Isaiah 44:4-14

4 They shall spring up among the grass ¹like willows by flowing streams.

5 ²This one will say, 'I am the LORD's,' another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, 'The LORD's,' and name himself by the name of Israel."

Besides Me There Is No God

6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and ³his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ⁴"I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.

7 ⁵Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.^[a] Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.

8 Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? ⁶And you are my witnesses! ⁷Is there a God besides me? There is no ⁸Rock; I know not any."

The Folly of Idolatry

9 ⁹All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame.

10 ¹⁰Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing?

11 ¹¹Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.

12 ¹²The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint.

13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. ¹³He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house.

14 ¹⁴He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it.

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Isaiah 44:4-14 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 14

1. [Psalms 1:3]
2. [Isaiah 14:1]
3. See Isaiah 43:14
4. Isaiah 48:12; Revelation 1:8; See Isaiah 41:4
5. Isaiah 41:26, 27
6. Isaiah 43:10
7. Isaiah 45:5; Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:2; Joel 2:27
8. See Isaiah 30:29
9. Isaiah 41:24, 29
10. [Isaiah 40:19, 20; Isaiah 41:6, 7; Isaiah 46:6, 7; Habakkuk 2:18]; See Jeremiah 10:3-5
11. Isaiah 45:16; Psalms 115:8; See Isaiah 42:17
12. [See ver. 10 above]
13. See Psalms 115:5-7
14. [Isaiah 40:20]

Footnotes 1

[a]. Or Who like me can proclaim it?

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