APOCALYPTIC COMMENTARY
Isaiah Institute Translation
Isaiah 48
Jehovah’s servant calls on Jacob/Israel to forsake its idols and return in a new exodus out of Babylon.
1 Hear this, O house of Jacob,you who are named Israel—though youa stem from the lineageb of Judah—who take oaths in the name of Jehovahand invoke the God of Israel,though not in truth or in righteousness,
2 who call yourselves of the holy city,upheld by the God of Israel,whose name is Jehovah of Hosts:
3 The prophecies of the events of the pastI made known long beforehand;no sooner did they issue from my mouth,than I caused them to be announced.Then, suddenly, I acted and they came about.
4 For I knew how stubborn you were—your neck was an iron sinew, your brow brazen—
5 therefore I told you them beforehand;I announced them to you before they transpired,lest you should say, My idols did it;my graven and wrought images caused it!
6 But you have heard cthe whole vision;chow is it you do not proclaim it?Yet as of now, I announce to you new things,things withheld and unknown to you,
7 things now coming into being, not hitherto,things you have not heard of before,lest you should say, Indeed I knew them!
8 You have not heard them,nor have you known them;before this your ears have not been open to them.For I knew you would turn treacherous;you were called a transgressor from the womb.
9 For my own name’s sake I have bridled my wrath;on account of my renownI have shown restraint toward youby not entirely destroying you.
10 See, I am refining you, though not as silver;I am testingd you in the crucible of affliction.
11 For my own sake, on my own account, I do it,that my namee be not dishonored,nor my glory, which I give to no other.
12 Hear me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called:I am he who was at the first,and I am he who is at the last.
13 It was my hand that founded the earth,my right hand that stretched out the heavens;when I call them, they arise at once.
14 All of you, assemble and hear:Who among youf foretold these things?It is him Jehovah loves,who shall perform his will in Babylon;his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
15 I myself have spoken it, and also called him;I have brought him, and I will prosperg his way.
16 Come near me and hear this:I have not made predictions in secret;at their coming to pass, I have been present.Now my Lord Jehovah has sent me;his Spirit is in me.h
17 Thus says Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel,your Redeemer:I Jehovah your God instruct you to your good,guiding you in the way you should go.
18 Had you but obeyed my commandments,your peace would have been as a river,your righteousness like the waves of the sea;
19 your offspring would have beenas the sands in number,your descendants as many as their grains.Their names would not have been cut offand obliterated from my presence.
20 Go forth out of Babylon, flee from Chaldea!Make this announcement with resounding voice;broadcast it to the end of the earth.Say, Jehovah has redeemed his servant Jacob.
21 They thirsted not when he led them through arid places:he caused water to flow for them from the rock;he cleaved the rock and water gushed out.
22 But there is no peace, says Jehovah,for the wicked.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
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A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
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A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
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A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
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A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
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A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, his arm of righteousness, through whom Jehovah intervenes in the earth to subdue the enemies of his repentant people in his Day of Judgment.
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A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, who exemplifies Jehovah's righteousness in a time of apostasy and who instructs Jehovah's people in the true points of his law and word.
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A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his repentant people, who announces the imperative to flee into the wilderness on the eve of Babylon's destruction.
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A pseudonym of Jehovah God of Israel, the rock of his people's salvation, who provides for those who seek refuge in him during their wilderness sojourn, as when Moses smote the rock and water gushed out.
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1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22
- a1 Hebrew they.
- b1 Literally, loins. Hebrew mimmê, from the waters, emended to mimměᶜê; compare the term in verse 19.
- c6 Hebrew ḥazēh kullāh, See all of it! emended to ḥāzût kullāh; compare 29:11.
- d10 So 1QIsaa; MT choosing.
- e11 So LXX; term not in MT.
- f14 Hebrew bāhem, among them, emended to bākem.
- g15 So LXX; MT and he shall prosper.
- h16 Compare 63:11.
