New International Version
Isaiah 44:25
25who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense,
Isaiah 44:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;
- English Standard Version (ESV)who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners, who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness;
- New Living Translation (NLT)I expose the false prophets as liars and make fools of fortune-tellers. I cause the wise to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools.
Context of Isaiah 44:25
23Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel. 24“This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself, who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense, 26who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’ and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’ 27who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your streams,’
Read all of Isaiah 44Isaiah 44:25 word by word
מֵפֵר֙ אֹת֣וֹת בַּדִּ֔ים וְקֹסְמִ֖ים יְהוֹלֵ֑ל מֵשִׁ֧יב חֲכָמִ֛ים אָח֖וֹר וְדַעְתָּ֥ם יְשַׂכֵּֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- That frustratethפָּרַרpârar · to breakH6565
- the tokensאוֹת'ôth · sign: indicatorH226
- of the liarsבַּדbad · blusterH907
- and maketh divinersקָסַםqâsam · to divineH7080
- madהָלַלhâlal · to be foolishH1984
- that turnethשׁוּבshûb · to return: turn backH7725
- wiseחָכָםchâkâm · wiseH2450
- backwardאָחוֹר'âchôr 'âchôr · backH268
- and maketh their knowledgeדַּ֫עַתda‛ath · knowledgeH1847
- foolishסָכַלsâkal · be foolishH5528
Cross-references for Isaiah 44:25
- Isaiah 47:12“Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror.
- 1 Kings 22:11Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns and he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’ ”
- 2 Chronicles 18:11All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
- Jeremiah 27:9So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’
- Jeremiah 28:9But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true.”
- Jeremiah 50:36A sword against her false prophets! They will become fools. A sword against her warriors! They will be filled with terror.
- Exodus 9:11The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians.
- Exodus 2:19They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
- Exodus 4:7“Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
- Exodus 5:6That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people:
- Isaiah 19:11The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give senseless advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise men, a disciple of the ancient kings”?
- Isaiah 29:14Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”
- 2 Samuel 15:31Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”
- 2 Samuel 16:23Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.
- 2 Samuel 17:23When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.
- Job 5:12He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.
Commentaries on Isaiah 44:25
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25That frustrateth - Hebrew, Breaking:‘ that is, destroying, rendering vain. The idea is, that that which necromancers and diviners relied on as certain demonstration that what they predicted would be fulfilled, God makes vain and inefficacious. The event which they predicted did not follow, and all their alleged proofs that they were endowed with divine or miraculous power he rendered vain. The tokens - Hebrew, אתות 'othôth - Signs.‘ This word is usually…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-28Verses 21-28 Return unto me. It is the great concern of those who have backslidden from God, like the Jews of old, to hasten their return to him. The work of redemption wrought for us by Christ, encourages to hope for all blessings from him. Our transgressions and our sins are as a thick cloud between heaven and earth: sins separate between us and God; they threaten a storm of wrath. When God pardons sin, he blots out, he dispels this cloud, this thick…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25False prophets and diviners used forbidden methods to predict the future. Eventually, God would reveal them as liars who believed something that is not true (see Isaiah 3:2; 9:15; 47:13; Deuteronomy 18:10–11).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 24-2824-28. Confirmation of His promises to the Church and Israel, by various instances of His omnipotence; among these the restoration of the Jews by Cyrus. alone--literally, "Who was with Me?" namely, when I did it; answering to "by Myself," in the parallel clause (compare similar phrases, Ho 8:4; Joh 5:30) [Maurer].Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 44:25
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 44
- 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
New International Version — © NIV® 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica
Commentaries