Isaiah 45 20

Isaiah 45:20 kjv

Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.

Isaiah 45:20 nkjv

"Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save.

Isaiah 45:20 niv

"Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save.

Isaiah 45:20 esv

"Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save.

Isaiah 45:20 nlt

"Gather together and come,
you fugitives from surrounding nations.
What fools they are who carry around their wooden idols
and pray to gods that cannot save!

Isaiah 45 verses

Isaiah 45 20 Meaning

Isaiah 45:20 is a powerful summons from the sovereign God, Yahweh, to the Gentile nations, specifically the "survivors." It calls them to come forward and discern the profound spiritual blindness of their idolatrous practices. The verse exposes the inherent futility of worshiping idols fashioned from mere "wood" and then ceaselessly "praying to a god who cannot save." It stands as a stark indictment of the irrationality of relying on humanly-made objects for deliverance, directly preceding God's ultimate declaration of His sole identity as the true Savior of the world.

Isaiah 45 20 Context

Isaiah chapter 45 unfolds a magnificent declaration of God's unparalleled sovereignty and redemptive purpose. Yahweh proclaims Himself as the only God (v. 5-7), orchestrating all events, even raising up Cyrus, a pagan king, for the sake of His people Israel (v. 1-4, 13). God alone is the Creator and the Controller of history (v. 8-12, 18-19). Verse 20 comes at a crucial point in this theological argument, acting as a direct confrontation to the prevalent idolatry of the time, especially within Babylon where the exiled Israelites were situated. It prepares the ground for the resounding declaration of universal salvation found in verses 21-25. The verse calls the "survivors of the nations" — those who have escaped historical catastrophes—to reconsider their trust in powerless idols, demonstrating the intellectual and spiritual bankruptcy of such practices. This passage stands in sharp contrast to Babylonian religion, where elaborate rituals involved parading wooden cult images and fervent prayers to these mute, powerless objects.

Isaiah 45 20 Word analysis

• Assemble (הִקָּבְצוּ - hiqqavtsu): This Hebrew imperative (Ni. Imp. Pual/Niphal) means "gather yourselves," "congregate," or "be collected." It's a divine summons for a collective gathering, often for a significant address, instruction, or even a judicial hearing (e.g., Isa 41:1). It emphasizes that this is a public and official declaration from God.
• and come (וּבֹאוּ - uvo'u): A simple imperative, "and come," reinforcing the command to approach. It signifies physical movement towards the speaker, implying attentiveness and engagement.
• draw near (הִגִּשׁוּ - higgishū): An intensive imperative (Hi. Imp.), meaning "bring yourselves near," "present yourselves," or "step forward." Often used in judicial contexts where parties present their arguments (e.g., Isa 41:21). This suggests God is calling them to a disputation or an examination of their beliefs.
• together (יַחַד - yaḥad): Denotes unity, collectively, or in a body. It underscores the communal nature of this summons to the Gentile nations.
• you survivors (פְלֵיטֵי - p’leiṭe): From the root pālat (to escape, be delivered). It refers to a "remnant" or those who have been rescued or delivered from calamity. This particular audience emphasizes that even those who have experienced survival, potentially attributing it to their gods, are still being called to the true source of deliverance.
• of the nations (גּוֹיִם - goyim): Plural for "Gentiles" or "foreign peoples." This explicitly broadens the audience beyond Israel, marking a significant theme in Isaiah concerning God's universal saving plan for all humanity.
• They have no knowledge (לֹא יָדְעוּ - lo yad'u): This phrase translates to "they do not know" or "they have not understood." Yādaʿ (know) in Hebrew often implies an intimate, experiential, or discerning knowledge, not just intellectual assent. Their lack of knowledge is spiritual blindness, an inability to grasp divine truth, resulting in foolish practices (Rom 1:21-22).
• who carry about (הַנֹּשְׂאִים - hanōs'īm): A present participle, indicating a habitual or continuous action. "Those who habitually carry." It highlights the burdensome, ongoing effort and misplaced devotion required for idol worship, as worshippers literally carried images of their gods in processions (e.g., Bel and Nebo in Isa 46:1).
• their wooden idols (עֵץ פְּסִילָם - ʿēts p’silām): Lit. "wood of their carved image." ʿĒts is "wood," and pesel is a "carved image" or "idol," often made by hewing wood or stone. The explicit mention of "wood" emphasizes the material, tangible, and thus finite, man-made nature of the object, undermining its claim to divinity.
• and keep praying (וּמִתְפַּלְלִים - ūmitpallelīm): From the root pālal (to pray), in the Hithpael (reflexive) stem. It signifies repeated, persistent, or earnest prayer directed toward oneself or for oneself. Here, it underlines the misguided devotion and continuous effort expended in petitioning a powerless entity.
• to a god (אֵל - ʾēl): A generic term for a deity. In this context, it refers to any false god or idol that is worshipped, starkly contrasting with Yahweh, the one true God (ʾElōhim).
• who cannot save (לֹא יוֹשִׁיעַ - lo yoshiaʿ): Emphatic negation of the verb yāšaʿ (to save, deliver, rescue). It means "who is absolutely unable to save." This is the ultimate indictment of idols and the crucial point of contrast with Yahweh, whose name itself embodies salvation. Idols offer no deliverance from danger, suffering, or eternal judgment.

