Isaiah 48:3

3 "I ¹declared the former things long ago And they went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them. ²Suddenly I acted, and they ³came to pass.

Isaiah 48:3 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 48:3

I have declared the former things from the beginning
From the time of their first ancestors, from the time of Abraham their father, to whom was declared what should befall his posterity; that they should sojourn in Egypt, be afflicted there, and come out from thence with great substance; that they be brought into the land of Canaan, and the inhabitants of it being driven out before them, ( Genesis 15:13-18 ) . And they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them;
they were told to Abraham by word of mouth; they were shown to him in prophecy: I did them suddenly, and they came to pass;
for very quickly these things began to take place, even in Abraham's time; for his seed being a stranger in a land not theirs, and afflicted near four hundred years, must be reckoned from the birth of Isaac; and all which exactly came to pass as was foretold; not one thing which the Lord had spoken of failed; all was punctually fulfilled, ( Joshua 21:45 ) .

Isaiah 48:3 In-Context

1 "Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are named Israel And who came forth from the loins of Judah, Who swear by the name of the LORD And invoke the God of Israel, But not in truth nor in righteousness.

2 "For they call themselves after the holy city And lean on the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is His name.

3 "I declared the former things long ago And they went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.

4 "Because I know that you are obstinate, And your neck is an iron sinew And your forehead bronze,

5 Therefore I declared them to you long ago, Before they took place I proclaimed them to you, So that you would not say, 'My idol has done them, And my graven image and my molten image have commanded them.'

Cross References

• 1. Isaiah 41:22; Isaiah 42:9; Isaiah 43:9; Isaiah 44:7, 8; Isaiah 45:21; Isaiah 46:10
• 2. Isaiah 29:5; Isaiah 30:13
• 3. Joshua 21:45; Isaiah 42:9