Comparative Translation
Isaiah 48
Jehovah’s servant calls on Jacob/Israel to forsake its idols and return in a new exodus out of Babylon.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, his arm of righteousness, through whom Jehovah intervenes in the earth to subdue the enemies of his repentant people in his Day of Judgment.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, who exemplifies Jehovah's righteousness in a time of apostasy and who instructs Jehovah's people in the true points of his law and word.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his repentant people, who announces the imperative to flee into the wilderness on the eve of Babylon's destruction.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah God of Israel, the rock of his people's salvation, who provides for those who seek refuge in him during their wilderness sojourn, as when Moses smote the rock and water gushed out.
green
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King James Version
KJV
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Isaiah Institute Translation
IIT
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Masoretic Text
HEB
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| Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. | 1 | Hear this, O house of Jacob,you who are named Israel—though youa stem from the lineageb of Judah—who take oaths in the name of Jehovahand invoke the God of Israel,though not in truth or in righteousness, | שִׁמְעוּ־זֹאת בֵּית־יַעֲקֹב הַנִּקְרָאִים בְּשֵׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמִמֵּי יְהוּדָה יָצָאוּ הַנִּשְׁבָּעִים בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה וּבֵאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יַזְכִּירוּ לֹא בֶאֱמֶת וְלֹא בִצְדָקָה ׃ |
| For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is his name. | 2 | who call yourselves of the holy city,upheld by the God of Israel,whose name is Jehovah of Hosts: | כִּי־מֵעִיר הַקֹּדֶשׁ נִקְרָאוּ וְעַל־אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נִסְמָכוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ ׃ |
| I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. | 3 | The prophecies of the events of the pastI made known long beforehand;no sooner did they issue from my mouth,than I caused them to be announced.Then, suddenly, I acted and they came about. | הָרִאשֹׁנוֹת מֵאָז הִגַּדְתִּי וּמִפִּי יָצְאוּ וְאַשְׁמִיעֵם פִּתְאֹם עָשִׂיתִי וַתָּבֹאנָה ׃ |
| Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; | 4 | For I knew how stubborn you were—your neck was an iron sinew, your brow brazen— | מִדַּעְתִּי כִּי קָשֶׁה אָתָּה וְגִיד בַּרְזֶל עָרְפֶּךָ וּמִצְחֲךָ נְחוּשָׁה ׃ |
| I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. | 5 | therefore I told you them beforehand;I announced them to you before they transpired,lest you should say, My idols did it;my graven and wrought images caused it! | וָאַגִּיד לְךָ מֵאָז בְּטֶרֶם תָּבוֹא הִשְׁמַעְתִּיךָ פֶּן־תֹּאמַר עָצְבִּי עָשָׂם וּפִסְלִי וְנִסְכִּי צִוָּם ׃ |
| Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them. | 6 | But you have heard cthe whole vision;chow is it you do not proclaim it?Yet as of now, I announce to you new things,things withheld and unknown to you, | שָׁמַעְתָּ חֲזֵה כֻּלָּהּ וְאַתֶּם הֲלוֹא תַגִּידוּ הִשְׁמַעְתִּיךָ חֲדָשׁוֹת מֵעַתָּה וּנְצֻרוֹת וְלֹא יְדַעְתָּם ׃ |
| They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them. | 7 | things now coming into being, not hitherto,things you have not heard of before,lest you should say, Indeed I knew them! | עַתָּה נִבְרְאוּ וְלֹא מֵאָז וְלִפְנֵי־יוֹם וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתָּם פֶּן־תֹּאמַר הִנֵּה יְדַעְתִּין ׃ |
| Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb. | 8 | You have not heard them,nor have you known them;before this your ears have not been open to them.For I knew you would turn treacherous;you were called a transgressor from the womb. | גַּם לֹא־שָׁמַעְתָּ גַּם לֹא יָדַעְתָּ גַּם מֵאָז לֹא־פִתְּחָה אָזְנֶךָ כִּי יָדַעְתִּי בָּגוֹד תִּבְגּוֹד וּפֹשֵׁעַ מִבֶּטֶן קֹרָא לָךְ ׃ |
| For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. | 9 | For my own name’s sake I have bridled my wrath;on account of my renownI have shown restraint toward youby not entirely destroying you. | לְמַעַן שְׁמִי אַאֲרִיךְ אַפִּי וּתְהִלָּתִי אֶחֱטָם־לָךְ לְבִלְתִּי הַכְרִיתֶךָ ׃ |
| Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. | 10 | See, I am refining you, though not as silver;I am testingd you in the crucible of affliction. | הִנֵּה צְרַפְתִּיךָ וְלֹא בְכָסֶף בְּחַרְתִּיךָ בְּכוּר עֹנִי ׃ |
| For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another. | 11 | For my own sake, on my own account, I do it,that my namee be not dishonored,nor my glory, which I give to no other. | לְמַעֲנִי לְמַעֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה כִּי אֵיךְ יֵחָל וּכְבוֹדִי לְאַחֵר לֹא־אֶתֵּן ׃ |
| Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. | 12 | Hear me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called:I am he who was at the first,and I am he who is at the last. | שְׁמַע אֵלַי יַעֲקֹב וְיִשְׂרָאֵל מְקֹרָאִי אֲנִי־הוּא אֲנִי רִאשׁוֹן אַף אֲנִי אַחֲרוֹן ׃ |
| Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. | 13 | It was my hand that founded the earth,my right hand that stretched out the heavens;when I call them, they arise at once. | אַף־יָדִי יָסְדָה אֶרֶץ וִימִינִי טִפְּחָה שָׁמָיִם קֹרֵא אֲנִי אֲלֵיהֶם יַעַמְדוּ יַחְדָּו ׃ |
| All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The Lord hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans. | 14 | All of you, assemble and hear:Who among youf foretold these things?It is him Jehovah loves,who shall perform his will in Babylon;his arm shall be against the Chaldeans. | הִקָּבְצוּ כֻלְּכֶם וּשֲׁמָעוּ מִי בָהֶם הִגִּיד אֶת־אֵלֶּה יְהוָה אֲהֵבוֹ יַעֲשֶׂה חֶפְצוֹ בְּבָבֶל וּזְרֹעוֹ כַּשְׂדִּים ׃ |
| I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. | 15 | I myself have spoken it, and also called him;I have brought him, and I will prosperg his way. | אֲנִי אֲנִי דִּבַּרְתִּי אַף־קְרָאתִיו הֲבִיאֹתִיו וְהִצְלִיחַ דַּרְכּוֹ ׃ |
| Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me. | 16 | Come near me and hear this:I have not made predictions in secret;at their coming to pass, I have been present.Now my Lord Jehovah has sent me;his Spirit is in me.h | קִרְבוּ אֵלַי שִׁמְעוּ־זֹאת לֹא מֵרֹאשׁ בַּסֵּתֶר דִּבַּרְתִּי מֵעֵת הֱיוֹתָהּ שָׁם אָנִי וְעַתָּה אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה שְׁלָחַנִי וְרוּחוֹ ׃ |
| Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. | 17 | Thus says Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel,your Redeemer:I Jehovah your God instruct you to your good,guiding you in the way you should go. | כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה גֹּאַלְךָ קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מְלַמֶּדְךָ לְהוֹעִיל מַדְרִיכֲךָ בְּדֶרֶךְ תֵּלֵךְ ׃ |
| O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: | 18 | Had you but obeyed my commandments,your peace would have been as a river,your righteousness like the waves of the sea; | לוּא הִקְשַׁבְתָּ לְמִצְוֹתָי וַיְהִי כַנָּהָר שְׁלוֹמֶךָ וְצִדְקָתְךָ כְּגַלֵּי הַיָּם ׃ |
| Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me. | 19 | your offspring would have beenas the sands in number,your descendants as many as their grains.Their names would not have been cut offand obliterated from my presence. | וַיְהִי כַחוֹל זַרְעֶךָ וְצֶאֱצָאֵי מֵעֶיךָ כִּמְעֹתָיו לֹא־יִכָּרֵת וְלֹא־יִשָּׁמֵד שְׁמוֹ מִלְּפָנָי ׃ |
| Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob. | 20 | Go forth out of Babylon, flee from Chaldea!Make this announcement with resounding voice;broadcast it to the end of the earth.Say, Jehovah has redeemed his servant Jacob. | צְאוּ מִבָּבֶל בִּרְחוּ מִכַּשְׂדִּים בְּקוֹל רִנָּה הַגִּידוּ הַשְׁמִיעוּ זֹאת הוֹצִיאוּהָ עַד־קְצֵה הָאָרֶץ אִמְרוּ גָּאַל יְהוָה עַבְדּוֹ יַעֲקֹב ׃ |
| And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out. | 21 | They thirsted not when he led them through arid places:he caused water to flow for them from the rock;he cleaved the rock and water gushed out. | וְלֹא צָמְאוּ בָּחֳרָבוֹת הוֹלִיכָם מַיִם מִצּוּר הִזִּיל לָמוֹ וַיִּבְקַע־צוּר וַיָּזֻבוּ מָיִם ׃ |
| There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked. | 22 | But there is no peace, says Jehovah,for the wicked. | אֵין שָׁלוֹם אָמַר יְהוָה לָרְשָׁעִים ׃ |
- a1 Hebrew they.
