Isaiah 46:9

Context

Isaiah 40–55 contains a message of comfort and restoration addressed to Israel during the Babylonian exile. Chapter 46 opens with a scene in which Bel and Nebo, the gods of Babylon, are loaded onto the backs of beasts and carried away (vv. 1–2). The passage then draws a contrast: unlike idols, which must be carried about by people, God has borne and carried Israel from birth to old age (vv. 3–4). Verses 5–7 satirize the practice of fashioning an image out of gold and worshiping it.

Verse 9 brings this contrast to its conclusion. God commands "the house of Jacob" and the "transgressors" (vv. 3, 8) to "remember the former things of old." Verse 10, which follows immediately, describes God as the one "declaring the end from the beginning," and verse 11 speaks of a "ravenous bird" whom he will call from the east. This bird of prey is commonly understood to be the Persian king Cyrus.

Interpretation

• As a confession of monotheism: Most denominations read this verse, together with Isaiah 43:10–11, as a declaration that God alone is the true God. The Hebrew text uses El for the first "God" and Elohim for the second, repeating the same confession twice.
• As grounded in history and prophecy: In this reading, "the former things of old" refers to past acts of deliverance such as the Exodus, or to prophecies that have already been fulfilled. Isaiah 40–48 repeatedly challenges idols to foretell the future. Many commentators understand this verse within that same line of thought, as an argument that the true God is the one who declares history in advance and brings it to pass.
• As a basis for providence and sovereignty: In the Reformed tradition, verses 9–10 are frequently cited together as a basis for the teaching that God ordains and accomplishes the beginning and the end of history.

Questions of Application

• Relation to the Trinity: Some groups that reject the doctrine of the Trinity, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, have appealed to the phrase "there is none else" to deny the deity of Jesus. Major denominations hold that the verse denies the existence of other gods, not the three persons within the one God. They also point out that the New Testament applies the monotheistic confession of Isaiah to Jesus (Philippians 2:9–11).
• God's knowledge of the future: When this verse is read together with verse 10, theologians differ over whether it speaks of God's exhaustive foreknowledge or of his resolve to accomplish a particular plan without fail.
• "Remember" and "Remember Ye Not": Isaiah 43:16–21 says, "Remember ye not the former things" (Isaiah 43:18). The relationship between the two passages is commonly explained as follows: chapter 46 calls the people to rely on God's past faithfulness, while chapter 43 emphasizes that the new thing to come will be greater still.

Related Passages

• Isaiah 43:10–11
• Isaiah 43:16–21
• Deuteronomy 5:6–10
• 1 Corinthians 8:4–6
• Philippians 2:9–11