Isaiah 44:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any."

NIV: Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."

NASB: Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'

CSB: Do not be startled or afraid. 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 do not know any.

NLT: Do not tremble; do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago? You are my witnesses — is there any other God? No! There is no other Rock — not one!'

KJV: Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

NKJV: Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’ ”

Once again (Isaiah 44:2), the Lord commands His people Israel not to be afraid. There is no stronger indicator of confidence in the Lord than the absence of fear. God wants His people to be so convinced of His love and His ability that they live free of anxiety, even in a dangerous world. Of course, since we are all fallible and imperfect, none of us is ever perfectly free from fear, even believers. Yet it's an ideal worth striving for.

Reasons for trust come from God's history with the people of Israel. He made promises to their ancestors, all the way back to Abraham and Sarah. He declared repeatedly that He would provide and protect when they show trust by keeping the covenant. The history of Israel is itself evidence that God is God.

The Lord does not ask Israel to be His witnesses. They just are. As a nation, they have seen His power. They have seen Him keep His promises to provide victory and bless them when they obeyed. He has also honored His Word by sending other nations to crush them when they disobeyed through idolatry.

More than all other peoples on earth, Israel knows there is no God besides the Lord. Somewhat sarcastically, God points out that He is not aware of another secure foundation for faith. He alone is Israel's Rock, not just because He says so, but because no other legitimate gods exist for His people to turn to for help.

Isaiah 44:6–8 begins with the Lord's identity as Israel's ruler, Savior, and source of strength. No other so-called "god" can compare, even if they tried. Only the Lord has prophesied and fulfilled prophecy and raised up a nation like Israel. No other source of strength is as reliable and sure as the Lord, Israel's Rock.

The Lord will give a special blessing of His Spirit to future generations of Israel. Though the people are about to suffer captivity and exile (2 Chronicles 36:17–21), they will one day be restored. At that time, people will seek to be associated with God and His people. In contrast, relying on man-made idols is delusional. False deities cannot prophesy, create, or control like the One True God. Eventually, the Lord will use Cyrus to liberate Israel, and the temple will be rebuilt.

Isaiah 44 continues and amplifies the themes of the previous four chapters. These passages focus on God's supremacy, the impending exile, and the absurdity of idols. A key promise in this chapter concerns someone instrumental in freeing Israel from captivity under Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:17–21). The following chapter speaks more about how this "Cyrus" will conquer according to God's specific plans. Though he serves as God's instrument, Cyrus will not realize that he is a tool of the Lord.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).