God's Sovereign 'I Am' and Call to Return
Isaiah 48:12-22
Isa.48.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- וישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מקראי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss1,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- ראשון: ADJ,m,sg
- אף: ADV
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- אחרון: ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 41:4 (verbal): God’s self-identification as sovereign over time: 'I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he' echoes the 'first... last' language of Isa 48:12.
- Isaiah 44:6 (verbal): Explicit repetition of the formula 'I am the first, and I am the last' and the exclusivity of God ('beside me there is no God'), closely paralleling Isa 48:12's divine title.
- Revelation 1:17-18 (quotation): The risen Christ echoes the Isaiah title: 'I am the First and the Last... I was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,' directly alluding to the 'first and last' motif in Isa 48:12.
- Revelation 22:13 (quotation): Christ's self-designation 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last' verbally reprises the Isaianic claim to primacy and ultimacy found in Isa 48:12.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear me, Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first, and I am the last.
- Hear me, Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first, and I am the last.
Isa.48.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אף: ADV
- ידי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- יסדה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg+PRON,3,f,sg
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וימיני: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:1s
- טפחה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- קרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- יעמדו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- יחדו: ADV
Parallels
- Isaiah 44:24 (verbal): Both verses emphasize Yahweh as sole Creator who 'stretches out' the heavens and 'spreads out' the earth—language and theological claim closely parallel Isaiah 48:13.
- Isaiah 45:12 (verbal): Uses nearly identical phrasing ('my hands...stretched out the heavens' / 'I made the earth') linking God's hands with the acts of creating heaven and earth, echoing Isa 48:13.
- Psalm 102:25 (verbal): Speaks of God laying the foundation of the earth and the heavens being the work of his hands—direct verbal and conceptual resonance with Isa 48:13's 'hand laid the foundation' and 'right hand spread out the heavens.'
- Job 26:7-10 (thematic): Job poetically depicts God stretching out the heavens and establishing the earth's foundations—shares the cosmic-creation imagery and motifs present in Isa 48:13.
- Jeremiah 10:12 (thematic): Affirms that God made the earth and 'stretched out the heavens' by his wisdom/understanding, echoing the same creator-as-founder/stretching-out imagery found in Isa 48:13.
Alternative generated candidates
- My right hand founded the earth, my right arm spread out the heavens; I called to them, and they stand together.
- My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call them, they stand together.
Isa.48.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הקבצו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- כלכם: PRON,2,m,pl
- ושמעו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- הגיד: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אהבו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg,3ms.obj
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- חפצו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- בבבל: PREP+NOUN,prop,f,sg
- וזרעו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+prsuf:3,m,sg
- כשדים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 45:1 (quotation): Both speak of the LORD appointing a chosen agent to accomplish his will against nations—Isaiah names Cyrus as his anointed who will subdue peoples, echoing ‘I will do my pleasure on Babylon.’
- Isaiah 44:28 (quotation): God explicitly says of Cyrus that he ‘will perform all my pleasure,’ closely matching the language and idea of ‘the LORD… will do his pleasure’ against Babylon.
- Isaiah 41:2 (thematic): Describes God raising up an agent from the east to carry out his purpose among nations, paralleling the theme of God deploying a chosen instrument against Babylon/Chaldeans.
- Habakkuk 1:6 (allusion): God declares he is raising up the Chaldeans/Babylonians as an instrument to execute judgment on nations—parallel to God’s action ‘on Babylon’ in Isaiah 48:14.
- Jeremiah 51:20 (thematic): God calls Babylon his ‘hammer’/weapon to punish nations and speaks of striking the Chaldeans—paralleling the motif of God’s arm reaching against Babylon and using force to accomplish his will.
Alternative generated candidates
- Assemble yourselves, all of you, and hear—who among them declared these things? The LORD loved him; he will accomplish his purpose against Babylon and his arm against the Chaldeans.
- Gather yourselves together and hear—who among them has declared these things? The LORD loved him; he will accomplish his purpose against Babylon, and his arm against the Chaldeans.
Isa.48.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- דברתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- אף: ADV
- קראתיו: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- הביאתיו: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- והצליח: VERB,hiphil,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דרכו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 45:13 (verbal): Uses very similar language about God raising or calling an agent and directing/prospering his ways—'I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways.'
- Isaiah 45:1 (allusion): God explicitly names and commissions Cyrus as his instrument—paralleling the claim 'I ... called him, I brought him' in Isa 48:15.
- Isaiah 44:28 (thematic): Declares Cyrus as the LORD's appointed shepherd who will accomplish God's purpose, echoing the motif of God calling and using a foreign ruler for his ends.
- Isaiah 41:2 (thematic): Speaks of God raising up and calling one from the east who is given victory over nations—a parallel motif of God summoning an instrument and making his way prosper.
Alternative generated candidates
- I—yes, I—have spoken; I called him, I brought him, and I prospered his way.
