Amplified Bible
Isaiah 41:4
4Who has performed and done this, Calling forth [and guiding the destinies of] the generations [of the nations] from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord—the first, and with the last [existing before history began, the ever-present, unchanging God]—I am He.’ ”
Isaiah 41:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.
- New International Version (NIV)Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord—with the first of them and with the last—I am he.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Who has performed and done it, Calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord, am the first; And with the last I am He.’ ”
Context of Isaiah 41:4
2Who has stirred up and put into action one from the east [the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great] Whom He calls in righteousness to His service and whom victory meets at every step? The Lord turns nations over to him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, Like wind-driven chaff with his bow. 3He (Cyrus) pursues them and passes along safely, By a way his feet had not traveled before. Who has performed and done this, Calling forth [and guiding the destinies of] the generations [of the nations] from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord—the first, and with the last [existing before history began, the ever-present, unchanging God]—I am He.’ ” 5The islands and coastlands have seen and they fear; The ends of the earth tremble; They have drawn near and have come. 6They each help his neighbor And say to his brother [as he fashions his idols], “Be of good courage!”
Read all of Isaiah 41Isaiah 41:4 word by word
מִֽי־פָעַ֣ל וְעָשָׂ֔ה קֹרֵ֥א הַדֹּר֖וֹת מֵרֹ֑אשׁ אֲנִ֤י יְהוָה֙ רִאשׁ֔וֹן וְאֶת־אַחֲרֹנִ֖ים אֲנִי־הֽוּא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Who hath wroughtפָּעַלpâ‛al · to workH6466
- and doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- callingקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
- the generationsדּוֹרdôr dôr · generationH1755
- from the beginningרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: firstH7218
- I the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- the firstרִאשׁוֹןri'shôn ri'shôn · firstH7223
- and with the lastאַחֲרוֹן'achăryôn 'achărôn · lastH314
Cross-references for Isaiah 41:4
- Isaiah 41:26Who [among the idols] has declared this from the beginning, so that we could know? Or from earlier times, so that we could say, “He is [unquestionably] right!”? In fact, there was no one who declared it, Indeed, there was no one who proclaimed it; There was no one at all who heard you speak [for you pagan gods are speechless].
- Isaiah 40:12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens with a span [of the hand], And calculated the dust of the earth with a measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?
- Isaiah 42:24Who gave up Jacob [the kingdom of Judah] for spoil, and [the kingdom of] Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord, He against whom we [of Judah] have sinned, And in whose ways they [of Israel] were unwilling to walk, And whose law and teaching they did not obey?
- Isaiah 44:7Who is like Me? Let him proclaim it and declare it; Yes, let him confront Me, Since I established the people of antiquity. And let them [those supposed gods] tell those people [who foolishly follow them] the things to come And the events that are going to take place.
- Isaiah 46:10Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, And from ancient times the things which have not [yet] been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will do all that pleases Me and fulfills My purpose,’
- Isaiah 48:3I have declared the former things [which happened to Israel] in times past; They went forth from My mouth and I proclaimed them; Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
- Deuteronomy 32:7Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will inform you, Your elders, and they will tell you.
- Acts 15:18Says the Lord, Who has been making these things known from long ago.
- Acts 17:26And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands and territories.
- Isaiah 43:10“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.
- Isaiah 44:6“For the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts says this, ‘I am the First and I am the Last; And there is no God besides Me.
- Isaiah 48:12“Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called; I am He, I am the First, I am the Last.
- Revelation 1:11saying, “Write on a scroll what you see [in this revelation], and send it to the seven churches—to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
- Revelation 2:8“And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last [absolute Deity, the Son of God] who died and came to life [again]:
- Revelation 22:13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End [the Eternal One].”
- Isaiah 46:3“Listen to Me,” [says the Lord], “O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been carried by Me from your birth And have been carried [in My arms] from the womb,
Commentaries on Isaiah 41:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Who hath wrought and done it "Who hath performed and made these things" - A word is here lost out of the text. It is sups plied by an ancient MS., אלה elleh, "these things; "and by the Septuagint, ; and by the Vulgate, haec; and by the Chaldee, אלן elin ; all of the same meaning.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Who hath wrought and done it? - By whom has all this been accomplished? Has it been by the arm of Cyrus? Has it been by human skill and powers. The design of this question is obvious. It is to direct attention to the fact that all this had been done by God, and that he who had raised up such a man, and had accomplished all this by means of him, had power to deliver his people. Calling the generations from the beginning - The idea here seems to be, that…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4the generations from the beginning?: God rules over everything. From the very beginning, he has guided each stage of history according to his plan. In the book of Revelation, Jesus calls himself the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 1:8, 17; 2:8; 21:6; 22:13). I am He: The Lord alone is God (see also Isaiah 43:10, 13; 46:4; 48:12; Deuteronomy 32:39). Jesus used similar expressions for himself (see John…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Who--else but God? calling ... generations from ... beginning--The origin and position of all nations are from God (De 32:8; Ac 17:26); what is true of Cyrus and his conquests is true of all the movements of history from the first; all are from God. with the last--that is, the last (Is 44:6; 48:12).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 41:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 41
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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