Isaiah 44:16-26

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 ¹makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also ²prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god."

18 They do not ³know, nor do they understand, for He has ⁴smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.

19 No one recalls * *, nor is there ⁵knowledge 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 ⁶abomination, I fall down before a block of wood!"

20 He ⁷feeds on ashes; a ⁸deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, "⁹Is there not a lie in my right hand?"

God Forgives and Redeems

21 "¹⁰Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are ¹¹My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant, O Israel, you will ¹²not be forgotten by Me.

22 "I have ¹³wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist. ¹⁴Return to Me, for I have ¹⁵redeemed you."

23 ¹⁶Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; ¹⁷Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; For ¹⁸the LORD has redeemed Jacob And in Israel He ¹⁹shows forth His glory.

24 Thus says the LORD, your ²⁰Redeemer, and the one who ²¹formed you from the womb, "I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, ²²Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all * alone *,

25 ²³Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, ²⁴Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness,

26 ²⁵Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited!' And of the ²⁶cities of Judah, '²⁷They shall be built.' And I will raise up her ruins again.

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Isaiah 44:16-26 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 27

1. Isaiah 44:15
2. 1 Kings 18:26, 28; Isaiah 45:20
3. Isaiah 1:3; Jeremiah 10:8, 14
4. Psalms 81:12; Isaiah 6:9, 10; Isaiah 29:10
5. Isaiah 5:13; Isaiah 44:18, 19; Isaiah 45:20
6. Deuteronomy 27:15; 1 Kings 11:5, 7; 2 Kings 23:13, 14
7. Psalms 102:9
8. Job 15:31; Hosea 4:12; Romans 1:21, 22; 2 Thessalonians 2:11; 2 Timothy 3:13
9. Isaiah 57:11; Isaiah 59:3, 4, 13; Romans 1:25
10. Isaiah 46:8; Zechariah 10:9
11. Isaiah 44:1, 2
12. Isaiah 49:15
13. Psalms 51:1, 9; Isaiah 43:25; Acts 3:19
14. Isaiah 31:6; Isaiah 55:7
15. Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 48:20; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Peter 1:18, 19
16. Psalms 69:34; Psalms 96:11, 12; Isaiah 42:10; Isaiah 49:13
17. Psalms 98:7, 8; Psalms 148:7, 9; Isaiah 55:12
18. Isaiah 43:1
19. Isaiah 49:3; Isaiah 61:3
20. Isaiah 41:14; Isaiah 43:14
21. Isaiah 44:2
22. Isaiah 40:22; Isaiah 42:5; Isaiah 45:12, 18; Isaiah 51:13
23. Isaiah 47:13
24. 2 Samuel 15:31; Job 5:12-14; Psalms 33:10; Isaiah 29:14; Jeremiah 51:57; 1 Corinthians 1:20, 27
25. Zechariah 1:6; Matthew 5:18
26. Isaiah 40:9
27. Jeremiah 32:15, 44

Footnotes 11

[a]. Lit "returns to his heart"
[b]. Or "shall I make?"
[c]. Or "shall I fall...?"
[d]. Or "is a companion of ashes"
[e]. Lit "his soul"
[f]. Or "cloud"
[g]. Or "who was with Me?"
[h]. Lit "signs"
[i]. Lit "He makes"
[j]. Lit "He turns"
[k]. Lit "He performs"