Isaiah 45:14
in Isaiah 45This is what the LORD says: “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, along with the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you; they will come over in chains and bow down to you. They will confess to you: ‘God is indeed with you, and there is no other; there is no other God.’”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thus saith Jehovah, The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall go after thee, in chains they shall come over; and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.
KJV
Thus saith the Lord, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.
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This verse in Isaiah 45
Commentary
12 notes on this verse(Verse 14 onwards) Thus says the Lord: The labor of Egypt and the trade of Ethiopia and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours; they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will plead with you, saying: Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides you. Truly you are a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior. All of them are put to shame and are confounded; the makers of idols go in confusion together.
This site's exposition
The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans
on Isaiah 45:14-15
The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans pictures nations submitting to Israel in language the older writers read partly of history and partly forward to the nations bringing their glory into the city of chapters 60 and 66. Surely God is in thee; and there is none else has the nations themselves confessing the trial's verdict, the very words the chapter has put in the Lord's own mouth now spoken by former strangers. Verse 15 answers with a confession of its own, thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour, naming the same hiddenness that made a whole trial necessary in the first place.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
[The Septuagint reads], "You are God, and we knew it not." The words "we knew it not," spoken in the person of those of old who did not know him, occur only in the Septuagint. The Hebrew is different and is rendered by Aquila, "God then is strong and hidden, God that saves Israel," and by Theodotion, "Therefore a strong secret God preserves Israel."
But consider this also in relation to the homoousion [that the Son is of the same essence as the Father], how the Spirit says to Isaiah, "God is in you, and there is no God outside of you."
Would you receive yet a third testimony to Christ's godhead? Hear Isaiah saying, "Egypt has labored, and the merchandise of Ethiopia," and soon after, "In you shall they make supplication, because God is in you, and there is no God except you. For you are God, and we knew it not, the God of Israel, the Savior." You see that the Son is God, having in himself God the Father, saying almost the very same which he has said in the Gospels. … And again he has not said, "I and the Father am one" but "I and the Father are one," that we should neither separate them nor make a confusion of Son-Father.
The Medieval Church1 voice
865. Third, where it says, thus says the Lord, he promises the exaltation of the liberated as to three things. First, as to the adherence of foreigners, setting out their adherence: the labor of Egypt, their riches, and they themselves, as to the many who …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
A challenge given to the worshippers of idols and their doom read, and satisfaction given to the worshippers of the true God and their comfort secured, with an eye to the Mediator, who is made of God to us both righteousness and sanctification,
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
But this promise was to have its full accomplishment in the gospel church,--when the Gentiles shall become obedient by word and deed to the faith of Christ ( Rom. xv.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Thus saith the Lord,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The labor of Egypt “The wealth of Egypt” - This seems to relate to the future admission of the Gentiles into the Church of God. Compare Psa 68:32; Psa 72:10; Psa 60:6-9. And perhaps these particular nations may be named, by a metonymy common in all poetry, for powerful and wealthy nations in general. See note on Isa 60:
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
"The saints shall judge the world" (1Co 6:2) and "rule the nations with a rod of iron" (Zec 14:12-19; The "chains," in the case of the obedient, shall be the easy yoke of Messiah; as "the sword of the Spirit" also is saving to the believer, condemnatory to the unbeliever (Joh 12:48; God is in thee-- (Jer 3:19).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Thus saith the Lord - This verse is designed to denote the favors which in subsequent times would be conferred on Jerusalem, the city which Isa 45:13 was to be rebuilt. It bas reference, according to Lowth, to the conversion of the Gentiles, and their admission into the church of God. Grotius, however, understands it as addressed to Cyrus, and as meaning that, because he had released the Jews without reward, therefore God would give him the wealth of Egypt, Ethiopia, Sabaea, and that those nations should be subject to him. But in this opinion probably he stands alone, and the objections to it are so obvious that they need not be specified. Some of the Jewish interpreters suppose that it refers to the same events as those recorded in Isa 43:3, and that it relates to the fact that God had formerly given those nations for the deliverance and protection of his people. They suppose that particular reference is had to the slaughter and destruction of the army of Sennacherib. Vitringa regards it as referring to the fact that proselytes should be made from all these nations to the true religion, and finds, as he supposes, a fulfillment of it in the times of the Saviour and the apostles. In regard to the true meaning of the passage; we may observe: 1. That it refers to the times that would succeed their return from their exile; and not to events that were then past. This is apparent on the face of the passage. 2. It relates to Jerusalem, or to the people of God, and not to Cyrus. This is evident, because it was not true that these nations became subject to Cyrus after his taking Babylon, for it was not Cyrus, but his son Cambyses that invaded and subdued Egypt, and because the whole phraseology has reference to a conversion to religion, and not to the subjection involved in the conquests of war. 3. […]
