Isaiah 48:4

4 "Because I know that you are ¹obstinate, And your ²neck is an iron sinew And your ³forehead bronze,

Isaiah 48:4 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 48:4

Because I knew that thou art obstinate
Or "hard" ^F1, hard hearted, an obdurate and rebellious people, contradicting and gainsaying: and thy neck is as an iron sinew;
stiffnecked, inflexible, not compliant with the will of God, and his commands; unwilling to admit his yoke, and bear it: and thy brow brass;
impudent, not ashamed of sin, nor blushing at it, refusing to receive correction for it, having a whore's forehead. This the Lord knew and foreknew, and therefore declared before hand what would come to pass unto them; who otherwise would have had the assurance to have ascribed them to themselves, or their idols, and not to him.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (hta hvq yk) "quod durus tu es", Pagninus, Montanus; "te durum esse", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Vitringa.

Isaiah 48:4 In-Context

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.'

6 "You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I proclaim to you new things from this time, Even hidden things which you have not known.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 32:9; Deuteronomy 31:27; Ezekiel 2:4; Ezekiel 3:7
• 2. 2 Chronicles 36:13; Proverbs 29:1; Acts 7:51
• 3. Ezekiel 3:7-9

Footnotes

• [a] Or "harsh"