- b1 Literally, loins. Hebrew mimmê, from the waters, emended to mimměᶜê; compare the term in verse 19.
- c6 Hebrew ḥazēh kullāh, See all of it! emended to ḥāzût kullāh; compare 29:11.
- d10 So 1QIsaa; MT choosing.
- e11 So LXX; term not in MT.
- f14 Hebrew bāhem, among them, emended to bākem.
- g15 So LXX; MT and he shall prosper.
- h16 Compare 63:11.
Interactive Concordance
Isaiah 48
Jehovah’s servant calls on Jacob/Israel to forsake its idols and return in a new exodus out of Babylon.
1 Hear this, O house of Jacob,you who are named Israel—though youa stem from the lineageb of Judah—who take oaths in the name of Jehovahand invoke the God of Israel,though not in truth or in righteousness,
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
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2 who call yourselves of the holy city,upheld by the God of Israel,whose name is Jehovah of Hosts:
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
3 The prophecies of the events of the pastI made known long beforehand;no sooner did they issue from my mouth,than I caused them to be announced.Then, suddenly, I acted and they came about.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
4 For I knew how stubborn you were—your neck was an iron sinew, your brow brazen—
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
5 therefore I told you them beforehand;I announced them to you before they transpired,lest you should say, My idols did it;my graven and wrought images caused it!
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
6 But you have heard cthe whole vision;chow is it you do not proclaim it?Yet as of now, I announce to you new things,things withheld and unknown to you,
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
7 things now coming into being, not hitherto,things you have not heard of before,lest you should say, Indeed I knew them!
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
8 You have not heard them,nor have you known them;before this your ears have not been open to them.For I knew you would turn treacherous;you were called a transgressor from the womb.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
9 For my own name’s sake I have bridled my wrath;on account of my renownI have shown restraint toward youby not entirely destroying you.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
10 See, I am refining you, though not as silver;I am testingd you in the crucible of affliction.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
11 For my own sake, on my own account, I do it,that my namee be not dishonored,nor my glory, which I give to no other.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
12 Hear me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called:I am he who was at the first,and I am he who is at the last.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
13 It was my hand that founded the earth,my right hand that stretched out the heavens;when I call them, they arise at once.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
14 All of you, assemble and hear:Who among youf foretold these things?It is him Jehovah loves,who shall perform his will in Babylon;his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, his arm of righteousness, through whom Jehovah intervenes in the earth to subdue the enemies of his repentant people in his Day of Judgment.
blue
15 I myself have spoken it, and also called him;I have brought him, and I will prosperg his way.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, his arm of righteousness, through whom Jehovah intervenes in the earth to subdue the enemies of his repentant people in his Day of Judgment.
blue
16 Come near me and hear this:I have not made predictions in secret;at their coming to pass, I have been present.Now my Lord Jehovah has sent me;his Spirit is in me.h
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, his arm of righteousness, through whom Jehovah intervenes in the earth to subdue the enemies of his repentant people in his Day of Judgment.
blue
17 Thus says Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel,your Redeemer:I Jehovah your God instruct you to your good,guiding you in the way you should go.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, his arm of righteousness, through whom Jehovah intervenes in the earth to subdue the enemies of his repentant people in his Day of Judgment.
