Isaiah 44 22

Isaiah 44:22 kjv

I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

Isaiah 44:22 nkjv

I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you."

Isaiah 44:22 niv

I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you."

Isaiah 44:22 esv

I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.

Isaiah 44:22 nlt

I have swept away your sins like a cloud.
I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist.
Oh, return to me,
for I have paid the price to set you free."

Isaiah 44 verses

Isaiah 44 22 Meaning

Isaiah 44:22 declares God's complete and irrevocable forgiveness of Israel's sins, portrayed as if thoroughly wiped away or obscured. This divine act of pardon is presented as a past, accomplished fact, upon which God bases His call for Israel to "return." The verse emphasizes God's initiative in cleansing them and explicitly states His foundational act of redemption as the reason for this restoration and call to relationship. It encapsulates God's grace, mercy, and unwavering commitment to His covenant people.

Isaiah 44 22 Context

Isaiah chapter 44 is situated within the "Book of Comfort" (chapters 40-55) which addresses the exilic community in Babylon, offering hope, divine vindication, and assurance of future restoration. Prior to verse 22, God emphasizes His unique sovereignty as the only God (vv. 6-8), mocks the futility of idol worship (vv. 9-20), and declares His unchanging love and commitment to Israel (vv. 1-5, 21). The historical context is primarily the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE), where the people of Judah suffered for their transgressions and felt abandoned by God. Verse 22 acts as a climactic declaration of grace and forgiveness, building upon the argument against idolatry and reassuring Israel that despite their unfaithfulness, God has already initiated their redemption. It precedes a call to rejoice and God's prophecy about Cyrus, who will facilitate their return.

Isaiah 44 22 Word analysis

• I have blotted out (מָחִיתִי - māḥîṯi):
  • Meaning: To wipe clean, erase, destroy completely.
  • Significance: Denotes an act of decisive and absolute removal. It's as though something written down, like a debt, is thoroughly erased from the ledger, leaving no trace. This verb is also used for wiping out nations or names, showing its comprehensive nature.
• as a thick cloud (כָּעָב - kāʿāḇ):
  • Meaning: Thick cloud, dense fog.
  • Significance: This imagery suggests that the sins are not merely moved, but completely obscured from view, as an impenetrable cloud hides the sun or covers the landscape. The denseness of the cloud implies an overwhelming and thorough covering, leaving no glimpse of what lies behind it. It speaks to the totality of the pardon.
• thy transgressions (פְּשָׁעֶיךָ - pešāʿeyḵā):
  • Meaning: Rebellions, intentional violations, breach of covenant.
  • Significance: Peshaʿ points to deliberate rebellion against authority, particularly God's. It's not merely a mistake but a conscious act of defiance.
• and, as a cloud (וְכֶעָנָן - wəḵeʿānān):
  • Meaning: Cloud, light cloud, misty vapor.
  • Significance: While similar to 'thick cloud', ʿānān can suggest a slightly less dense but still encompassing coverage. Its repetition reinforces the imagery of thorough obfuscation, and poetic parallelism provides emphasis on the totality of the blotting out.
• thy sins (חַטֹּאותֶיךָ - ḥaṭṭoʾteyḵā):
  • Meaning: Missing the mark, moral failings, guilt.
  • Significance: Chattaʾt typically refers to failing to meet a standard, a moral trespass, an error, or wrongdoing that makes one liable. Paired with 'transgressions,' it provides a comprehensive scope of human failing.
• return (שׁוּבָה - šūḇā):
  • Meaning: Turn back, repent, revert.
  • Significance: This is an imperative call to action. Shuv is a fundamental biblical concept of repentance – turning away from sin and turning back to God. It signifies a change of mind, heart, and direction. It implies God's desire for an active relationship, not just passive forgiveness.
• unto me (אֵלַי - ʾēlay):
  • Meaning: To/toward me.
  • Significance: Emphasizes the personal and relational aspect of the call. The return is not merely a change in behavior, but a re-engagement with God Himself.
• for I have redeemed thee (כִּי גְאַלְתִּיךָ - kî gāʾaltîḵā):
  • Meaning: To buy back, ransom, set free, act as kinsman redeemer.
  • Significance: Gaʾal is a profound theological term. It refers to God acting as the go'el, the Kinsman-Redeemer who, at great cost, restores someone from bondage, debt, or distress. It grounds the forgiveness and call to return not in human merit, but in God's prior, costly, and saving act. This makes the offer of forgiveness completely secure.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins": This phrase powerfully uses vivid metaphorical language. The imagery of 'blotting out' combined with the two types of clouds emphasizes the absolute, total, and invisible removal of both intentional rebellion (transgressions) and unintentional moral failings (sins). God Himself is the agent of this comprehensive purification. The parallelism further strengthens the declaration of thorough erasure.
• "return unto me; for I have redeemed thee": This section highlights the sequence of grace and response. God's act of redemption is presented as the foundational reason for His ability to forgive completely, and thus, the logical and loving basis for Israel to respond by turning back to Him. The 'for' (כִּי - kî) clause is crucial, indicating that the call to repentance is not a precondition for redemption, but rather a consequence and proper response to a redemption already achieved by God. It underscores divine initiative.

Isaiah 44 22 Bonus section

The promise of blotting out sins is tied to the covenant God made with Israel, reaffirming His commitment despite their failures. This concept finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, where His blood becomes the means by which sins are truly and completely "blotted out" from God's record. Christ's work on the cross embodies the cost implied by God's act of 'redeeming.' This verse thus serves as a foundational prophecy, foreshadowing the comprehensive redemption and complete forgiveness available through Christ, extending to all who believe. The image of the cloud could also implicitly connect to the cloud that guided Israel, representing God's presence, which here now also covers their past.

Isaiah 44 22 Commentary

Isaiah 44:22 is a profound declaration of God's unilateral grace and complete forgiveness offered to a people deserving of judgment. It is not an invitation based on what Israel might do to earn forgiveness, but on what God has already done. The metaphor of blotting out sins like a thick cloud disappearing underscores the totality and invisibility of the pardon – the past is completely obscured and made void in His sight. This forgiveness is expansive, covering both rebellious transgressions and all other moral failures. The divine call to "return unto Me" is thus rooted in an accomplished redemption, not in an anticipated human act. God, acting as the divine Kinsman-Redeemer, has already paid the price and secured the release. This provides the ultimate assurance for genuine repentance; there is no need to earn what has already been freely given and sealed by God's own action.