Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 43:8
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
8. Bring forth ] i.e. not “from exile,” but “before the tribunal.” The sense demands an imperat., and the Heb. pointing (which gives a perf.) must be altered accordingly.
a blind people that have eyes ] “a people which is blind and yet has eyes &c.” This cannot mean “a people once blind and deaf, but now in possession of sight and hearing”; and it scarcely means anything so subtle as “a people which though blind and deaf yet possesses the organs of sight and hearing,” and therefore can be made to see and hear ( Isa 43:10). The paradox is the same as in ch. Isa 42:20 (“thou hast seen many things but thou observest not,” &c.) and goes back to ch. Isa 6:9 ff.; the sense being that while Israel lacks insight into the divine meaning of its own history, it is nevertheless a perfectly competent witness to the bare external facts; it has heard the predictions and seen them fulfilled.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
8 13. Another imaginary judgement scene (cf. ch. Isa 41:1-4; Isa 41:21-28), in which Israel appears as Jehovah’s witness to the truth of His prophecies.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Bring forth the blind people – Many have understood this of the Jews. So Vitringa, Rosenmuller, Grotius, and others understand it. But Lowth, more correctly, regards it as referring to the Gentiles. It is designed as an argument to show the superiority of God over all idols, and to demonstrate that he was able to deliver his people from captivity and exile. He appeals, therefore Isa 43:9, to his own people in proof of his divinity and power. None of the pagan Isa 43:8 had been able to predict future events, none of the pagan gods, therefore, could save; but Yahweh, who had so often foretold events that were fulfilled, was able to deliver, and of that fact his own people had had abundant evidence.
That have eyes – They had natural faculties to see and know God (compare Rom 1:20), but they had not improved them, and they had, therefore, run into the sin and folly of idolatry. The phrase bring forth, implies a solemn appeal made by God to them to enter into an argument on the subject (compare the note at Isa 41:1).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 8. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes – “Bring forth the people, blind, although they have eyes”] I understand this of the Gentiles, as the verse following, not of the Jews. Their natural faculties, if they had made a proper use of them, must have led them to the knowledge of the being and attributes of the one true God; “for his eternal power and Godhead,” if well attended to, are clearly seen in his works, (Ro 1:20,) and would have preserved them from running into the folly and absurdity of worshipping idols. They are here challenged to produce the evidence of the power and foreknowledge of their idol gods; and the Jews are just afterwards, Isa 43:10, appealed to as witnesses for God in this cause, therefore these latter cannot here be meant by the people blind with eyes and deaf with ears.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The sense is either,
1. Bring out of captivity my people who were blind and deaf, but now have their eyes and cars opened by my grace. So this verse relates to the foregoing passages. Or rather,
2. O ye idolatrous Gentiles, produce and bring forth your false gods, which have eyes, but see not; and ears, but hear not, as is said, Psa 115:5,6. So this verse belongs to the following context, in which God reneweth his contest with idols; which in this verse he calleth blind, and in the next verse proveth them so to be.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. Solemn challenge given by Godto the nations to argue with Him the question of His superiority totheir idols, and His power to deliver Israel (Isa41:1).