blue
18 Had you but obeyed my commandments,your peace would have been as a river,your righteousness like the waves of the sea;
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, his arm of righteousness, through whom Jehovah intervenes in the earth to subdue the enemies of his repentant people in his Day of Judgment.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, who exemplifies Jehovah's righteousness in a time of apostasy and who instructs Jehovah's people in the true points of his law and word.
blue
19 your offspring would have beenas the sands in number,your descendants as many as their grains.Their names would not have been cut offand obliterated from my presence.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, his arm of righteousness, through whom Jehovah intervenes in the earth to subdue the enemies of his repentant people in his Day of Judgment.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, who exemplifies Jehovah's righteousness in a time of apostasy and who instructs Jehovah's people in the true points of his law and word.
blue
20 Go forth out of Babylon, flee from Chaldea!Make this announcement with resounding voice;broadcast it to the end of the earth.Say, Jehovah has redeemed his servant Jacob.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, his arm of righteousness, through whom Jehovah intervenes in the earth to subdue the enemies of his repentant people in his Day of Judgment.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, who exemplifies Jehovah's righteousness in a time of apostasy and who instructs Jehovah's people in the true points of his law and word.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his repentant people, who announces the imperative to flee into the wilderness on the eve of Babylon's destruction.
blue
21 They thirsted not when he led them through arid places:he caused water to flow for them from the rock;he cleaved the rock and water gushed out.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, his arm of righteousness, through whom Jehovah intervenes in the earth to subdue the enemies of his repentant people in his Day of Judgment.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, who exemplifies Jehovah's righteousness in a time of apostasy and who instructs Jehovah's people in the true points of his law and word.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his repentant people, who announces the imperative to flee into the wilderness on the eve of Babylon's destruction.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah God of Israel, the rock of his people's salvation, who provides for those who seek refuge in him during their wilderness sojourn, as when Moses smote the rock and water gushed out.
green
22 But there is no peace, says Jehovah,for the wicked.
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, whose righteousness contrasts his people's self-righteousness at the time Jehovah appoints him to instruct them in the ordinances of his covenant.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's mouth or mouthpiece to his people, who prophesies the future and receives divine revelation to guide them through a time of wickedness.
blue
A pseudonym of the end-time king of Assyria/Babylon, who personifies Jehovah's wrath toward the wicked of his people and the nations when Jehovah comes out in judgment against them.
red
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's servant, his hand of deliverance, who assisted in the creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning and whom Jehovah empowers to restore his people in the end.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, his arm of righteousness, through whom Jehovah intervenes in the earth to subdue the enemies of his repentant people in his Day of Judgment.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, who exemplifies Jehovah's righteousness in a time of apostasy and who instructs Jehovah's people in the true points of his law and word.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah's end-time servant, Jehovah's voice to his repentant people, who announces the imperative to flee into the wilderness on the eve of Babylon's destruction.
blue
A pseudonym of Jehovah God of Israel, the rock of his people's salvation, who provides for those who seek refuge in him during their wilderness sojourn, as when Moses smote the rock and water gushed out.
green
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Apocalyptic Commentary
Isaiah 48
Like the ancient Jacob/Israel category of Jehovah’s people, its end-time counterpart acts presumptuously. Its religion consists of going through the motions of worship but “not in truth or in righteousness”—not by Jehovah’s standard of righteousness as exemplified by his servant (Isaiah 41:2; 46:11-13). Its sins include improperly “taking oaths” or covenanting in the name of Jehovah and inappropriately “invoking” or referring to him. Yet they assume they are upheld by the God of Israel whose heavenly “hosts” are holy (Isaiah 40:26) even as their hypocrisy renders them and their “city” unholy.
Typical of Jehovah’s dealings with his people is his foretelling events before they occur. Where such prophecy is lacking (Isaiah 29:9-10; 41:22-24, 26), his Spirit has withdrawn because of wickedness. At that point people are prone to take matters into their own hands instead of turning to Jehovah (Isaiah 9:9-10; 17:8-11). Where ancient prophecies came to pass, it was a sign they were of God, not of man. Where prophecies apply to both the past and the end-time, as do Isaiah’s, their future fulfillment is assured based on past results. Jehovah’s servant—his mouth—conforms to that divine pattern.
