Isaiah 45:7 kjv
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Isaiah 45:7 nkjv
I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.'
Isaiah 45:7 niv
I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.
Isaiah 45:7 esv
I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things.
Isaiah 45:7 nlt
I create the light and make the darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
I, the LORD, am the one who does these things.
Isaiah 45 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 1:3-4 | And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light... separated the light from the darkness. | God creates light and darkness. |
| Deut 32:39 | See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god beside Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is no one who can deliver from My hand. | God's sole power over life, death, blessing, trouble. |
| 1 Sam 2:6-8 | The LORD kills and brings to life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up... He raises the poor from the dust. | God's sovereign control over life, death, poverty, wealth. |
| Job 2:10 | Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity? | Accepting both good and trouble from God. |
| Psa 75:6-7 | For promotion comes neither from the east nor from the west... But God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another. | God's control over human destiny. |
| Psa 104:19-20 | He made the moon for seasons; the sun knows its setting. You make darkness, and it is night... | God orchestrates day and night. |
| Psa 139:11-12 | If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me..." even the darkness is not dark to You. | God's omnipresence in both light and darkness. |
| Lam 3:37-38 | Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both disaster and good proceed? | God as ultimate source of both good and disaster. |
| Prov 16:4 | The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil. | God's ultimate purpose in all things. |
| Amos 3:6 | If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a disaster occurs in a city has not the LORD done it? | God is the source of calamities. |
| Jonah 4:6 | The LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah... and appointed a worm... and appointed a scorching east wind. | God appoints all events, small or large. |
| Nah 1:3 | The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished... He has His way in whirlwind and storm. | God's power extends to natural forces and judgment. |
| Hab 3:3-5 | God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran... before Him went plague, and burning coals went forth from His feet. | God's destructive power in judgment. |
| Hag 2:8 | 'The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,' declares the LORD of hosts. | God owns and controls all material things. |
| Zech 8:14-15 | For thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Just as I determined to bring disaster on you... so I have purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem.' | God purposes both calamity and good. |
| Isa 42:16 | I will lead the blind by a way they do not know... I will turn darkness into light before them. | God's transforming power from darkness to light. |
| Isa 46:9-10 | I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me... Declaring the end from the beginning... saying, 'My purpose will be established.' | God's unique foreknowledge and purpose. |
| Rom 9:15-18 | For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy..." So then it does not depend on the man who wills or on the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. | God's sovereignty over mercy and hardening. |
| Eph 1:11 | ...having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will. | God's active working of all things according to His will. |
| Heb 1:3 | ...sustaining all things by His powerful word. | Christ sustains all creation. |
| Rev 4:11 | Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created. | God as the creator of all, by His will. |
| Jer 10:12 | It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. | God's creation of the world by His power. |
| Job 42:2 | "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." | God's omnipotence and unthwartable purpose. |
Isaiah 45 verses
Isaiah 45 7 Meaning
Isaiah 45:7 declares God's absolute and singular sovereignty over all of creation and every event that transpires within it. It asserts that Yahweh alone is the source of all things, whether perceived as good (light, peace) or as adverse circumstances (darkness, calamity). This verse firmly rejects any dualistic notions of a separate, co-equal force for evil or chaos, emphasizing that nothing exists outside of God's ultimate permission and design.
Isaiah 45 7 Context
Isaiah 45 is part of the section of Isaiah known as Deutero-Isaiah (chapters 40-55), which focuses on Israel's coming deliverance from Babylonian exile, emphasizing God's omnipotence and uniqueness. Chapters 44 and 45 specifically declare Yahweh as the one and only God, in contrast to the idols of Babylon and the gods of other nations. The prophet explicitly names Cyrus, the Persian king, as God's anointed one, used by Yahweh to fulfill His redemptive purposes, even though Cyrus does not know Yahweh. Verse 7, in particular, serves as a direct polemic against dualistic philosophies prevalent in the ancient Near East, such as those that might attribute light and darkness, or good and evil/calamity, to separate, competing divine forces (e.g., possibly Zoroastrian influences, though direct connection is debated, or simply the common polytheistic view of distinct deities for different domains). The verse categorically asserts that everything originates from or is permitted by the single, sovereign God of Israel.