- I—I have spoken; yes, I called him, I brought him, and I will prosper his way.
Isa.48.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- קרבו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- מראש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בסתר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דברתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- מעת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- היותה: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
- שם: ADV
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- ועתה: CONJ
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- שלחני: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- ורוחו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,prsfx=3ms
Parallels
- Isaiah 42:1 (verbal): Servant-language with commissioning formula and the placing of God’s Spirit on the servant—parallels the declaration that the LORD has sent the speaker and his Spirit.
- Isaiah 61:1 (thematic): Prophetic commission introduced by ‘the Spirit of the LORD is upon me’; thematically echoes being sent by the LORD and empowered by his Spirit (Isaiah 48:16).
- Deuteronomy 18:15-18 (allusion): God’s promise to raise and send a prophet and put his words in that prophet’s mouth—typological background for a divinely sent spokesman who operates by God’s Spirit.
- John 3:34 (verbal): NT formulation linking one ‘whom God has sent’ with God’s giving of the Spirit (‘for God gives the Spirit without measure’), closely paralleling the pairing of being sent and having God’s Spirit in Isaiah 48:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- Come near to me; hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time it came to be, there I was. And now the Lord GOD has sent me, even his Spirit.
- Draw near to me; hear this: not from the first have I spoken in secret; from the moment it came to be, I was there. And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit.
Isa.48.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- גאלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2,m,sg
- קדוש: ADJ,m,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- מלמדך: VERB,piel,ptcp,m,sg,suff,2,ms
- להועיל: INF,hif
- מדריכך: VERB,piel,ptcp,m,sg,suff,2,ms
- בדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תלך: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 32:8 (verbal): God promises instruction and teaching about the way to go: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go,” closely echoing Isaiah 48:17’s language of teaching and guiding.
- Proverbs 4:11 (verbal): “I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness” parallels Isaiah’s emphasis on the LORD as teacher and guide who leads people in the right way.
- Psalm 25:12-13 (thematic): Both verses link the fear of the LORD with divine instruction and guidance: the one who fears God will be taught the proper way to live and walk.
- Isaiah 43:14 (structural): Uses the same divine titles (“your Redeemer,” “the Holy One of Israel”) and the prophetic formula of God identifying himself as Israel’s Redeemer—background for Isaiah 48:17’s self‑designation and authority to teach.
- John 14:26 (allusion): Jesus promises the Helper (Spirit) who will teach and remind the disciples—an NT development of the theme that God (now through the Spirit) instructs and guides his people.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God; I teach you for your good, and I lead you in the way you should go.
- Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God; I teach you for your good and guide you in the way you should go.
Isa.48.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לוא: NEG
- הקשבת: VERB,hiphil,perf,2,m,sg
- למצותי: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs,1s
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כנהר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלומך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
- וצדקתך: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,2ms
- כגלי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,const
- הים: NOUN,m,sg,abs,def
Parallels
- Amos 5:24 (verbal): Righteousness/justice pictured as flowing water—'let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream' parallels Isaiah's 'your righteousness like the waves of the sea.'
- Psalm 46:4 (thematic): The image of a life-giving river bringing joy/peace—'There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God' echoes Isaiah's linking of obedience with peace like a river.
- Ezekiel 47:1-12 (structural): A temple-originating river that transforms and brings life/fruitfulness; parallels Isaiah's motif of blessing/peace as flowing water resulting from relationship with God.
- Jeremiah 17:8 (thematic): The righteous/trusting person is compared to a tree by water—stable, flourishing, not fearing heat—similar to Isaiah's promise that obedience yields steady peace like a river.
- Isaiah 32:17 (thematic): Explicit link between righteousness and peace—'the effect of righteousness will be peace' echoes Isaiah 48’s causative claim that heed to God's commandments would produce peace and righteousness.
Alternative generated candidates
- If only you had listened to my commandments—then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
- O that you had listened to my commandments! then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Isa.48.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כחול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זרעך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- וצאצאי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- מעיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- כמעתיו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יכרת: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- ישמד: VERB,niphal,yiqtol,3,m,sg
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- מלפני: PREP
Parallels
- Genesis 22:17 (verbal): God’s promise to Abraham uses the same sand imagery—“as the sand of the sea shore”—to express innumerable descendants and continuation of the line.
- Genesis 32:12 (verbal): Jacob’s prayer recalls the promise that his offspring will be “as the sand of the sea,” echoing the exact simile of multitudinous seed.
- Deuteronomy 1:10 (thematic): Moses’ address speaks of Israel’s multiplication (as numerous as the stars) — a closely related theme of vast, enduring posterity.
- Isaiah 54:3 (thematic): Later in Isaiah the prophet again promises expansion and lasting offspring (“thy seed shall inherit the nations”), reinforcing the themes of increase and perpetuity.