The “whole vision” or “vision of everything” (hazut kullah) refers to the vision of the end from the beginning Isaiah received at his second prophetic commission (Isaiah 40:1-6; 46:10). That vision, Isaiah embedded in his book as a message for the end-time (Isaiah 30:8). At fault are Jehovah’s end-time people for not proclaiming or even understanding it (Isaiah 29:11): “Have I not made it known to you from of old? Did I not foretell it, you being my witnesses?” (Isaiah 44:8). Their failing to serve as Jehovah’s witnesses places them among the blind and deaf (Isaiah 29:18; 42:18-20; 43:10, 12; 44:7-8).
The “new things” Jehovah predicts through his end-time servant (Isaiah 41:27; 42:9; 52:15) establish proof of Jehovah’s divinity and of the legitimacy of his servant at the time the world observes them coming to pass (vv 14-16; Isaiah 43:9-12; 44:26-28; 46:8-11). As Jehovah withholds knowledge that might condemn his people should they not live up to it, so “a day of small things” has prevailed until now (cf. Zechariah 4:10). Typifying the end-time, on the other hand, is Jehovah’s performing “wonders”—earthshaking deeds that are acknowledged throughout the earth (Isaiah 12:4-5; 25:1; 29:14).
The “new things” Jehovah does, however, pose a hazard to persons unfamiliar with the old. When his people assume that his former works no longer relate to today, they stand to reject the new works Jehovah does as well (Isaiah 28:14-22; 45:9-11; 50:8-11; 66:4-9). Only persons who know his dealings in the past will thus likely comprehend his dealings in the future. As all of Jehovah’s acts follow the patterns of the past, the new things he performs resemble the old with the exception that all now happens on a world scale and that new things may consist of composite replays of former things.
As Jehovah’s Day of Judgment entails both deliverance and destruction, what is it that determines who lives and who dies? The answer is that Jehovah is bound by the terms of the covenants he has made. With Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for example, he covenanted that he would preserve their lineage on the earth—not all, but at least a remnant (Genesis 22:17-18; 26:4; 28:14; Exodus 2:24). With David and others he covenanted the same (Psalm 89:3-4; Jeremiah 33:17-22). Hence the expressions “for my own sake” and “on my own account” as Jehovah honors his covenants (Isaiah 37:35; 43:25).
Under the terms of the Davidic Covenant, Jehovah additionally delivers his people for the sake of his end-time servants: “As when there is juice in a cluster of grapes and someone says, ‘Don’t destroy it, it is still good,’ so I will do for the sake of my servants by not destroying everything: I will extract offspring out of Jacob, and out of Judah heirs of my mountains; my chosen ones shall inherit them, servants shall dwell there” (Isaiah 65:8-9; emphasis added; cf. 63:17). Jehovah’s delivering Hezekiah’s people “for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David” is a case in point (Isaiah 37:35).
A third covenant under whose terms Jehovah saves his people is the Sinai Covenant. It stipulates that if his people prove loyal as a nation, then Jehovah is bound to preserve them (Exodus 23:20-33; Leviticus 26:1-13; Numbers 14:41-45). Jehovah’s bridling his wrath or anger, therefore—his constraining the king of Assyria/Babylon from destroying all his people—serves a dual purpose: (1) it fulfills Jehovah’s covenants with his righteous people and with elect individuals; and (2) it preserves alive a remnant of his people that repents as a result of passing through the archtyrant’s refiner’s fire.
Before testifying of his servant (vv 14-15), Jehovah again speaks of himself as creator of the heavens and the earth, this time with the added implication that his servant—his hand and right hand—assisted in their creation (Isaiah 45:12). The God who was “at the first,” moreover—at the creation of the heavens and the earth—will also be “at the last” (Isaiah 41:4), suggesting that with the coming of his servant the world’s end-time scenario begins. Jehovah’s “calling” the heavenly host signifies their divine enthronement (Isaiah 40:26), fulfilling his promise to Abraham of a celestial posterity (Genesis 22:17).