Isaiah 45 7 Word analysis
- יֹוצֵר֙ (yōṣēr): "Forms" or "the Former" or "Maker." This is an active participle, emphasizing God's continuous, active role as the sculptor or potter of creation. It denotes deliberate craftsmanship and intentional design, not accidental emergence.
- אֹ֛ור (ʾōwr): "Light." In biblical thought, light often symbolizes life, knowledge, truth, joy, salvation, and divine presence (Gen 1:3; Psa 27:1; John 1:4).
- וּבֹורֵ֥א (ūḇōrēʾ): "and creates." The Hebrew verb barāʾ is primarily used for God's creation, often involving creation ex nihilo (out of nothing) or a new, distinct work (Gen 1:1). It highlights God's unique power as the ultimate originator.
- חֹ֖שֶׁךְ (ḥōšḵ): "Darkness." Symbolically, darkness can represent ignorance, sin, death, judgment, or disorder (Gen 1:2; John 3:19). However, here it is a created entity, distinct from sin, and under God's control.
- עֹשֶׂ֣ה (ʿōśeh): "Makes" or "Does." Another active participle, akin to yōṣēr, highlighting God's agency in causing things to happen or come into being.
- שָׁלֹ֑ום (šālōwm): "Peace." This is a rich Hebrew concept encompassing not just absence of conflict, but holistic well-being, completeness, prosperity, security, and harmony in every dimension of life (Num 6:26; Psa 29:11).
- וּבֹורֵ֣א (ūḇōrēʾ): "and creates." Used again, reaffirming the sovereign origination of the next element.
- רָ֑ע (rāʿ): "Evil." This is the crucial word here. While raʿ can refer to moral evil (sin), in this context, it primarily signifies "calamity," "disaster," "adversity," "trouble," or "misfortune." This interpretation is supported by numerous parallel passages (e.g., Amos 3:6; Lam 3:38), where "disaster" or "adversity" is contrasted with "good" or "peace." It signifies suffering or distress that befalls individuals or nations, not that God authors or promotes sin or wickedness. God creates/permits the circumstances of suffering or judgment, not the sinful acts that may lead to them.
Word Groups/Phrases Analysis:
- "I form light and create darkness": This antithetical parallelism emphasizes God's total control over cosmic elements. Light and darkness, often seen as opposites or independent forces, are both directly produced and governed by the one Yahweh. This directly confronts deities associated only with light or only with darkness.
- "I make peace and create calamity": This pair extends God's sovereignty from the cosmic to human affairs and circumstances. Just as God ordains times of well-being, He also orchestrates or permits adverse events, hardships, and judgments. The pairing again showcases His comprehensive reach.
Isaiah 45 7 Bonus section
This verse offers a profound theological comfort, despite its stark assertion of God's control over calamity. If God is truly sovereign over "darkness" and "calamity," then nothing happens randomly or outside His will. This understanding leads to:
- Trust in divine providence: Even in suffering, believers can trust that God has a purpose (Rom 8:28).
- Rejection of fatalism and dualism: Events are not due to blind chance or warring deities.
- The foundation for prayer: Since God orchestrates all, prayer is meaningful, acknowledging His ability to change circumstances.
- Context for understanding God's judgment: Calamities can be God's tools of justice or corrective discipline, but are never His delight in suffering itself.
Isaiah 45 7 Commentary
Isaiah 45:7 is a foundational statement of biblical monotheism and God's absolute sovereignty. It teaches that there is no independent, opposing force to God. Every aspect of existence—from the grand cosmic forces of light and darkness to the experiences of human flourishing and adversity—is either directly orchestrated by God or allowed within His sovereign decree. This does not mean God is the author of moral evil or sin, which originates from rebellious wills. Instead, the "calamity" (raʿ) refers to divinely permitted or appointed difficulties, judgments, or disasters, often as a consequence of sin or for His greater purposes, to humble, purify, or judge. The verse functions as a powerful declaration against the dualism of other ancient religions and an assurance that all outcomes, good and bad, ultimately serve God’s overarching plan, confirming that He alone is God and beside Him there is no other. It assures Israel that even their exile was part of God's design, and their deliverance would similarly be His work.