Isaiah 44:6
in Isaiah 44Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.
KJV
Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
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This verse in Isaiah 44
Commentary
15 notes on this verseA commentator
Athanasius of Alexandria296–373
Discourses Against the Arians 3.23 · Written before 373.
For God is one and only and first. But this is not said to the denial of the Son; perish the thought. For he is in that One and First and Only, as being of that One and Only and First the only Word and Wisdom and Radiance. And he too is the First, as the fullness of the godhead of the First and Only, being whole and full God.
This site's exposition
like willows by flowing streams
on Isaiah 44:4-6
They will sprout among the grass like willows by flowing streams pictures the growth the water of verse 3 brings. Verse 5 gives ways of claiming the covenant. Verse 6 states the claim, I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.
This site's exposition
the King and Redeemer of Israel
Athanasius answered the Arians from this verse. The words first and only, he argued, leave room for the Son, who is the Word and Wisdom of that one God and himself God. Matthew Henry joins the titles King and Redeemer, holding the LORD redeems Israel because he is its King.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
A commentator
Ambrose of MilanExposition of the Christian Faith 5.9.116 · Written before 397.
proposed
I have not read of, or heard of or found any varying degree in God. Never have I read of a second, never of a third God. I have read of a first God; I have heard of a first and only God.
"I am the first, and hereafter am I, and no God was before Me, and no God shall be after Me." For knowing more perfectly than all others the mystery of the religion of the Gospel, this great prophet, who foretold even that marvellous sign concerning the Virgin, and gave us the good tidings of the birth of the Child, and clearly pointed out to us that Name of the Son,—he, in a word, who by the Spirit includes in himself all the truth,—in order that the characteristic of the Divine Nature, whereby we discern that which really is from that which came into being, might be made as plain as possible to all, utters this saying in the person of God: "I am the first, and hereafter am I, and before Me no God hath been, and after Me is none."
"Thus says the Lord, the king of Israel, the God of hosts who has saved them: I am the first, and I remain after these things. Apart from me there is no God." If there is no God apart from him, the Son is not …
(Verse 6 and following) This is what the Lord, the king of Israel and his redeemer, the Lord of hosts, says: I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides me. Who is like me? Let him call and declare, and lay out the order for me, since I established the ancient people: what is coming and what will happen, let them declare to them. Do not be afraid, nor be troubled: from that time I have made you hear and announced it; you are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me, and a creator whom I do not know? All the idols of the nations are worthless, and the things they love do not profit them. They themselves are witnesses to their own worthlessness, for they do not see or understand, so that they may be put to shame. Who formed a god or cast an idol that is profitable for nothing? Look, all his companions shall be put to shame; the craftsmen are mere men. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together. The blacksmith takes a tool and works it with the coals; he fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He will be hungry and will become weak, he will not drink water, and he will grow weary. The carpenter extends the rule (or the form), he shapes it on the plane, he forms it with angles, and rounds it off with a compass. And he makes an image of a man, like a handsome man dwelling in a house. He cuts down cedars, he takes an oak, and a tree that stood among the woods. He plants a pine, which the rain nourishes, and it becomes fuel for men. He takes from them, and warms himself; he kindles it, and bakes bread. But the rest of it he made into a god and worshipped; he made an idol and bowed down to it. He burned half of it in the fire and cooked meat on it; he roasted a stew and ate it, and then he was satisfied. He warmed himself and said, 'Ah! […]
If we count, we do not add, increasing from one to many. We do not say, "one, two, three," or "first, second, and third." God says, "I am the first, and I am the last." We have never to this present day heard of two gods.… How does one and one not equal two gods? Because we speak of the emperor and the emperor's image—but not two emperors.… The image of the emperor is an image by imitation, but the Son is a natural image.
7 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers1 voice
Having made mention of the knowledge in Christ, recapping things for our benefit, he now turns his address to something else that is very necessary. For at the time when the godly prophet Isaiah composed the words about such things, offensive and irresistible temptations ruled over them. For what "God" and "honor" meant seemed to be up to the judgment of each individual. So God needs to provide them with some rousing encouragement and arguments tailored to their situation. He turns them away from polytheism and the sicknesses that troubled them and summons them through a change of mind to a knowledge of the truth and of his glory and brings them back to the awareness of his incomparable power.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Thus says the Lord. Here he shows the worthlessness of the idols. And concerning this, he does three things: first, he shows the defect of the idols; second, from this, he recalls them to worship of himself: remember these things (Isa 44:21); third, he promises …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
He is the Lord, Jehovah, self-existent and self-sufficient; and he is the Lord of hosts, of all the hosts of heaven and earth, of angels and men. That he stands in relation to, and has a particular concern for, his church. He is the King of Israel and his Redeemer; therefore his Redeemer because his King; and those that take God for their King shall have him for their Redeemer.
Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
IN the Christian Church at this moment there is a very general desire for a revival of religion. You may go where you may among Christian people and you will find that they are mourning over the present state of things and saying, one to the other, "When will a greater blessing come? How can we obtain it? When shall we make some impression upon the masses of the ungodly? When shall our houses of prayer be filled with attentive hearers? When will the Lord's kingdom come and His right arm be made bare in the eyes of all the people?" I am delighted to hear the inquiry My soul magnifies the Lord as I discern tokens of growing anxiety about the cause and kingdom of Jesus and the perishing sons of men. This is an omen of better times. "As soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children." Searchings of heart, anguish, groans which cannot be uttered and abounding intercession are the heralds of blessing! They are the sound in the tops of the mulberry trees which calls Believers to bestir themselves in hope of victory! May the movement among the saints continue and deepen till it brings forth a movement among sinners far and wide. At this time, also, there are manifest the most pleasing signs that God is about to work among His people. A very notable gathering of converts has taken place in the town of Newcastle and the two Brothers whom God honored to be the means of it have now moved to the city of Edinburgh. There the ministers of all denominations are united in helping them and in earnestly imploring the Divine blessing of the gracious visitation which has already come upon Edinburgh is such as was probably never known before within the memory of man.
IN the Christian Church at this moment there is a very general desire for a revival of religion. You may go where you may among Christian people and you will find that they are mourning over the present state of things and saying, one to the other, "When will a greater blessing come? How can we obtain it? When shall we make some impression upon the masses of the ungodly? When shall our houses of prayer be filled with attentive hearers?
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Thus saith the Lord - This commences, as I suppose (see Analysis), the argument to prove that Yahweh is the only true God, and that the idols were vanity. The object is, to show to the Jews, that he who had made to them such promises of protection and deliverance was able to perform what he had pledged himself to do. The King of Israel - (See the notes at Isa 41:21). And his Redeemer - (See the notes at Isa 43:1). The Lord of hosts - (See the notes at Isa 1:9).
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כֹּֽה־ | koh- | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| אָמַ֨ר | ʾamar | he says | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָ֧ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וְגֹאֲל֖וֹ | vegoalo | and redeemer its | H1350 → | 104 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| צְבָא֑וֹת | tzevaot | of hosts | H6635 → | 485 times |
| אֲנִ֤י | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| רִאשׁוֹן֙ | rishon | [am] first | H7223 → | 182 times |
| וַאֲנִ֣י | vaani | and I | H589 → | 874 times |
| אַחֲר֔וֹן | ʾacharon | [am] last | H314 → | 51 times |
| וּמִבַּלְעָדַ֖י | umibaladai | and <from> except me | H1107 → | 17 times |
| אֵ֥ין | ʾein | there not | H369 → | 789 times |
| אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | ʾelohim | [is] a god | H430 → | 2601 times |
כֹּֽה־thus
koh-H3541 →577 times
אָמַ֨רhe says
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
יְהוָ֧הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֛לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וְגֹאֲל֖וֹand redeemer its
vegoaloH1350 →104 times
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
צְבָא֑וֹתof hosts
tzevaotH6635 →485 times
אֲנִ֤יI
ʾaniH589 →874 times
רִאשׁוֹן֙[am] first
rishonH7223 →182 times
וַאֲנִ֣יand I
vaaniH589 →874 times
אַחֲר֔וֹן[am] last
ʾacharonH314 →51 times
וּמִבַּלְעָדַ֖יand <from> except me
umibaladaiH1107 →17 times
אֵ֥יןthere not
ʾeinH369 →789 times
אֱלֹהִֽים׃[is] a god
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
Revelation 1:8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.
it leads to
- Revelation 22:13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 48:12
Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called: I am He; I am the first, and I am the last.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 43:10
“You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed,…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 41:4
Who has performed this and carried it out, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD—the first and the last—I am He.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 22:13
Through
Revelation 22:13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
it leads to
- Revelation 21:6
And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 1:17
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.
- Revelation 21:6
Through
Isaiah 44:8Do not tremble or fear. Have I not told you and declared it long ago? You are My witnesses! Is there any God but Me? There is no other Rock; I know not one.”
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 2:2
There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God.
- 1 Samuel 2:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Isaiah
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Exposition of the Christian Faith 5.9.116; Athanasius of Alexandria, Discourses Against the Arians 3.23; Basil of Caesarea, ON THE HOLY SPIRIT 18:45; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1151: “A Revival Promise” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:2.44:6-7; Gregory of Nyssa, AGAINST EUNOMIUS 5:1; 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; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 13:44.6 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.