New English Translation
Isaiah 41:4
4Who acts and carries out decrees? Who summons the successive generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning, and at the very end – I am the one.
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 stirs up this one from the east? Who officially commissions him for service? He hands nations over to him, and enables him to subdue kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, like windblown straw with his bow. 3He pursues them and passes by unharmed; he advances with great speed. Who acts and carries out decrees? Who summons the successive generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning, and at the very end – I am the one. 5The coastlands see and are afraid; the whole earth trembles; they approach and come. 6They help one another; one says to the other, ‘Be strong!’
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 decreed this from the beginning, so we could know? Who announced it ahead of time, so we could say, ‘He’s correct’? Indeed, none of them decreed it! Indeed, none of them announced it! Indeed, no one heard you say anything!
- Isaiah 40:12Who has measured out the waters in the hollow of his hand, or carefully measured the sky, or carefully weighed the soil of the earth, or weighed the mountains in a balance, or the hills on scales?
- Isaiah 42:24Who handed Jacob over to the robber? Who handed Israel over to the looters? Was it not the Lord, against whom we sinned? They refused to follow his commands; they disobeyed his law.
- Isaiah 44:7Who is like me? Let him make his claim! Let him announce it and explain it to me – since I established an ancient people – let them announce future events!
- Isaiah 46:10who announces the end from the beginning and reveals beforehand what has not yet occurred, who says, ‘My plan will be realized, I will accomplish what I desire,’
- Isaiah 48:3“I announced events beforehand, I issued the decrees and made the predictions; suddenly I acted and they came to pass.
- Deuteronomy 32:7Remember the ancient days; bear in mind the years of past generations. Ask your father and he will inform you, your elders, and they will tell you.
- Acts 15:18known from long ago.
- Acts 17:26From one man he made every nation of the human race to inhabit the entire earth, determining their set times and the fixed limits of the places where they would live,
- Isaiah 43:10You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe in me, and understand that I am he. No god was formed before me, and none will outlive me.
- Isaiah 44:6This is what the Lord, Israel’s king, says, their protector, the Lord who commands armies: “I am the first and I am the last, there is no God but me.
- Isaiah 48:12Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I summoned! I am the one; I am present at the very beginning and at the very end.
- Revelation 1:11saying: “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches – to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
- Revelation 2:8“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write the following: “This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who is the first and the last, the one who was dead, but came to life:
- Revelation 22:13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end!)
- Isaiah 46:3“Listen to me, O family of Jacob, all you who are left from the family of Israel, you who have been carried from birth, you who have been supported from the time you left 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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