Isaiah 43:9

Isa 43:9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, [It is] truth.

Ver. 9. Let all the nations.] See Isa 41:1.

And shew us former things.] Much less can they show us things future. Varro calleth all the time before the flood αδηλον, obscure, because the heathens had no certain relation of anything then done. And Diod. Siculus acknowledgeth that all that was written among them before the Theban and Trojan wars was little better than fabulous. The gods of the Gentiles had not so much as any solid knowledge of things past, neither could they orderly and perfectly set them forth by their secretaries.

It is truth,] scil., That there is but one true God. Phocylides did say so, εις μονος εστι Yεος, &c. Socrates suffered for holding this truth at Athens. Plato held the same, but dared not speak out. These are his words: It is neither easy to find out the maker of all things, nor safe to communicate to the common people what we have found out of him. Here, for fear of the people, he detained the truth in unrighteousness. And the like did Seneca, whom Augustine accuseth, quod colebat quod reprehendebat; agebat quod arguebat; quod culpabat, adorabat {a} that he worshipped those gods whom he disliked and decried.

{a} De Civit. Dei, lib. vi. cap. 10.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Showing, that the malice of the wicked hindereth them in the knowledge of the truth, because they will not hear when God speaketh by his word.

Signifying, that no power can resist him in doing this miraculous work, nor all their idols are able to do the like, as Isa. 41:22.

To prove that the things which are spoken of them, are true.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

who . . . can declare this--who among the idolatrous soothsayers hath predicted this; that is, as to Cyrus being the deliverer of Israel?

former--predictions, as in Isa 42:9 [MAURER]. Or, things that shall first come to pass (see on Isa 41:21-22) [BARNES].

let them bring forth their witnesses--as I do mine (Isa 43:10).

justified--declared veracious in their pretended prophecies.

or--rather, "and"; let men hear their prediction and say, from the event, It is verified (see on Isa 41:26).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 9. Who among them] Seven MSS., three ancient, and the first edition, 1486, with the Syriac and Vulgate, read בכם bechem, who among you; the present reading is preferable.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(9) Who among them . . .—The challenge of Isa_41:22-23 is repeated. Who among their gods has foretold the “former things”? has predicted events that were then in the future, and have now come to pass?

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

9. Let all the nations be gathered together] The form of the verb in Heb. presents difficulty. By some it is treated as a rare form of imperat., on the ground of two doubtful analogies (so R.V. marg., “Gather yourselves together &c.”). Others take it as a precative perf. (A.V. and R.V.) the existence of which in Heb. is also disputed (see Driver, Tenses, § 20). There seems, however, no reason why it should not be understood as a perf. in the ordinary sense: All the nations are gathered together. The assembling of the parties in the process naturally precedes the calling of witnesses; and this clause is descriptive of the scene presupposed by Isa_43:8. The following verb should then be pointed as a consecutive impf.: and the peoples are assembled.

who among them (the heathen gods, represented by their worshippers) can declare this] i.e. the contents of the prophecy, Isa_43:1-7.

former things] predictions of the events that have already taken place. If they profess to do this, then let them bring forth their witnesses, in support of their contention.

or let them hear, and say] The subject is the witnesses, who are supposed to hear the allegations of the false deities, and corroborate them.

be justified … It is truth] see on ch. Isa_41:26.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord,.... The people of Israel, who could testify that the Lord had foretold their affliction in Egypt, their coming from thence, and settling in the land of Canaan, many hundreds of years before they came to pass, and which were exactly fulfilled; and so the apostles of Christ, and ministers of the word, and all Christian people in all nations, are witnesses of the prophecies concerning Christ, his birth, miracles, obedience, sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension to heaven, and session at the right hand of God, all which are exactly accomplished, Act 1:8,

and my servant whom I have chosen; meaning either the Prophet Isaiah, or the prophets in general; or rather the Messiah. So the Targum,

"and my servant the Messiah, in whom I am well pleased;''

and who is called the faithful witness, Rev 1:5, and to whom the characters of a servant, and the Lord's chosen, well agree, Isa 42:1,

that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he; by which testimonies and evident proofs of deity, from the prediction of future events, and the accomplishment of them, you may have a competent knowledge, a firm persuasion, and a clear perception of this important truth, that the God of Israel, and of all true Christians, is the one only Lord God:

before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me; intimating that idols were formed by the hands of men, and yet none of these were formed before him, and therefore could make no pretensions to deity, or to an equality with him; nor should any be formed afterwards, that could be put in competition with him. In short, the sense is, there is no other god beside him; as the Targum, Septuagint, and Arabic versions render it.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Let all the nations be gathered together - Let them be assembled to give evidence, or to adduce proofs that their idols are worthy of confidence Isa 41:1.

Who among them can declare this? - Who among them hath predicted this state of things? Who has foretold the events which are now occurring? It is implied here, that Yahweh had done this, but none of the pagan gods had done it (see the note at Isa 41:21).

And show us former things - (see the note at Isa 41:22). The order of events, the manner in which one event shall succeed another. Not merely, who can declare one single event, but who can declare the succession, the order in which many events shall follow each other - a far more difficult thing than to declare one single future event. Neither had been done by the pagan; both had been done by God.

