Isaiah 48 5

Isaiah 48:5 kjv

I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.

Isaiah 48:5 nkjv

Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest you should say, 'My idol has done them, And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded them.'

Isaiah 48:5 niv

Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, 'My images brought them about; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'

Isaiah 48:5 esv

I declared them to you from of old, before they came to pass I announced them to you, lest you should say, 'My idol did them, my carved image and my metal image commanded them.'

Isaiah 48:5 nlt

That is why I told you what would happen;
I told you beforehand what I was going to do.
Then you could never say, 'My idols did it.
My wooden image and metal god commanded it to happen!'

Isaiah 48 verses

Isaiah 48 5 meaning

Isaiah 48:5 unequivocally states God's divine foreknowledge and His deliberate act of revealing future events to His people. This revelation served a singular purpose: to prevent Israel from attributing their historical experiences, especially those of divine intervention, to their impotent idols and carved images. It underscores God's exclusive power to both predict and enact historical events, thereby asserting His unparalleled deity over all false gods and human constructs.

Isaiah 48 5 Context

Isaiah chapter 48 forms a significant part of the "Book of Comfort" (Isaiah 40-55), addressed primarily to the exiles in Babylon. In this chapter, God continues His impassioned appeal to the "house of Jacob," criticizing their stubborn rebellion, hard hearts, and persistent idolatry, even while promising eventual deliverance and restoration. The broader context of the chapter is God's challenge to Israel, contrasting His absolute sovereignty, perfect foreknowledge, and power to deliver, with their history of unfaithfulness and the utter impotence of their idols. Verse 5 specifically refers back to God's past prophecies regarding the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles and subsequent events, explicitly designed to establish His exclusive deity and prophetic authority before these historical events unfolded. It sets the stage for the coming deliverance from Babylon, ensuring that when it occurs, it will be attributed solely to the Lord, thereby preventing any ascription of credit to the pagan gods worshipped in Babylon or their own past idols.

Isaiah 48 5 Word analysis

• Therefore (לָכֵן - lākēn): This conjunctive adverb signifies a logical consequence, linking to previous verses (Isa 48:1-4) where God critiques Israel's stubbornness and faithlessness despite their nominal claim of being of the holy city. It introduces the reason for God's prior prophetic declarations.

• I told you (הִגַּדְתִּיךְ - higgadtīḵ): This is the Hiphil perfect form of the verb נגד (nagad), meaning "to declare, make known, report." The Hiphil stem indicates that God actively caused Israel to know or understand, implying clear and explicit communication of these truths. It emphasizes His direct and deliberate instruction.

• these things (אֲזַי) long ago (מֵאָז - mēʾāz): מֵאָז translates to "from then, long ago, in former times," indicating a distant point in the past. It highlights the temporal priority of God's prophecy over the events themselves, asserting a clear timeframe of revelation preceding occurrence.

• before (בְּטֶרֶם - bəṭerem): A crucial temporal marker meaning "before." This word specifically underscores the pre-event nature of the prophecies, making the distinction between God's foretelling and human prediction or after-the-fact interpretation stark.

• they happened (תָבוֹא - tāḇōʾ): Qal imperfect of בוא (bôʾ), "to come, arrive, happen." The imperfect tense here indicates actions or events that would unfold in the future, thus explicitly identifying the prophecies as future-oriented.

• I announced them (הִשְׁמַעְתִּיךָ - hišmaʿtīḵā): Hiphil perfect of שמע (šāmaʿ), meaning "to hear, listen." The Hiphil here means "to cause to hear, to make known, announce explicitly." It strengthens the idea of deliberate, clear communication from God to His people.

• to you (אֵלֶיךָ - ʾēlāḵā): Reinforces that the message was directed specifically to Israel.

• so that (פֶּן - pen): A particle indicating negative purpose, "lest, in order that not." It reveals God's specific preventative aim in giving these prophecies—to block a particular mistaken conclusion.

• you could not say (תֹאמַר - tōʾmar): Qal imperfect of אמר (ʾāmar), "to say, declare." The negative purpose, combined with the imperfect, means "you would not be able to say," directly addressing Israel's potential and sinful tendency.

