Isaiah 44:4-14

4 And they will spring up among the grass Like ¹poplars by streams of water.'

5 "This one will say, 'I am the LORD'S '; And that one will call on the name of Jacob; And another will ²write on his hand, 'Belonging to the LORD,' And will name Israel's name with honor.

6 "Thus says the LORD, the ³King of Israel and his ⁴Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the ⁵first and I am the last, And there is no God ⁶besides * Me.

7 'Who is like Me? ⁷Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place.

8 'Do not tremble and do not be afraid; ⁸Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And ⁹you are My witnesses. Is there any God ¹⁰besides * Me, Or is there any other ¹¹Rock? I know of none.' "

The Folly of Idolatry

9 Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be ¹²put to shame.

10 Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to ¹³no profit?

11 Behold, all his companions will be ¹⁴put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame.

12 The ¹⁵man shapes iron into a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary.

13 ¹⁶Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of ¹⁷man, so that it may sit in a ¹⁸house.

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.

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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 18

1. Leviticus 23:40; Job 40:22
2. Exodus 13:9; Nehemiah 9:38
3. Isaiah 41:21; Isaiah 43:15
4. Isaiah 41:14; Isaiah 43:1, 14
5. Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 48:12; Revelation 1:8, 17; Revelation 22:13
6. Isaiah 43:11; Isaiah 44:8; Isaiah 45:5, 6, 21
7. Isaiah 41:22, 26
8. Isaiah 42:9; Isaiah 48:5
9. Isaiah 43:10
10. Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; 1 Samuel 2:2; Isaiah 45:5; Joel 2:27
11. Isaiah 17:10; Isaiah 26:4; Isaiah 30:29
12. Psalms 97:7; Isaiah 42:17; Isaiah 44:11; Isaiah 45:16
13. Isaiah 41:29; Jeremiah 10:5; Habakkuk 2:18; Acts 19:26
14. Psalms 97:7; Isaiah 42:17; Isaiah 44:9; Isaiah 45:16
15. Isaiah 40:19, 20; Isaiah 41:6, 7; Isaiah 46:6, 7; Jeremiah 10:3-5; Habakkuk 2:18
16. Isaiah 41:7
17. Psalms 115:5-7
18. Judges 17:4, 5; Ezekiel 8:10, 11

Footnotes 11

[a]. Another reading is "like grass among the waters"
[b]. Another reading is "will be called by the name of Jacob"
[c]. Or "with"
[d]. Lit "From My establishing of"
[e]. Or "people"
[f]. Or "an idol"
[g]. Or "a graven image"
[h]. Lit "and fashions"
[i]. Lit "there is no strength"
[j]. Or "holm-oak"
[k]. Lit "makes strong"