- Psalm 89:29 (thematic): The royal covenant language (“his seed shall endure for ever”) parallels the idea that the line will not be cut off or destroyed before God.
Alternative generated candidates
- Your seed would have been like the sand, and the offspring of your womb like its grains; their name would not have been cut off nor destroyed before me.
- Your seed would have been like the sand; your offspring from your loins like its grains—his name would not have been cut off or destroyed before me.
Isa.48.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- צאו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- מבבל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ברחו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מכשדים: PREP
- בקול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רנה: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הגידו: VERB,hiph,impv,2,m,pl
- השמיעו: VERB,hiphil,imp,2,m,pl
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- הוציאוה: VERB,hif,impv,2,pl,3,f,sg
- עד: PREP
- קצה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- גאל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עבדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 50:8 (quotation): Same imperative to flee Babylon—'Flee out of the midst of Babylon'—calling the exiles to escape the Chaldeans and preserve life (close verbal and thematic parallel).
- Isaiah 52:11 (thematic): Another Isaiah exhortation to 'depart' and leave Babylon/their defilement; both passages command exit from exile and emphasize holiness in departure.
- Isaiah 52:7 (thematic): Proclamation motif—messengers bringing good news of salvation to Zion; parallels the call to 'declare' and 'make it known' that the LORD has redeemed Jacob.
- Isaiah 49:6 (thematic): Universal mission language—Israel/the servant as light to the nations and salvation 'to the end of the earth,' echoing 'send it forth to the end of the earth.'
- Isaiah 45:22 (verbal): Similar universal summons and salvation language—'look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth' resonates with the call to announce redemption to the ends of the earth.
Alternative generated candidates
- Depart from Babylon; flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of joy proclaim, make it known—send it out to the ends of the earth: The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob.
- Go out from Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans; proclaim with a shout, declare it, send it out to the end of the earth: “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob.”
Isa.48.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולא: CONJ
- צמאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בחרבות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- הוליכם: VERB,hif,perf,3,m,sg
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מצור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזיל: VERB,hif,perf,3,m,sg
- למו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ויבקע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- צור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויזבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 17:6 (verbal): God tells Moses to strike the rock at Horeb/Rephidim so that ‘water will come out of it’—the same miraculous provision of water from a rock echoed in Isaiah 48:21.
- Numbers 20:11 (verbal): Moses strikes the rock at Meribah and water gushes out; a parallel account of rock–water provision during Israel’s desert wanderings.
- Deuteronomy 8:15 (thematic): Recalls God’s care in the wilderness—‘who brought you forth water out of the rock’—aligning with Isaiah’s claim that they did not thirst because God provided water.
- Psalm 78:15-16 (thematic): A poetic retelling that God ‘split the rocks’ and ‘caused waters to run down like rivers,’ echoing the imagery of rock–water deliverance in Isaiah 48:21.
- 1 Corinthians 10:4 (allusion): Paul interprets the rock that supplied water in the wilderness as a type of Christ—a theological allusion connecting the Exodus motif of provision to New Testament Christology.
Alternative generated candidates
- They did not thirst when he led them; he made waters flow for them from the rock; he split the rock, and the waters gushed forth.
- They did not thirst when he led them; he guided them, and gave them water from the rock—he split the rock and waters gushed forth.
Isa.48.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אין: PART,neg
- שלום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לרשעים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 57:21 (verbal): Almost identical wording and message: 'There is no peace,' says my God, 'for the wicked.' — a near repetition of Isa 48:22.
- Jeremiah 6:14 (verbal): Condemns false assurances: 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace — thematically parallels the denial of peace to the wicked.
- Jeremiah 8:11 (verbal): Repeats the formula 'They have healed the wound of my people, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace,' echoing the theme of absent peace.
- Ezekiel 13:10 (verbal): Accuses false prophets of saying 'Peace' when there is no peace, using the same phrase and condemning deceptive assurances of safety.
Alternative generated candidates
- No peace, says the LORD, for the wicked.
- “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”
Listen to me, Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called; I am he— I am the first, I am also the last.
My hand founded the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call them, they stand together.
Assemble yourselves and listen—who among them has declared these things? The LORD loved him and will accomplish his purpose against Babylon and his arm against the Chaldeans.
I—yes, I—have spoken; I called him, I brought him forth, and I prospered his way.
Draw near to me; hear this: from the beginning I did not speak in secret; from the time it came to be I was there. And now the LORD GOD has sent me, and his Spirit. Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God; I teach you to prosper, I guide you in the way you should go.
If you had heeded my commandments, your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Your offspring would have been like the sand, your children like its grains; their name would not be cut off nor destroyed before me.
Depart from Babylon; flee from the Chaldeans! With a shout proclaim it—make it known; send it to the ends of the earth: ‘The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob.’
They did not thirst when he led them; he gave them water from the rock—he split the rock and water gushed forth.
There is no peace, says the LORD, for the wicked.