are you so ignorant?
Isaiah 40 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 40:12 | Who has measured the waters... comprehended the dust... weighed the mountains... | God's unchallengeable power in creation |
| Isa 40:28 | Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God... | Direct echo, God's eternal nature |
| Psa 19:1 | The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. | General revelation in creation |
| Rom 1:20 | For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen... | Humanity's inexcusability from general revelation |
| Psa 33:6-9 | By the word of the LORD the heavens were made... He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. | God as ultimate Creator |
| Job 38:4-7 | "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?... while the morning stars sang together...?" | God's sole creative agency, rhetorical questioning |
| Prov 3:19 | The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens. | God's wisdom in creation |
| Gen 1:1 | In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. | God's primary role as Creator |
| Dt 4:32 | "Indeed, ask now concerning the former days, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth..." | Remember ancient revelation |
| Dt 32:7 | Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you... | Call to remember past divine acts |
| Mal 3:6 | "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." | God's unchanging nature and faithfulness |
| Heb 1:10-12 | "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of Your hands..." | Christ's role in creation, God's enduring nature |
| Psa 90:2 | Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. | God's eternality and pre-existence |
| Psa 147:5 | Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit. | God's boundless power and knowledge |
| Job 12:7-9 | "But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you..." | Wisdom discernable from creation |
| 1 Cor 1:25 | For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom... | God's wisdom transcends human understanding |
| Psa 78:5-7 | He established a testimony in Jacob... that the next generation might know them... | Command to pass on divine truths |
| Jer 10:10-12 | But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God... He made the earth by His power... | Contrast with idols, God as true Creator |
| Isa 42:9 | Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them. | God's foreknowledge and prophecy |
| Lk 24:27 | And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. | Revelation from the beginning pointed to Christ |
Isaiah 40 verses
Isaiah 40 21 Meaning
Isaiah 40:21 presents a series of powerful rhetorical questions designed to jolt the exiles of Judah into remembering fundamental truths about God. It challenges their spiritual forgetfulness and lack of trust in Yahweh, reminding them that the Creator's omnipotence, omniscience, and eternal plan were evident from the very beginning of time and the establishment of the cosmos. The verse implies that the knowledge of God's supremacy is ancient, foundational, and self-evident to any who truly observe creation and recall divine revelation, thereby laying the groundwork for Israel to recognize their Redeemer's unchanging power and fidelity despite their present dire circumstances.
Isaiah 40 21 Context
Isaiah chapter 40 marks a significant shift in the book of Isaiah, moving from prophecies of judgment against Judah and surrounding nations to messages of comfort, hope, and restoration for the exiles in Babylon. The overarching theme is the incomparable greatness of God compared to idols and the fleeting powers of nations, assuring Israel of His faithful covenant love. Verse 21, in particular, sets the stage for a grand declaration of Yahweh's unparalleled wisdom and power. The original audience, the exiled Israelites, were likely disheartened, questioning God's power and presence while surrounded by the powerful Babylonian empire and its pantheon of gods. Isaiah challenges their doubt by appealing to foundational knowledge they ought to possess: that Yahweh is the eternal, sovereign Creator and sustainer of all things, whose plans were laid and communicated from the "beginning" (creation) and are visibly confirmed by the stability of the "foundations of the earth." This serves as a strong polemic against idolatry and any notion that human empires or other deities could rival the God of Israel.
Isaiah 40 21 Word analysis
- Do you not know? (הֲלוֹא תֵדְעוּ - halo' tēḏ'û?): This is a rhetorical question in Hebrew, implying an emphatic "Surely you do know!" It expresses astonishment that the audience might be ignorant of what should be common, fundamental knowledge about God. It points to a deep, inherent understanding.
- Have you not heard? (הֲלוֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם - halo' šəmaʿtem?): Another rhetorical question, focusing on aural reception of knowledge—instruction, tradition, and divine revelation passed down. This refers to the historical truths God revealed to Israel.
- Has it not been told you from the beginning? (הֲלוֹא הֻגַּד מֵרֹאשׁ לָכֶם - halo' huggaḏ mērō'š lâḵem?): This refers to direct revelation of divine truths from the earliest times. "Beginning" (רֹאשׁ - rō'š) signifies not just historical antiquity but the very inauguration of God's work, including creation and early covenant promises to Abraham and through Moses. This knowledge precedes and undergirds human history.
- Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? (הֲלוֹא הֲבִינוֹתֶם מוֹסְדֵי אָרֶץ - halo' hăḇînōṯem môsḏê 'āreṣ?): This rhetorical query connects understanding (internal comprehension) with God's work in establishing the world. "Foundations of the earth" (מוֹסְדֵי אָרֶץ - môsḏê 'āreṣ) metaphorically refers to the very stable and ordered structure of creation, which serves as a constant, visible testimony to the intelligent, powerful, and sovereign Creator. It appeals to a knowledge derivable from observing the physical world.
- "Do you not know? Have you not heard?": These two initial questions form a common biblical pattern, challenging both an innate or ingrained knowledge ("know") and a communicated, received knowledge ("heard"). They confront intellectual apprehension and traditional instruction.
- "from the beginning" and "from the foundations of the earth": These phrases reinforce each other, indicating two complementary sources of knowledge about God's eternal power and wisdom. "Beginning" speaks to ancient, passed-down truths and revelation, while "foundations of the earth" speaks to the constant, observable evidence within the created order itself. Together, they demonstrate that belief in God's supremacy is not a new or obscure concept, but one deeply rooted in the history of revelation and the observable universe.
Isaiah 40 21 Bonus section
This verse functions as a pre-argument, reminding the audience of truths they already possess before moving into the specifics of God's unparalleled might and care for Israel. It highlights that revelation comes in multiple forms: explicit verbal instruction (what was "told you") and the ongoing silent witness of the natural world (seen "from the foundations of the earth"). The questions are designed to pierce through doubt and spiritual lethargy, compelling the listener to confront their own memory and observational faculties. The consistent use of rhetorical questions throughout Isaiah (and other prophetic books) underscores a pedagogical approach, inviting introspection rather than just stating facts. It's not about providing new information but about reactivating dormant knowledge and conviction, drawing the audience back to the enduring testimony of God's power since creation.
Isaiah 40 21 Commentary
Isaiah 40:21 serves as a foundational assertion of God's unquestionable sovereignty and wisdom, addressed to a people prone to despair and idolatry. The series of rhetorical questions functions as an indignant challenge, pressing the exiles to recall the fundamental truths of God's identity as the Creator. It’s a call to look beyond their immediate circumstances and remember the ancient and enduring testament of creation itself, along with the divine truths consistently revealed throughout history. This verse essentially demands: "How can you forget such essential, self-evident knowledge?" It reminds them that God's plan and power are not recent developments but were established "from the beginning" and are visible in the very "foundations of the earth." This sets up the grand display of God's incomparable greatness in the following verses, offering comfort through the certainty of an all-powerful, all-knowing God who orchestrates history. The verse effectively discredits reliance on human wisdom or ephemeral idols, redirecting focus to the only source of ultimate power and steadfast hope.