Isaiah 44:17-27

17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. ¹He prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god!"

18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand.

19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, "Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an ²abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?"

20 ³He feeds on ⁴ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, "Is there not ⁵a lie in my right hand?"

The Lord Redeems Israel

21 Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are ⁶my servant; I formed you; you are my servant; ⁷O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.

22 ⁸I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.

23 ⁹Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; shout, O ¹⁰depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, ¹¹and will be glorified^[a] in Israel.

24 Thus says the LORD, ¹²your Redeemer, ¹³who formed you from the womb: ¹⁴"I am the LORD, who made all things, ¹⁵who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,

25 who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners, ¹⁶who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish,

26 ¹⁷who confirms the word of his servant and fulfills the counsel of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited,' ¹⁸and of the cities of Judah, 'They shall be built, and I will raise up their ruins';

27 ¹⁹who says to the deep, 'Be dry; I will dry up your rivers';

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Isaiah 44:17-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 44

In this chapter the Lord comforts his people with the promise of the effusion of his Spirit, and the blessings of his grace upon them; the consequence of which would be fruitfulness in them, and the conversion of others, who should profess themselves the Lord's people, Isa 44:1-5, he proves his deity in opposition to all false gods from his eternity, omniscience, and foretelling future events, Isa 44:6-8, exposes the stupidity of idol makers and the worshippers of them, Isa 44:9-20, makes gracious promises of the remembrance of his people, the remission of their sins, and their redemption by Christ, Isa 44:21-23, of which redemption from Babylon was a type; and of that assurance is given, from the Lord's creating all things by his power; from his frustrating and infatuating diviners and wise men; from his fulfilling his predictions delivered by his prophets; and from his mentioning by name the instrument of their redemption, Cyrus, Isa 44:24-28, which makes way for a particular prophecy concerning him in the next chapter.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 19

1. [Isaiah 45:20]
2. Deuteronomy 27:15
3. Hosea 12:1
4. [Job 13:12]
5. Psalms 144:8; [Romans 1:25]
6. Isaiah 42:19; See Isaiah 42:1
7. [Isaiah 49:15]
8. Isaiah 43:25
9. Isaiah 49:13; [Isaiah 55:12; Psalms 69:34; Jeremiah 51:48]
10. Psalms 63:9; [Hosea 2:21, 22]
11. Isaiah 49:3; [Isaiah 55:5; Isaiah 60:9]
12. See Isaiah 43:14
13. See ver. 2
14. [Isaiah 42:5]
15. Isaiah 42:5; Isaiah 45:12
16. [Isaiah 19:3, 14]
17. [2 Chronicles 36:22]
18. [Jeremiah 32:15, 44]
19. Isaiah 11:15; [Isaiah 51:10]

Footnotes 1

[a]. Or will display his beauty

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.