Isaiah 41:23 kjv
Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.
Isaiah 41:23 nkjv
Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together.
Isaiah 41:23 niv
tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear.
Isaiah 41:23 esv
Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified.
Isaiah 41:23 nlt
Yes, tell us what will occur in the days ahead.
Then we will know you are gods.
In fact, do anything ? good or bad!
Do something that will amaze and frighten us.
Isaiah 41 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 41:22 | "Let them bring them forth, and show us what will happen: let them show the former things, what they were, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or show us things to come." | Declares God's challenge to idols to predict the future. |
| Isa 42:9 | "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I announce; before they spring forth I tell you of them." | God reiterates His prophetic foreknowledge. |
| Isa 44:7 | "And who is like me? Let him proclaim it and declare it to me— yes, let them counsel it together; have I not known it since I appointed the ancient people? Neither declare they future things, nor show the things that are to come." | Similar challenge to idols about declaring the future. |
| Isa 45:11 | "Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Ask me of things to come, concerning my children, and concerning the work of my hands command me." | God invites inquiry into future plans, highlighting His control. |
| Isa 48:3-5 | "I declared the former things long ago, and they went out of my mouth, and I announced them. Then I brought them about suddenly, and they came to pass. Because I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your forehead brass, I told you from of old; before they came to pass I announced them to you..." | God emphasizes His consistent history of announcing events before they occur. |
| Jer 10:5 | "...they are upright, and stand; they cannot move: lest they should walk, then they must be carried, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they can do no evil, nor can they good." | Contrasts the lifelessness of idols with the living God. |
| Psa 115:3-7 | "Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of the hands of men. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear; they have noses, but do not smell; they have hands, but do not feel; they have feet, but do not walk; they do not make a sound with their throat." | Describes the impotence and lifelessness of idols. |
| Isa 40:18-20 | "To whom then will you liken God? or what likeness will you compare him to?" | Questions about comparing God to created things. |
| Isa 46:9-10 | "Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’" | Explicit statement of God's foreknowledge and fulfillment of His counsel. |
| Acts 17:24 | "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by hands," | God's transcendence over created temples. |
| 1 Cor 8:4 | "...Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that ‘an idol is nothing in the world,’ and that ‘there is no other God but one.’" | The theological understanding of idols as nothing. |
| Rom 11:36 | "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." | God's ultimate sovereignty over all creation and actions. |
| Rev 4:11 | "‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’" | Acknowledgment of God's role as Creator and Sustainer. |
| Psa 96:5 | "For all the gods of the nations are idols. But the LORD made the heavens." | Distinction between the gods of nations and the true God. |
| Jer 10:11 | "Thus shall you say to them: ‘The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’" | Pronouncement of judgment against false gods. |
| Josh 24:14 | "Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in truth. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve the LORD." | Exhortation to serve the true God and forsake idols. |
| Deut 18:22 | "When the prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or prove true, that is the word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You shall not be afraid of him." | Standard for discerning true prophecy from false. |
| Isa 41:1-4 | The preceding verses detail God's powerful intervention and vindication of Israel, setting the stage for this declaration. | God's demonstrated power and calling of Cyrus. |
| Isa 43:9 | "Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. Who among them has declared this, and told us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to justify them, that it may be said ‘It is true.’" | Similar challenge to nations regarding past predictions. |
| Matt 6:24 | "‘No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.’" | Jesus' teaching on exclusive loyalty to God, implicitly contrasting Him with false loyalties. |
Isaiah 41 verses
Isaiah 41 23 Meaning
This verse powerfully declares the unique sovereignty and predictive power of Yahweh, Israel's God. He challenges the idols of the nations to demonstrate their ability to prophesy future events or to do wonders. The verse asserts that only God can truly predict and perform, contrasting His active power with the silence and inaction of pagan deities.
