Isaiah 44:14-24

14 Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow.

15 Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also ¹makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image and ²falls down before it.

16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, "Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire."

17 But the rest of it he ³makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also ⁴prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god."

18 They do not ⁵know, nor do they understand, for He has ⁶smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.

19 No one recalls * *, nor is there ⁷knowledge or understanding to say, "I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then I make the rest of it into an ⁸abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!"

20 He ⁹feeds on ashes; a ¹⁰deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, "¹¹Is there not a lie in my right hand?"

God Forgives and Redeems

21 "¹²Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are ¹³My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant, O Israel, you will ¹⁴not be forgotten by Me.

22 "I have ¹⁵wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist. ¹⁶Return to Me, for I have ¹⁷redeemed you."

23 ¹⁸Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; ¹⁹Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; For ²⁰the LORD has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He ²¹shows forth His glory.

24 Thus says the LORD, your ²²Redeemer, and the one who ²³formed you from the womb, "I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, ²⁴Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all * alone *,

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Isaiah 44:14-24 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 24

1. Isaiah 44:17
2. 2 Chronicles 25:14
3. Isaiah 44:15
4. 1 Kings 18:26, 28; Isaiah 45:20
5. Isaiah 1:3; Jeremiah 10:8, 14
6. Psalms 81:12; Isaiah 6:9, 10; Isaiah 29:10
7. Isaiah 5:13; Isaiah 44:18, 19; Isaiah 45:20
8. Deuteronomy 27:15; 1 Kings 11:5, 7; 2 Kings 23:13, 14
9. Psalms 102:9
10. Job 15:31; Hosea 4:12; Romans 1:21, 22; 2 Thessalonians 2:11; 2 Timothy 3:13
11. Isaiah 57:11; Isaiah 59:3, 4, 13; Romans 1:25
12. Isaiah 46:8; Zechariah 10:9
13. Isaiah 44:1, 2
14. Isaiah 49:15
15. Psalms 51:1, 9; Isaiah 43:25; Acts 3:19
16. Isaiah 31:6; Isaiah 55:7
17. Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 48:20; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Peter 1:18, 19
18. Psalms 69:34; Psalms 96:11, 12; Isaiah 42:10; Isaiah 49:13
19. Psalms 98:7, 8; Psalms 148:7, 9; Isaiah 55:12
20. Isaiah 43:1
21. Isaiah 49:3; Isaiah 61:3
22. Isaiah 41:14; Isaiah 43:14
23. Isaiah 44:2
24. Isaiah 40:22; Isaiah 42:5; Isaiah 45:12, 18; Isaiah 51:13

Footnotes 9

[a]. Or "holm-oak"
[b]. Lit "makes strong"
[c]. Lit "returns to his heart"
[d]. Or "shall I make?"
[e]. Or "shall I fall...?"
[f]. Or "is a companion of ashes"
[g]. Lit "his soul"
[h]. Or "cloud"
[i]. Or "who was with Me?"