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
The toil of Egypt etc. I have informed how I will save My children from the hand of Babylon, for I have aroused Cyrus for that purpose with My righteousness. I further inform you of the salvation from Sennacherib that will take place in the days of Hezekiah.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
29 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כֹּ֣ה׀ | koh | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| אָמַ֣ר | ʾamar | he says | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| יְגִ֨יעַ | yegia' | [the] produce of | H3018 → | |
| מִצְרַ֥יִם | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| וּֽסְחַר־ | usechar- | and [the] traffic of | H5504 → | 7 times |
| כּוּשׁ֮ | kush | Cush | H3568 → | 29 times |
| וּסְבָאִים֮ | usevaim | and [the] Sabeans | H5436 → | |
| אַנְשֵׁ֣י | ʾanshei | people of | H582 → | 566 times |
| מִדָּה֒ | midah | stature | H4060 → | |
| עָלַ֤יִךְ | ʾalayikh | to you | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יַעֲבֹ֙רוּ֙ | yaavoru | they will pass over | H5674 → | 556 times |
| וְלָ֣ךְ | velakh | and to you | ||
| יִֽהְי֔וּ | yihyu | they will belong | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| אַחֲרַ֣יִךְ | ʾacharayikh | behind you | H310 → | 715 times |
| יֵלֵ֔כוּ | yelekhu | they will walk | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| בַּזִּקִּ֖ים | bazikim | in <the> fetters | H2131 → | 7 times |
| יַעֲבֹ֑רוּ | yaavoru | they will pass over | H5674 → | 556 times |
| וְאֵלַ֤יִךְ | veelayikh | and to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יִֽשְׁתַּחֲוּוּ֙ | yishtachavu | they will bow down | H7812 → | 172 times |
| אֵלַ֣יִךְ | ʾelayikh | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יִתְפַּלָּ֔לוּ | yitpalalu | they will pray | H6419 → | 84 times |
| אַ֣ךְ | ʾakh | surely | H389 → | 161 times |
| בָּ֥ךְ | bakh | [is] among you | ||
| אֵ֛ל | ʾel | God | H410 → | 241 times |
| וְאֵ֥ין | veein | and there not | H369 → | 789 times |
| ע֖וֹד | od | [is] yet | H5750 → | 490 times |
| אֶ֥פֶס | ʾefes | there not | H657 → | 44 times |
| אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | ʾelohim | [are] gods | H430 → | 2601 times |
כֹּ֣ה׀thus
kohH3541 →577 times
אָמַ֣רhe says
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
יְגִ֨יעַ[the] produce of
yegia'H3018 →
מִצְרַ֥יִםEgypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
וּֽסְחַר־and [the] traffic of
usechar-H5504 →7 times
כּוּשׁ֮Cush
kushH3568 →29 times
וּסְבָאִים֮and [the] Sabeans
usevaimH5436 →
אַנְשֵׁ֣יpeople of
ʾansheiH582 →566 times
מִדָּה֒stature
midahH4060 →
עָלַ֤יִךְto you
ʾalayikhH5921 →5755 times
יַעֲבֹ֙רוּ֙they will pass over
yaavoruH5674 →556 times
וְלָ֣ךְand to you
velakh
יִֽהְי֔וּthey will belong
yihyuH1961 →3559 times
אַחֲרַ֣יִךְbehind you
ʾacharayikhH310 →715 times
יֵלֵ֔כוּthey will walk
yelekhuH1980 →1546 times
בַּזִּקִּ֖יםin <the> fetters
bazikimH2131 →7 times
יַעֲבֹ֑רוּthey will pass over
yaavoruH5674 →556 times
וְאֵלַ֤יִךְand to you
veelayikhH413 →5510 times
יִֽשְׁתַּחֲוּוּ֙they will bow down
yishtachavuH7812 →172 times
אֵלַ֣יִךְto you
ʾelayikhH413 →5510 times
יִתְפַּלָּ֔לוּthey will pray
yitpalaluH6419 →84 times
אַ֣ךְsurely
ʾakhH389 →161 times
בָּ֥ךְ[is] among you
bakh
אֵ֛לGod
ʾelH410 →241 times
וְאֵ֥יןand there not
veeinH369 →789 times
ע֖וֹד[is] yet
odH5750 →490 times
אֶ֥פֶסthere not
ʾefesH657 →44 times
אֱלֹהִֽים׃[are] gods
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 49:23Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD;…
it leads to
- Isaiah 60:16
You will drink the milk of nations and nurse at the breasts of royalty; you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
- Isaiah 60:14
The sons of your oppressors will come and bow down to you; all who reviled you will fall facedown at your feet and call you the City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy…
- Isaiah 60:3
Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
- Micah 7:17
They will lick the dust like a snake, like reptiles slithering on the ground. They will crawl from their holes in the presence of the LORD our God; they will tremble in fear of…
- Isaiah 60:10–11
Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Although I struck you in anger, yet in favor I will show you mercy.
- Isaiah 60:16
Through
1 Corinthians 14:25and the secrets of his heart will be made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!”
it leads to
- Zechariah 8:23
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for…
- Zechariah 8:23
Through
Jeremiah 16:19O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited nothing…
it leads to
- Isaiah 25:4
For You have been a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like…
- Nahum 1:7
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.
- Isaiah 25:4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 11:16; Eusebius of Caesarea, PROOF OF THE GOSPEL 5:4; Gaius Marius Victorinus, AGAINST ARIUS 1A.27; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.