Isaiah 46:10
in Isaiah 46I 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.’
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure;
KJV
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
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This verse in Isaiah 46
Commentary
7 notes on this verseDeclaring the end from the beginning,.... The end of the Jewish state, both as a church, and a commonwealth, from the first settlement of it in the times of Moses, and by him, Deu 32:29. The end of the world, and all things in it, as early as the times of Enoch, the seventh from Adam, Jud 1:
This site's exposition
Remember this, and shew yourselves men
on Isaiah 46:8-11
Remember this, and shew yourselves men, bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors, opens the chapter's second argument, a trial of prediction rather than of craftsmanship. The Lord declares the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, naming a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country, which the traditional reading ties to Cyrus, named later at 44:28 and 45:1. My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure stakes the whole claim on fulfilment rather than assertion, the same trial-of-the-gods pattern the surrounding chapters carry. Barnes and Delitzsch both carry the historical identification of the bird of prey while naming it a figure the text itself does not spell out further.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." There cannot be a greater prayer than to desire that earthly things should deserve to equal heavenly ones. For what does it mean to say "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," if not that human beings should be like angels and that, just as God's will is fulfilled by them in heaven, so also all those who are on earth should do not their own but his will? No one will really be able to say this but one who believes that God regulates all things that are seen, whether fortunate or unfortunate, for the sake of our well-being, and that he is more provident and careful with regard to the salvation and interests of those who are his own than we are for ourselves. And of course it is to be understood in this way—namely, that the will of God is the salvation of all, according to the text of blessed Paul: "Who desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth." Of this will the prophet Isaiah, speaking in the person of God the Father, also says, "All my will shall be done."
(Verse 8 onwards) Remember this, and be established, and return, you transgressors, to the heart. Recall the former age, for I am God, and there is no other God, nor is there anyone like me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago the things that have not yet been done, saying: My purpose will stand, and I will accomplish all my desire.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Here he promises liberation from captivity to those who are converted to him. And concerning this, he does two things. First, he promises liberation, setting out the power of him who announces it: who show the things that shall be at last, whatever is to …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Known unto God are all his works, and, when he pleases, he makes them known. Further than prophecy guides us it is impossible for us to find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end, Eccl. iii. He declares from ancient times the things that are not yet done.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Declaring the end from the beginning - Foretelling accurately the course of future events. This is an argument to which God often appeals in proof that he is the only true God (see Isa 41:22-23; Isa 43:12; Isa 44:26). My counsel shall stand - My purpose, my design, my will. The phrase ‘shall stand’ means that it shall be stable, settled, fixed, established. This proves: 1. That God has a purpose or plan in regard to human affairs.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
[I] tell the end from the beginning The Egyptian exile and its redemption I announced in the Covenant between the Segments, before they came about.
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. 2 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
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מַגִּ֤יד | magid | [one who] declares | H5046 → | 370 times |
| מֵֽרֵאשִׁית֙ | mereshit | from [the] beginning | H7225 → | |
| אַחֲרִ֔ית | ʾacharit | [the] end | H319 → | 61 times |
| וּמִקֶּ֖דֶם | umikedem | and from antiquity | H6924 → | 87 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | [things] which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| נַעֲשׂ֑וּ | naasu | they have been done | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אֹמֵר֙ | ʾomer | [one who] says | H559 → | 5305 times |
| עֲצָתִ֣י | ʾatzati | purpose my | H6098 → | 89 times |
| תָק֔וּם | takum | it will be fulfilled | H6965 → | 628 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| חֶפְצִ֖י | cheftzi | desire my | H2656 → | 39 times |
| אֶעֱשֶֽׂה׃ | ʾeeseh | I will accomplish | H6213 → | 2628 times |
מַגִּ֤יד[one who] declares
magidH5046 →370 times
מֵֽרֵאשִׁית֙from [the] beginning
mereshitH7225 →
אַחֲרִ֔ית[the] end
ʾacharitH319 →61 times
וּמִקֶּ֖דֶםand from antiquity
umikedemH6924 →87 times
אֲשֶׁ֣ר[things] which
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
נַעֲשׂ֑וּthey have been done
naasuH6213 →2628 times
אֹמֵר֙[one who] says
ʾomerH559 →5305 times
עֲצָתִ֣יpurpose my
ʾatzatiH6098 →89 times
תָק֔וּםit will be fulfilled
takumH6965 →628 times
וְכָל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
חֶפְצִ֖יdesire my
cheftziH2656 →39 times
אֶעֱשֶֽׂה׃I will accomplish
ʾeesehH6213 →2628 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
Proverbs 19:21Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.
it leads to
- Isaiah 14:24
The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 16:9
A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
- Proverbs 16:1
The plans of the heart belong to man, but the reply of the tongue is from the LORD.
- Psalms 33:10–11
The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples.
- Proverbs 21:30
There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.
- Isaiah 14:24
Through
Psalms 33:11The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.
it leads to
- Proverbs 19:21
Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.
- Job 23:13
But He is unchangeable, and who can oppose Him? He does what He desires.
- Lamentations 3:37
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?
- Proverbs 19:21
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Cassian, CONFERENCE 9:20; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.