Isaiah 45:23
in Isaiah 45By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
By myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
KJV
I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
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This verse in Isaiah 45
Commentary
17 notes on this verse(Vers. 18 seqq.) Because this is what the Lord says, the one who created the heavens, the one who formed the earth and made it, the one who established it; he did not create it in vain, but formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret, in a dark place on the earth. I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.' I am the Lord, speaking truth, declaring what is right.
This site's exposition
Turn to Me and be saved
on Isaiah 45:22-23
“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth” opens the verdict into an invitation wider than Israel. Verse 23 makes it an oath. Paul quotes “every knee will bow before Me” at Romans 14:11, and Philippians 2:10 applies it to Jesus, “every knee should bow”.
This site's exposition
By Myself I have sworn
Barnes reads the oath as the fullest statement of the call in verse 22, God's settled purpose that every nation will acknowledge him. He calls it a purpose ratified in the most sacred form. Jerome notes that the Septuagint has every tongue confess to God, the wording Paul follows.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
(Vers. 23) By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: 'To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.' LXX: By myself I swear: righteousness will go out of my mouth, my words will not be turned away, for every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will swear and confess to God, saying.
"They will be justified in the Lord, and all the seed of the sons of Israel will be glorified in God." It does not say all the seed of Israel but "all the seed of the sons of Israel." The "sons of Israel" are those …
"I am God, and there is no other God apart from me, the righteous one and savior. There is none beside me." These words clearly teach us the homoousion. For if the Father is God as the Son is God, the Father savior as the …
A commentator
Augustine of HippoTHE CATHOLIC AND MANICHAEAN WAYS OF LIFE 14:32 · Written before 430.
proposed
For it is written, "As I live," says the Lord, "every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not, therefore, judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no one put a stumbling block, or occasion to fall, in his brother's way.
The coming of our Savior Jesus Christ fulfilled the goal of this prophecy, after which, in his church, all people, who have been brought together from throughout the world, have been taught to bend their knee to God in prayer.
9 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
Second, he foretells their conversion, setting out the sign of adoration: I have sworn by myself, for I have nothing greater by which I might swear (Heb 6:13); it shall not return, without effect, below: so shall my word be, which shall go forth from …
The Puritans and the Awakening5 voices
Observe, First, All believers are the seed of Israel, an upright praying seed. Secondly, The great privilege they enjoy by Jesus Christ is that in him, and for his sake, they are justified before God, Christ being made of God to them righteousness.
And here, as in many other parts of this prophecy, there is much of Christ and of gospel grace. Prophecies Concerning Cyrus. 1 Thus saith the L ORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:39w-of-66
Together - Together with salvation. It - This great work of salvation and righteousness; whereof, tho' Cyrus is the instrument, I am the author. Woe - As God here makes many glorious promises to Cyrus, so he pronounces a curse upon them, who should endeavour to hinder him.
In righteousness - It is what I will faithfully perform. It is a metaphor from ambassadors, who sometimes return to their princes without any success in their business.
I have sworn by myself,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
I have sworn by myself - This verse contains a fuller statement of the truth intimated in the previous verse, that the benefits of salvation should yet be extended to all the world. It is the expression of God’s solemn purpose that all nations should yet be brought to acknowledge him, and partake of the benefits of the true religion. The expression, ‘I have sworn by myself,’ denotes a purpose formed in the most solemn manner, and ratified in the most sacred form.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
sworn by myself--equivalent to, "As I live," as Ro 14:11 quotes it. God could swear by no greater, therefore He swears by Himself (Heb 6:13, 16). word . . . in righteousness--rather, "the truth (see on Isa 45:19) is gone forth from My mouth, the word (of promise), and it shall not return (that is, which shall not be revoked)" [LOWTH].
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
I have sworn by myself - במימרי bemeymri, by my Word: and the word - פתגם pithgam, or saying, to distinguish it from the personal substantial Word meymra, mentioned before. See the Targum. The word is gone out of my mouth “Truth is gone forth from my mouth; the word” - So the Septuagint distinguish the members of the sentence, preserving the elegance of the construction and the clearness of the sense.
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בִּ֣י | bi | by myself | ||
| נִשְׁבַּ֔עְתִּי | nishba'ti | I swear | H7650 → | 186 times |
| יָצָ֨א | yatza' | it goes forth | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| מִפִּ֧י | mipi | from mouth my | H6310 → | 498 times |
| צְדָקָ֛ה | tzedakah | righteousness | H6666 → | 157 times |
| דָּבָ֖ר | davar | a word | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָשׁ֑וּב | yashuv | it will return | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לִי֙ | li | to me | ||
| תִּכְרַ֣ע | tikhra' | it will bow down | H3766 → | 36 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בֶּ֔רֶךְ | berekh | knee | H1290 → | 25 times |
| תִּשָּׁבַ֖ע | tishava' | it will swear | H7650 → | 186 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| לָשֽׁוֹן׃ | lashon | tongue | H3956 → | 117 times |
בִּ֣יby myself
bi
נִשְׁבַּ֔עְתִּיI swear
nishba'tiH7650 →186 times
יָצָ֨אit goes forth
yatza'H3318 →1067 times
מִפִּ֧יfrom mouth my
mipiH6310 →498 times
צְדָקָ֛הrighteousness
tzedakahH6666 →157 times
דָּבָ֖רa word
davarH1697 →1440 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
יָשׁ֑וּבit will return
yashuvH7725 →1056 times
כִּי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
לִי֙to me
li
תִּכְרַ֣עit will bow down
tikhra'H3766 →36 times
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
בֶּ֔רֶךְknee
berekhH1290 →25 times
תִּשָּׁבַ֖עit will swear
tishava'H7650 →186 times
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
לָשֽׁוֹן׃tongue
lashonH3956 →117 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 55:11so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.
it leads to
- Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
- Isaiah 46:10
I declare the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’
- Romans 10:17
Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
- John 6:63
The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
- Luke 8:11–16
Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.
- Matthew 24:35
Through
Philippians 2:10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
it leads to
- Isaiah 45:23–25
By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.
- Matthew 28:18
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
- Revelation 5:13–14
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To Him who sits on the throne and to…
- Isaiah 45:23–25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Isaiah
This page draws on 14 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, THE CATHOLIC AND MANICHAEAN WAYS OF LIFE 14:32; Eusebius of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 2:29; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 14:45.25; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 14:45.20-21 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.