blind peopletheGentiles, who also, like Israel (Isa42:19), are blind (spiritually), though having eyes; that is,natural faculties, whereby they might know God (Rom 1:20;Rom 1:21) [LOWTH].Or else, the Jews [VITRINGA].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears,…. The Targum applies this to the bringing of the people of Israel out of Egypt; and others understand it of their deliverance from the Babylonish captivity; and some of the exclusion of them from the kingdom of heaven, and casting them into outward darkness, according to Mt 8:12, but it is rather to be understood of the conviction of them; though better of the Gentiles, and of the enlightening of them, who before were blind; and causing them to hear, who before were deaf to spiritual things, agreeably to what goes before. It seems best to consider the words as a summons to the Heathens uncalled, to the Roman Pagan empire, to come forth and appear, who were as blind and deaf as the idols they worshipped, and plead their cause, agreeably to what follows.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
We come now to the third turn in the second half of this prophecy. It is linked on to the commencement of the first turn (“Hear, ye deaf, and look, ye blind, that ye may see”), the summons being now addressed to some one to bring forth the Israel, which has eyes and ears without seeing or hearing; whilst, on the other hand, the nations are all to come together, and this time not for the purpose of convincing them, but of convincing Israel. “Bring out a blind people, and it has eyes; and deaf people, and yet furnished with ears! All ye heathen, gather yourselves together, and let peoples assemble! Who among you can proclaim such a thing? And let them cause former things to be heard, appoint their witnesses, and be justified. Let these hear, and say, True! Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and see that it is I: before me was no God formed, and there will be none after me.” “Bring out” does not refer here to bringing out of captivity, as in Eze 20:34, Eze 20:41; Eze 34:13, since the names by which Israel is called are hardly applicable to this, but rather to bringing to the place appointed for judicial proceedings. The verb is in the imperative. The heathen are also to gather together en masse; is also an imperative here, as in Joe 3:11 = (cf., , Jer 50:5; Ewald, 226, c). In Isa 43:9 we have the commencement of the evidence adduced by Jehovah in support of His own divine right: Who among the gods of the nations can proclaim this? i.e., anything like my present announcement of the restoration of Israel? To prove that they can, let them cause “former things” to be heard, i.e., any former events which they had foretold, and which had really taken place; and let them appoint witnesses of such earlier prophecies, and so prove themselves to be gods, that is to say, by the fact that these witnesses have publicly heard their declaration and confirm the truth thereof. The subject to (they may hear, etc.) is the witnesses, not as now informing themselves for the first time, but as making a public declaration. The explanation, “that men may hear,” changes the subject without any necessity. But whereas the gods are dumb and lifeless, and therefore cannot call any witnesses for themselves, and not one of all the assembled multitude can come forward as their legitimate witness, or as one able to vindicate them, Jehovah can call His people as witnesses, since they have had proofs in abundance that He possesses infallible knowledge of the future. It is generally assumed that “and my servant” introduces a second subject: “Ye, and ( especially) my servant whom I have chosen.” In this case, “my servant” would denote that portion of the nation which was so, not merely like the mass of the people according to its divine calling, but also by its own fidelity to that calling; that is to say, the kernel of the nation, which was in the midst of the mass, but had not the manners of the mass. At the same time, the sentence which follows is much more favourable to the unity of the subject; and why should not “my servant” be a second predicate? The expression “ye” points to the people, who were capable of seeing and hearing, and yet both blind and deaf, and who had been brought out to the forum, according to Isa 43:8. Ye, says Jehovah, are my witnesses, and ye are my servant whom I have chosen; I can appeal to what I have enabled you to experience and to perceive, and to the relation in which I have in mercy caused you to stand to myself, that ye may thereby be brought to consider the great difference that there is between what ye have in your God and that which the heathen (here present with you) have in their idols. “I am He,” i.e., God exclusively, and God for ever. His being has no beginning and no end; so that any being apart from His, which could have gone before or could follow after, so as to be regarded as divine (in other words, the deity of the artificial and temporal images which are called gods by the heathen), is a contradiction in itself.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| A Challenge to Idolaters. | B. C. 708. |
8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. 9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and show us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth. 10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. 12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God. 13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?
God here challenges the worshippers of idols to produce such proofs of the divinity of their false gods as even this very instance (to go no further) of the redemption of the Jews out of Babylon furnished the people of Israel with, to prove that their God is the true and living God, and he only.
I. The patrons of idolatry are here called to appear, and say what they have to say in defence of their idols, Isa 43:8; Isa 43:9. Their gods have eyes and see not, ears and hear not, and those that make them and trust in them are like unto them; so David had said (Ps. cxv. 8), to which the prophet seems here to refer when he calls idolaters blind people that have eyes, and deaf people that have ears. They have the shape, capacities, and faculties, of men; but they are, in effect, destitute of reason and common sense, or they would never worship gods of their own making. “Let all the nations therefore be gathered together, let them help one another, and with a combined force plead the cause of their dunghill gods; and, if they have nothing to say in their own justification, let them hear what the God of Israel has to say for their conviction and confutation.”