That they may be justified - That it may be demonstrated that they are what they pretend to be, and that they are worthy of the confidence of people. The word ‘justified’ here, is used in the sense of being right, or true; - let them in this manner show that their claims are just, and well founded.

Or let them hear, and say, It is truth - (See the note at Isa 41:26).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Former. The pagans were little acquainted with antiquity. Such researches lead to the knowledge of the true religion. (Haydock) --- Truth, if they can produce any true prophecy.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Let the people be assembled, to plead the cause of their idols with me.

Who among them can declare this? this wonderful work of mine in bringing my people out of captivity, which I have already foretold, and shall further declare; and that so exactly, that I shall name the person by whom this work shall be begun, even Cyrus, who is yet unborn, and shall be so for above two hundred years: let any of your heathen gods do the like.

Former things, not things already past, but such things as shall happen long before the return from the captivity, which yet your blind idols cannot foresee. See Poole "Isa 41:22". Their witnesses, who can testify the truth and certainty of any such predictions of theirs.

That they may be justified; that they may be owned for true gods, which in that case I allow them to expect. But of this argument see on Isa 41:22,23. Or let them hear and say, It is truth; or if they can produce no evidence of any such thing, as I am well assured that they cannot, let them be silent, and hear me and my witnesses, as it follows in the next verse; and let them confess that what I say is truth, that I only am the true God, and that they are but vanity and falsehood.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

All the nations; rather, all ye nations. Israel is a witness on the one hand, a multitude of nations on the other, recalling the contention of Elijah with the four hundred priests of Baal. (1Ki_18:22) The people; rather, the Peoples. who among them can declare this? i.e. which of them can show any prediction made by their gods comparable to the one contained in vers. 1-77 And show us former things. "Exhibit the past history of the world in well-attested documents" (Kay); "Make mention of past events which they have correctly foretold" (Cheyne, Delitzsch). According to the former rendering, the contrast is between the solemn, serious history of early times in Genesis, and the grotesque and extravagant myths, in which the nations generally embodied their views of the primitive ages. (For a specimen of the contrast, see "Aids to Faith," Essay 6. pp. 275, 276.) Let them bring forth their witnesses. Witnesses that the prophecies were really delivered before the events happened, or that the accounts of past times are such as have really come down to them from their ancestors. Or let them hear and say, It is truth . It is uncertain whether we ought to translate the initial vau here by "and" or by "or." If the former, the sense is, "And then let them (i.e. the witnesses) give ear to the assertions made, and declare them true;" if the latter, we may render, with Dr. Kay, "Or, if they have no witnesses, let them listen to the sacred records, and confess them to be the truth. "

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Assembled - To plead the cause of their idols with me. This - This wonderful work of mine in bringing my people out of captivity. Former things - Such things as shall happen long before the return from the captivity, which yet your blind idols cannot foresee. Witnesses - Who can testify the truth of any such predictions of theirs, that they may be owned for true gods; or if they can produce no evidence of any such thing, let them confess, that what I say is truth, that I only am the true God.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

“All the nations are gathered together, and the peoples are to be assembled. Who among them will declare this and let us hear the first things? Let them give (or produce) their witnesses and be justified; and (if they cannot do this) let them hear (my witnesses), and say, (It is) the truth.” The nations have been gathered, but the process is not yet completed. This gathering of the nations has been commonly explained as a judicial metaphor like that in Isa 41:1. In that case the verse describes the heathen as assembled at the judgment-seat to plead their cause against Jehovah. This agrees well with the forensic terms employed in the subsequent context. It is possible, however, that this first clause may have been intended to describe not the process but the subject of adjudication. The gathering of the nations will then denote their accession to the church, as predicted in vs. 5-7; and this, in the next clause, will refer to the same event. Who among them (i.e., the nations) could have foretold their own change of condition? On the other supposition, this must either be indefinite, or mean the restoration of the Jews from exile, of which, as we have seen, there is no specific mention in the foregoing context. In either case, the usual alternative is offered, viz. that of pointing out some previous instance of foreknowledge and prediction. The last clause admits of two constructions. It may either be read, ‘let them be just (or candid) and hear and say it is the truth’; or, ‘let them be justified (by the witnesses whom they produce), and (if not) let them hear (my witnesses) and say, it is the truth.’ The latter seems more natural.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Prophecies of Isaiah (1846–1847; New York: Scribner, 1870–1878) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Were all the nations gathered If all the nations (of the peoples [Lublin;]) (of the heathens [Warsaw]; absent in all mss. and in K’li Paz) would gather together, who of them and of their prophets would tell the future, or the like, quoting their pagan Gods, or the first events, that have already passed, would they let us know, saying “We foretold them before they came about”?

Let them present their witnesses who heard that they prophesied concerning them prior to their occurrence, and they shall be deemed just. But I have witnesses, for you are My witnesses that I told Abraham your forefather about the exiles, and they came about.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

Let all the nations be gathered together, etc. If some should say that the Israelites did not know these future events, for they were blind; but of other nations and their wise men, some knew them perhaps, the question is put, Who among them can declare this, viz. that which shall happen in days to come, and show us former things, past events, which they had announced before they took place.

Let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may hear it.

ויצדקו that they may be justified with regard to their words; and

let them hear, that is, let the witnesses hear the same,

and say, It is truth, it was so.

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.