• 'My idols (עָצְבִּי - ʿāṣbî) did them (עָשָׂם - ʿāśām):

  • עָצְבִּי (ʿāṣbî): From עצב (ʿāṣaḇ), referring to carved images, idols, or statues that cause pain/sorrow or are created with much labor. It speaks to human effort and the resultant worthlessness.
  • עָשָׂם (ʿāśām): Qal perfect of עשׂה (ʿāśâ), "to make, do, perform." This means "my idols performed these acts," falsely attributing divine action to inert objects.

• my carved images (פִּסְלִי - pislî) and my metal gods (וּמַסֵּכָתִ֛י - ūmassēḵātî) commanded them (צִוָּם - ṣiwwām):

  • פִּסְלִי (pislî): From פסל (pāsal), a term for idols that are specifically carved, hewn, or sculptured from wood or stone. It's a precise category of idol.
  • וּמַסֵּכָתִ֛י (ūmassēḵātî): From נסך (nāsaḵ), "to pour, cast," referring to molten images or metal statues. This adds another category of idol-worship.
  • צִוָּם (ṣiwwām): Piel perfect of צוה (ṣāwâ), "to command, order, charge." The Piel stem emphasizes a strong, decisive command. By falsely attributing "commanding" to idols, Israel would ascribe to them divine authority and executive power.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you": This phrase highlights God's unique attribute of comprehensive foreknowledge, preceding actual events. It's a deliberate act of divine pedagogy, revealing His future actions to build faith and eliminate alternative explanations. This serves as an irrefutable argument for His sole deity, distinguishing Him from all other supposed gods.
  • "so that you could not say, 'My idols did them; my carved images and my metal gods commanded them.'": This part directly confronts Israel's pervasive idolatry. The meticulous distinction between "did them" (עָשָׂם - actions) and "commanded them" (צִוָּם - authority/volition) exposes the absurdity of crediting lifeless objects with either the power to act or the intelligence to command. This is a direct polemic against the polytheistic beliefs of their surrounding nations and their own backslidden tendencies, where events might be attributed to the whims of various deities.

Isaiah 48 5 Bonus section

• Polemics against Pagan Divination: The explicit statement of God's foreknowledge, distinct from all other gods, is a strong polemic against the divination practices prevalent in Mesopotamia (where Israel was exiled) and other ancient Near Eastern cultures. These practices relied on omens, astral observations, or ecstatic utterances of diviners, never demonstrating a true or reliable foretelling of complex future events with purpose, unlike the Lord's consistent and purposeful prophecies.
• God's Sovereignty and Responsibility: This verse, while asserting God's absolute sovereignty and knowledge, does not negate human responsibility. The purpose of His foretelling is to prevent a specific misattribution of responsibility for events, holding Israel accountable for who they choose to believe and worship. It underscores that God acts in history to achieve His purposes, but also allows for human freedom of response.
• The Fulfillment in Christ: The principle of God's perfect foreknowledge leading to irrefutable fulfillment finds its ultimate expression in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah, spoken centuries in advance (Isa 7:14, 9:6-7, 53, Mic 5:2, Ps 22, Zech 9:9, 12:10), were meticulously fulfilled in His life, death, and resurrection, demonstrating God's consistent purpose throughout salvation history, which no idol or human agent could ever replicate.

Isaiah 48 5 Commentary

Isaiah 48:5 encapsulates a foundational truth of biblical theology: God's singular prophetic ability is intrinsic to His nature as the only true God. By deliberately revealing future events long before their occurrence, God preempts any attempts by His people to attribute the unfolding of history, especially their deliverance or other significant interventions, to pagan deities. This foresight serves not only as proof of His divine power but also as a pedagogical tool, intending to discipline Israel's heart towards exclusive worship and trust in Him alone. It reveals God's patient yet firm resolve to demonstrate His sovereignty over all aspects of creation and history, discrediting the impotent and man-made idols they so readily embraced. It’s a challenge to their idolatrous thinking and a call to return to an understanding of His unique omnipotence and omnicompetence.