Isaiah 41 23 Context
This verse is situated within Isaiah chapters 40-41, a section often called the "Book of Comfort" or "Consolation of Israel." It begins after God has called for attention to His greatness and declared His intention to bring His people back from Babylonian exile. The preceding verses (41:1-4) depict God rousing His ancient people and calling forth Cyrus the Great, a foreign king, as His instrument to accomplish His purposes, something no idol could foresee or orchestrate. This section is a powerful polemic against the impotence of idols and the surrounding polytheistic nations, particularly in contrast to the singular power and foresight of Yahweh. The immediate context is God's direct challenge to the gods of the nations to prove their divine status by either predicting future events or recalling past ones that He Himself has already declared.
Isaiah 41 23 Word Analysis
- "Show" (Hebrew: 'areh, modern standard: hareh, imperative verb): Commands attention and demonstration. It's an invitation to prove something through evidence.
- "the former things" (Hebrew: 'ra'shonot, rishonot): Refers to past events, specifically those which God declared or initiated. In this context, it links back to God's historical acts of salvation and pronouncements.
- "what they were" (Hebrew: mah hayu, mah hayu): The nature or condition of those past events. What characterized them.
- "that we may consider" (Hebrew: 'lema'n yeyhrohbah, lema'en yehr'bahu): For the purpose of contemplation and reflection, to understand and acknowledge.
- "and know" (Hebrew: wyyd'w, we'yid'u): To gain knowledge, understanding, or recognition.
- "the latter end of them" (Hebrew: 'aHrwyta 'ylayhyta, 'akhryt'ah 'alayhyta): Their ultimate outcome or consequence. The end result, proving the validity of the prophecy.
- "or show" (Hebrew: 'wypgir, w'bagr): Or alternatively, another form of proof is offered.
- "things to come" (Hebrew: qwrwh bq'wt, bor'y'u bo'ot): Future events, what is about to happen.
- "show the former things, what they were, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them;" This entire phrase emphasizes God's assertion that His claims and prophecies have a demonstrable track record. He calls for proof of predictive accuracy from idols regarding past events and their eventual outcomes.
- "or show us things to come." This presents the alternative proof: the ability to predict future events, which is a hallmark of true divinity in Isaiah's polemic.
Word Groups/Passages:The core of the verse's demand ("show the former things... or show us things to come") highlights two primary proofs of divinity: historical foreknowledge (demonstrating God declared things which later happened as they were) and future foreknowledge (declaring things that are yet to happen). This was a critical aspect of prophetic validation throughout the Old Testament.
Isaiah 41 23 Bonus Section
The challenge in Isaiah 41:22 is echoed in broader theological discussions about the nature of God versus idols. Many ancient Near Eastern religions featured pantheons with various roles, but Isaiah strips them bare by demanding they exhibit God's specific attribute of declarative foresight. This is a sophisticated apologetic argument, grounding God’s unique claim to worship in His demonstrable supernatural power and knowledge, particularly concerning historical and future events. The ability to announce "the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10) is a recurring theme emphasizing God's complete control and plan for all of creation and human history. This contrasts sharply with practices like divination or astrology, which sought to glean fragmented knowledge of the future from potentially misleading sources, rather than relying on the revealed word of the sovereign God.
Isaiah 41 23 Commentary
Isaiah 41:22 presents a divine challenge, not out of uncertainty, but to expose the utter powerlessness of the gods worshiped by the surrounding nations. It’s an assertion of exclusive divine ability: the true God can not only foretell the future with perfect accuracy, but He also orchestrated the past in ways that demonstrate His prior declaration. The idols, on the other hand, are mute and immobile, unable to recall past pronouncements or predict future happenings. This verse serves to solidify the identity of Yahweh as the one true God, distinct from all fabricated deities. Its significance lies in establishing God's sovereignty over history and time itself. True faith is anchored in the God who declares and accomplishes, not in beings that offer empty promises or rely on human fabrication. This foretelling power assures God's people of His control over their present circumstances and future destiny, even amidst exile.