II. God’s witnesses are subpoenaed, or summoned to appear, and give in evidence for him (v. 10): “You, O Israelites! all you that are called by my name, you are all my witnesses, and so is my servant whom I have chosen.” It was Christ himself that was so described (ch. xlii. 1), My servant and my elect. Observe,
1. All the prophets that testified to Christ, and Christ himself, the great prophet, are here appealed to as God’s witnesses. (1.) God’s people are witnesses for him, and can attest, upon their own knowledge and experience, concerning the power of his grace, the sweetness of his comforts, the tenderness of his providence, and the truth of his promise. They will be forward to witness for him that he is gracious and that no word of his has fallen to the ground. (2.) His prophets are in a particular manner witnesses for him, with whom his secret is, and who know more of him than others do. But the Messiah especially is given to be a witness for him to the people; having lain in his bosom from eternity, he has declared him. Now,
2. Let us see what the point is which these witnesses are called to prove (v. 12): You are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. Note, Those who do themselves acknowledge that the Lord is God should be ready to testify what they know of him to others, that they also may be brought to the acknowledgement of it. I believed, therefore have I spoken. Particularly, “Since you cannot but know, and believe, and understand, you must be ready to bear record, (1.) That I am he, the only true God, that I am a being self-existent and self-sufficient; I am he whom you are to fear, and worship, and trust in. Nay (v. 13), before the day was (before the first day of time, before the creation of the light, and, consequently, from eternity) I am he.” The idols were but of yesterday, new gods that came newly up (Deut. xxxii. 17); but the God of Israel was from everlasting. (2.) That there was no God formed before me, nor shall be after me. The idols were gods formed (dii facti–made gods, or rather fictitii–fictitious); by nature they were no gods, Gal. iv. 8. But God has a being from eternity, yea, and a religion in this world before there were either idols or idolaters (truth is more ancient than error); and he will have a being to eternity, and will be worshipped and glorified when idols are famished and abolished and idolatry shall be no more. True religion will keep its ground, and survive all opposition and competition. Great is the truth, and will prevail. (3.) That I, even I, am the Lord, the great Jehovah, who is, and was, and is to come; and besides me there is no Saviour, v. 11. See what it is that the great God glories in, not so much that he is the only ruler as that he is the only Saviour; for he delights to do good: he is the Saviour of all men, 1 Tim. iv. 10.
3. Let us see what the proofs are which are produced for the confirmation of this point. It appears,
(1.) That the Lord is God, by two proofs: [1.] He has an infinite and infallible knowledge, as is evident from the predictions of his word (v. 12): “I have declared and I have shown that which has without fail come to pass; nay, I never declared nor showed any thing but it has been accomplished. I showed when there was no strange god among you, that is, when you pretended not to consult any oracles but mine, nor to have any prophets but mine.” It is said, when they came out of Egypt, that the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. [2.] He has an infinite and irresistible power, as is evident from the performances of his providence. He pleads not only, I have shown, but, I have saved, not only foretold what none else could foresee, but done what none else could do; for (v. 13), “None can deliver out of my hand those whom I will punish; not only no man can, but none of all the gods of the heathen can protect.” It is therefore a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, because there is no getting out of them again. “I will work what I have designed, both in mercy and judgment, and who shall either oppose or retard it?”
(2.) That the gods of the heathen, who are rivals with him, are not only inferior to him, but no gods at all, which is proved (v. 9) by a challenge: Who among them can declare this that I now declare? Who can foretel things to come? Nay, which of them can show us former things? ch. xli. 22. They cannot so much as inspire an historian, much less a prophet. They are challenged to join issue upon this: Let them bring forth their witnesses, to prove their omniscience and omnipotence. And, [1.] If they do prove them, they shall be justified, the idols in demanding homage and the idolaters in paying it. [2.] If they do not prove them, let them say, It is truth; let them own the true God, and receive the truth concerning him, that he is God alone. The cause of God is not afraid to stand a fair trial; but it may reasonably be expected that those who cannot justify themselves in their irreligion should submit to the power of the truth and true religion.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Vs. 8-13: WITNESSES OF GOD’S UNFAILING PURPOSE
1. Can any of the nations lay claim to such a Creator-Sustainer-Protector-God as the God of Israel? (vs. 8-9)
a. Let the nations assemble, state their case and show what their idols have done for them – if they can! This is nothing less than a divine summons to a court of judgment!
b. Let them produce witnesses to justify their idolatry, superstition, and rejection of God’s claims.
c. Otherwise, let them acknowledge and bow to the truth – the supreme sovereignty of Israel’s God! (Without this they can never share in the blessedness that He yearns to bestow upon them.)
