Isaiah 48 12

Isaiah 48:12 kjv

Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.

Isaiah 48:12 nkjv

"Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last.

Isaiah 48:12 niv

"Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last.

Isaiah 48:12 esv

"Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last.

Isaiah 48:12 nlt

"Listen to me, O family of Jacob,
Israel my chosen one!
I alone am God,
the First and the Last.

Isaiah 48 verses

Isaiah 48 12 meaning

This verse is a direct and authoritative call from God to the nation of Israel, personified as Jacob, to listen intently and acknowledge His unparalleled identity. God declares Himself as the one, eternal, and ultimate sovereign power—the beginning and end of all existence and history—asserting His unique and unchangeable divine nature to His chosen people amidst their unfaithfulness and impending deliverance.

Isaiah 48 12 Context

Isaiah 48 stands within the section of Isaiah known as Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55), addressed to the people of Israel who are in exile in Babylon. The chapter immediately preceding (Ch. 47) details the downfall of Babylon. Chapter 48 serves as a pivotal point, where God continues to challenge Israel's idolatry and spiritual blindness, yet reassures them of His unique power and unwavering plan for their deliverance. He rebukes them for their stubbornness and hard hearts (v. 4), their history of idolatry and disbelief (v. 5-8), and then calls them to "listen" and accept His prophetic word and sovereign claims before He describes their coming salvation. This verse establishes God's absolute authority and reliability as the foundation for all subsequent promises and commands. It is a direct polemic against the polytheistic environment of Babylon, where numerous gods claimed power and influence.

Isaiah 48 12 Word analysis

• "Listen to Me":
  • Hebrew: שִׁמְעוּ (Shim'u). An imperative plural, meaning "Hear ye!" or "Pay attention!"
  • Significance: This is a commanding call for immediate and obedient attention. It implies not just hearing sound, but an internal posture of heedfulness and compliance, critical given Israel's historical resistance (Isa 48:4). It signals an important, life-altering message is about to be delivered.
• "O Jacob":
  • Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב (Ya'akov). Refers to the patriarch Jacob, whose name means "supplanter."
  • Significance: Represents the historical, ancestral identity of the nation. It reminds them of their humble beginnings and God's covenant with their forefathers.
• "and Israel":
  • Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisrael). The name Jacob received after wrestling with God, meaning "struggles with God" or "God contends."
  • Significance: Emphasizes the corporate identity of the nation, God's chosen covenant people. The pairing with "Jacob" underscores both their earthly and spiritual designation, as well as their troubled history of contention with God.
• "My called":
  • Hebrew: קְרוּאִי (K'ru'iy). From the root קָרָא (qara'), meaning "to call," "to summon," "to name." The suffix "iy" denotes "My."
  • Significance: Highlights God's active choice and election of Israel. They are not chosen based on merit, but by divine initiative and grace. This status as "My called ones" carries both privilege and responsibility. It suggests a divine purpose embedded in their existence.
• "I am He":
  • Hebrew: אֲנִי־הוּא (Ani-Hu). An emphatic divine self-designation, literally "I - He" or "It is I."
  • Significance: This is a powerful affirmation of God's unique, absolute, and unchanging identity and existence. It harks back to Exodus 3:14 ("I AM WHO I AM") and emphasizes Yahweh as the truly existent one, the self-sufficient, non-contingent being. It implicitly refutes the reality of other gods.
• "I am the First":
  • Hebrew: אֲנִי רִאשׁוֹן (Ani Rishon).
  • Significance: Declares God's primordial existence and His role as the uncreated Creator. He precedes all things, having no beginning, existing before time and creation. This speaks to His eternality, absolute sovereignty, and omnipotence over origination.
• "I am also the Last":
  • Hebrew: אֲנִי אַף אַחֲרוֹן (Ani Af Acharon). "Af" (אַף) means "also" or "even."
  • Significance: Proclaims God's ultimate authority over all things, existing beyond all created limits, with no end. He is the alpha and omega, the finisher and final arbiter of history and destiny. This underscores His immutability, sovereign control over time, and His ultimate judge and fulfillment of all promises.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called": This collective address emphasizes God's personal and relational appeal to His chosen covenant people, recognizing their heritage (Jacob) and their sacred identity (Israel), urging them to pay heed to the unparalleled truth He is about to reveal about Himself, highlighting His divine authority and their designated role.
• "I am He; I am the First, I am also the Last": This powerful and repetitive declaration forms the core of God's self-revelation. "I am He" affirms His absolute, singular, and unchanging identity, setting Him apart from all creation and any other deities. The dual titles "the First" and "the Last" define His eternal sovereignty over all of existence—from creation's beginning to its ultimate end—emphasizing His boundless nature, ultimate power, and exclusive claim to deity, leaving no room for any rivals.

Isaiah 48 12 Bonus section

The titles "First" (ראשון, Rishon) and "Last" (אחרון, Acharon) are a Hebrew merism, a figure of speech where two opposite terms are used to denote totality. This powerful figure conveys the absolute totality and comprehensiveness of God's being, extending from eternity past through all of time into eternity future, encompassing everything in between. This means God is not just present at the beginning and end, but is the beginning and end; His nature defines them.

In the New Testament, particularly in Revelation, these divine titles are explicitly attributed to Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:17 ("Fear not, I am the First and the Last"), 2:8, and especially 22:13 ("I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end") clearly apply this ancient title of Yahweh to Christ. This application is a profound statement of Christ's co-eternality, co-equality, and co-divinity with the Father, identifying Him as the divine Son through whom all things were created and by whom all things are sustained and will be brought to their final culmination (Col 1:16-17). This connection highlights the unchanging nature of the one true God revealed across both testaments, now fully manifested in the person of Jesus. It implies that the One who called Israel and orchestrates history is ultimately the Christ.

Isaiah 48 12 Commentary

Isaiah 48:12 is a foundational statement of God's being, designed to reorient His people, Israel, during their exile in Babylon. The command to "Listen" (Shim'u) is urgent, setting the stage for a revelation about His essence. By addressing them as "Jacob and Israel, My called," God reminds them of their identity and special covenant relationship, despite their past unfaithfulness.

The core of the verse lies in God's threefold self-identification: "I am He; I am the First, I am also the Last." "I am He" (Ani-Hu) asserts His unique, non-contingent existence, directly challenging the multitude of false gods worshipped in Babylon. It speaks of an exclusive deity—there is no other. Following this, the declaration "I am the First, I am also the Last" encapsulates God's absolute eternality and comprehensive sovereignty over all time and history. He is without origin, the uncreated cause of all, and He is without end, the ultimate controller of all destiny. This comprehensive claim means that nothing existed before Him, nothing will exist after Him apart from His will, and everything in between is under His precise dominion. This theological statement offers comfort and certainty amidst the uncertainties of exile, affirming that the God who called them into being is the same God who will orchestrate their return and the ultimate fulfillment of His purposes, making a mockery of idols that are created and destroyed. It compels Israel to recognize His absolute singularity as the basis for their trust and obedience.

Examples:

• Practical usage for understanding trials: If God is the "First" (originator) and the "Last" (finisher) of all things, then every circumstance, including difficult ones, has its origin in His ultimate will or permission, and its ultimate resolution also rests in His hands.
• Facing choices: When facing major decisions, recognizing God as "First and Last" means His predetermined counsel and final authority should be sought above all human wisdom or fleeting desires, knowing His plan spans all time.