Although the Jacob/Israel category of Jehovah’s people doesn’t anticipate the coming of the king of Assyria/Babylon or Jehovah’s servant, all becomes evident when the servant appears. In case of doubt, the God who created the heavens and the earth (v 13) has “spoken it,” “called him,” “brought him,” “loves” him, and “prospers his way” (Isaiah 41:2; 42:6; 45:3-4; 46:11, 13; 49:1; 55:3-4). As Jehovah’s arm, the servant intervenes in Greater Babylon to lead Jehovah’s elect out of all nations, setting in motion their end-time restoration (Isaiah 40:10-11; 51:5, 9-11; 52:7-12; 59:16; 62:8-12; 63:11-12).
After Jehovah introduces him (vv 14-15), the servant speaks. As Jehovah testifies of him, so he testifies of Jehovah. Instead of turning people away as the archtyrant does, he invites them to hear him. Unlike the blind and deaf prophets of Jehovah’s people (Isaiah 41:21-24, Isaiah 41:21-24, 26; 56:10; 56:10), he predicts the future; and what he predicts comes to pass. As the servant’s covenant Lord or emperor under the terms of the Davidic Covenant, Jehovah has “sent” him (selahani), a term signifying apostleship, and his “Spirit” is in him—word links confirming him as Jehovah’s servant (Isaiah 11:2; 19:20; 42:1; 61:1).
Whether through his servant or through his holy Spirit, Jehovah instructs or teaches his people (Isaiah 30:21; 50:10; 59:21), guiding them in the way they should go. As there are essentially two ways—one good and one evil (Isaiah 1:16-17; 7:15-16; 65:2)—his people should choose the good and enjoy the blessings of his covenant. If not, covenant curses accrue. Jehovah’s titles—“Holy One of Israel,” “your Redeemer,” and “your God”—convey the idea of his unchanging fidelity that is grounded in his divine benevolence, inviting his errant people to return to a covenant relationship with him.
Keeping Jehovah’s commandments—the law of his covenant—defines righteousness by Jehovah’s standard (Isaiah 42:21; 51:4-5, 7) and begets peace (Isaiah 26:2-3; 57:2). Righteousness, moreover—as a spiritual attribute and as Jehovah’s servant personifies it (Isaiah 26:7-10; 41:2)—begets salvation (Isaiah 46:12-13; 56:1), which is itself synonymous with peace (Isaiah 26:1, 3; 52:7). Peace, in turn, implies an absence of the power of chaos Sea and River, which the archtyrant personifies (Isaiah 5:30; 8:7-8) but which Jehovah subdues when his people keep the terms of his covenant (Isaiah 60:5; 66:12).
As Abraham exemplified righteousness (Genesis 15:6), and as Jehovah promised him offspring as many as the sands of the sea (Genesis 22:17), so he promises the same to those whose righteousness compares with Abraham’s. The alternative to covenant blessings, however, are covenant curses. Instead of receiving “an everlasting name that shall not be cut off” (Isaiah 56:5; cf. 62:2; 66:22), the names of Jehovah’s unrepentant people and their offspring are “cut off”—that is, excluded from his covenant people and included in the Greater Babylon category that is damned (Isaiah 14:22; 63:19; 65:15).
To find peace, Jehovah’s people must exit Greater Babylon—the world at large (Isaiah 13:1, 9, 11, 19)—in a new exodus to Zion from the four directions of the earth (Isaiah 11:11-12, 15-16; 43:6-8). Jehovah’s servant or voice and Zion’s watchmen announce it (Isaiah 52:7-12). As Jehovah provided water for his people when Moses smote the rock at Israel’s former wandering in the wilderness (Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:7-11), so he provides water when that event repeats itself (Isaiah 41:17-18; 43:20; 49:9-12). Jehovah—his people’s rock—is their source of living water (Isaiah 12:2-3; 26:4).
He who begets peace is Jehovah: “O Jehovah, you bring about our peace” (Isaiah 26:12); “I occasion peace and cause calamity” (Isaiah 45:7; cf. 53:5; 66:12). While “they who walk uprightly shall attain peace and rest in their beds” (Isaiah 57:2), transgressors know no peace: “The wicked are like the raging Sea, unable to rest, whose waters heave up mire and mud. ‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked’” (Isaiah 57:20-21); “They are unacquainted with the way of perfection; integrity is not within their bounds. They have made crooked their paths; none who treads them knows peace” (Isaiah 59:8).