2. Israel is the Lord’s witness – the servant whom He has chosen to know, believe, and understand that He is God alone.
a. There was none before Him and shall be none after Him; He is the eternal God – without beginning and ending.
b. He is Jehovah – the only Saviour!
3. When there was no strange god among them, God had spoken to Israel – declaring His love and His covenant-purpose toward them.
a. He delivered them from the Egyptians – bringing them safely through the Red Sea.
b. With His outstretched hand He poured out judgment upon Egypt for the benefit of the people He had chosen for Himself.
c. Thus, he manifested His supreme deity over the gods of Egypt – of which Israel is His witness.
d. And He is also delivering His people from Babylon; His purpose will not fail.
4. Before the day was created, Jehovah was God – eternal and omnipotent, (vs. 13; Psa 90:2).
a. None can deliver out of His hand.
b. Nor can any hinder the fulfillment of His purpose, (Isa 14:27).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
8. That I may bring out. The brevity of the words makes the meaning somewhat obscure. Some translate it thus, “I will bring out the blind, and him who hath eyes,” that is, both the blind and them that see, both the deaf and them that hear. Some explain blind to mean those who have indeed eyes, but so dim that they cannot perceive the secrets of heavenly wisdom. But when I take a careful survey of the whole, I prefer to interpret those phrases separately. “I will bring out the blind, so as to restore sight to them; I will bring out the deaf, so that they shall recover their hearing.” And thus the meaning of the words is, “To bring out the blind, and they shall have eyes; and to bring out the deaf, and they shall have ears.” The people are first delivered, and then eyes and ears are restored to them.
The Lord did this when he brought his people out of Babylon; but undoubtedly the Prophet looks farther, that is, to the kingdom of Christ; for at that time believers were gathered not only out of Babylon, but out of all places of the earth. This was seen openly and singularly at Peter’s first sermon, when many persons from various countries united in the same confession of faith. (Act 2:41.) But afterwards others, who appeared to be altogether strangers, united in the same body, and shewed that they were children of Abraham. If, therefore, we wish to find the full truth of this prophecy, we must come to Christ, by whom alone we are rescued from the bondage of the devil and restored to liberty. (Joh 8:36.) It is he who restores to us eyes and ears, though formerly we were by nature both blind and deaf. Yet it is proper to remember what I have repeatedly stated on former occasious, that the return of the people is closely connected with the renewal of the Church, which was accomplished by Christ; for what God began by bringing his people out of captivity he continued till Christ, and then brought to perfection; and so it is one and the same redemption. Hence it follows that the blessings which are here mentioned ought not to be limited to a short time.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
b. TO BE A PROCLAIMER
TEXT: Isa. 43:8-13
8
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
9
Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled; who among them can declare this, and show us former things? let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
10
Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
11
I, even I, am Jehovah; and besides me there is no saviour.
12
I have declared, and I have saved, and I have showed; and there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and I am God.
13
Yea, since the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who can hinder it?
QUERIES
a.
Who are the blind and deaf challenged in verse eight?
b.
Why is God so concerned about Israels witnessing?.
PARAPHRASE
I, Jehovah, challenge the blind heathen to bring forth their gods and their soothsayers who claim they can see and hear supernatural things. Gather all the heathen nations as one; who among their gods can proclaim anything like My present prediction of the restoration of My people Israel? To prove that they can, let them cite former events which they predicted and which had really taken place, Let them present their eyewitnesses of such earlier prophecies and so prove themselves to be gods by substantiating the truthfulness of their claims. But I call you, Israel, as witness of the historical facts concerning My infallible knowledge of the future, says Jehovah. You have been Mine in a special, miraculous relationship and you can certainly testify to that experience of service. You, Israel, have enough evidence to know and believe that I Am the only God there is. There was no god before Me and there shall be none after Me. I, indeed I, am Jehovah; there is no other saviour. I have declared My power and have shown you My power by My great saving acts among you. This demonstrated to you that there was no foreign god who could claim to be a god. You have seen My deeds, you know that I am God, and therefore, you, Israel, are My witnesses. As long as time has existed, from the first day of time and before that, I Am; there are no other gods anywhere; there is no one to stop what I wish to do.