Words-Group Analysis

• "Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together": This tripartite command establishes an urgent, comprehensive, and public summons. It's a divine invitation, or perhaps even a demand, for a grand spiritual assembly, compelling the Gentile world to engage in a moment of truth and accountability before the one true God.
• "you survivors of the nations": The address targets Gentile communities who have endured warfare and displacement. This acknowledges their suffering but challenges them to understand that their continued reliance on their false gods, despite their "survival," has been born of ignorance and cannot truly deliver them.
• "They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols and keep praying to a god who cannot save": This phrase forms the core denunciation. It exposes the utter irrationality of idolatry: people labor to craft objects from inert materials (wood), physically burden themselves carrying these creations, and then devote intense, persistent prayer to them, foolishly expecting salvation from something inherently lifeless and incapable of acting. The root cause is identified as a fundamental spiritual "lack of knowledge" or discernment.

Isaiah 45 20 Bonus section

The direct address to the "survivors of the nations" might specifically allude to those gentiles who survived the devastations brought by Assyria and Babylon. They had seen their gods' temples plundered and their idols carried off (Isa 46:1-2), yet many still clung to the notion that these were divine. Yahweh is asserting His sovereignty even over the historical movements and "survival" of these nations, contrasting the ephemeral power of human idols with His enduring might. The Hebrew phrase "carry about their wooden idols" is a scathing critique of a specific cultic practice common in Babylon, where heavy cult images of deities like Bel and Nebo were paraded through the streets on festival days. This laborious procession symbolized the power of the god, but Isaiah turns it on its head, portraying it as a demonstration of the idol's helplessness and its worshippers' profound delusion. The broader literary context within Isaiah 40-55 is that of a "rib" or legal dispute. God consistently calls nations and their gods to present evidence, to declare future events, and to prove their ability to save, with the clear implication that only Yahweh can pass such a test (Isa 41:21-29). Isaiah 45:20 is an extension of this legal challenge, calling the witnesses to come and see the evidence: the utter incapability of idols.

Isaiah 45 20 Commentary

Isaiah 45:20 serves as a pivotal polemic and an urgent summons. It calls upon the "survivors of the nations"—a reference to Gentile peoples who have lived through the upheaval of history, perhaps including those affected by Babylon's conquests—to observe the absurdity of their idolatry. Yahweh challenges them to collectively approach and engage in a debate or a discerning contemplation. The core indictment is against those who expend significant effort crafting images from mere wood, physically carry these burdensome artifacts, and then fervently pray to them, oblivious to their fundamental powerlessness. The phrase "they have no knowledge" indicates a deep-seated spiritual blindness; they lack the spiritual discernment to understand the utter distinction between an inanimate object they have made and the living, omnipotent God who made them. This verse dramatically contrasts the impotence of man-made deities, which can "cannot save," with the soon-to-be-revealed and unequivocally proclaimed salvific power of Yahweh. It highlights the irrationality of relying on that which is limited by its physical material and human origin for deliverance from the greatest threats. This rhetorical confrontation lays the essential groundwork for God's majestic and universal invitation in the subsequent verses to "look to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth."

• Practical Example: Just as someone might passionately polish a replica statue and then implore it to pay their bills, oblivious that it's made of inert material and lacks any agency, so too idolaters devote themselves to powerless creations, mistakenly believing they possess saving ability.