COMMENTS
Isa. 43:8-10 MESSENGER: Israel was called by God to be His servant as a testimony among the nations of Jehovahs sovereignty (cf. Exo. 19:5; Deu. 4:6-7; Deu. 14:2; Deu. 26:18; Deu. 28:10; Psa. 135:4; Lev. 20:24-26; Deu. 7:6). The passage before us deals with Gods call to this servanthood. Israel had not fulfilled her purpose (cf. Amo. 3:9-11; Jer. 2:9-13; Jer. 18:13), she out-heathened the heathen. She was given the land of Canaan to show the heathen nations the holiness of God, but she became more unholy than the heathen around her! Now, Isaiah, speaking for Jehovah, is calling for a remnant of Israel to turn again to this God-oriented purpose.
The blind and the deaf are the Gentiles who claim they have eyes and ears to see and hear what is truth through their idols and diviners. But Jehovah challenges them to gather all the idols and soothsayers of all the nations on the earth and bring forth evidence of their abilities. God has challenged the heathen gods many times before (Moses and the Egyptian magicians; Elijah and the prophets of Baal) and He makes the challenge many times after this (Isa. 44:9 f; Daniel 1-6, etc.). God is predicting, through His prophet Isaiah, the captivity and restoration of Israel. Which one of the heathen gods Israel has adopted is able to infallibly foretell the future like Jehovah? The false prophets of Israel are continually insisting that no captivity will come to them (cf. Mic. 3:9-12). If the heathen gods Israel worships are gods, let them bring a record of their prophetic successes of the past. How many historical events have they foretold and seen fulfilled? Jehovah is not afraid of such a challenge for He knows they are not gods (Jeremiah demonstrated the impotence of the false prophets when he challenged the predictions of Hananiah, Jer. 28:1-17). The god of Israel is the only God of truth. He alone has the truth. He alone knows righteousness and holiness. Israel is the only messenger of truth and righteousness, but they have rejected this servanthood for false gods. The challenge to the nations to amalgamate all their powers and present the best opposition they can to the sovereignty of Jehovah is much like the challenge in Joe. 2:30 to Joe. 3:21 (see our comments there in Minor Prophets, by Butler, College Press).
The heathen opposition has no witnesses and no evidence. But Jehovah has. Israel is Gods witness. In fact, this is their destiny. Israel is not called to be a mighty worldly power dominating other nations and exercising world-empire. That never was Israels destiny and never shall be. The new Israel, the church, is not of this world. Israel testified by her very existence and was called to testify by her deeds and words that Jehovah is the only God. Leupold says, Monotheism is Israels most precious insight. Whatever indications along this line had begun to glimmer here and there in divine revelation, all this now comes to clear expression and is finalized by our prophet. God had chosen Israel to be His servant, to be the instrument through which He could manifest His power and glory and holiness to all the earth. Israel had plenty of empirical proof of Jehovahs sovereignty. There was no reason for Israel not to know and believe there was only One God! But Israel set aside reason in favor of greed, lust and pride. For this the prophets often characterized their countrymen as irrational, stupid, perverse, self-willed, stubborn (cf. Ezek. ch. 2 & 3, etc.). The prophets did preserve a small remnant of faithful who did become witnesses in all the earth to the sovereignty of Jehovah. The dispersion of these faithful by the Persians, Greeks and Romans prepared the way for the preaching of the gospel all over the world in the first century A.D.
Isa. 43:11-13 MESSAGE: The absolute sovereignty of Jehovah is the message Israel is to proclaim. They are witnesses to it. They have seen and heard first-handfor that is what a witness is. A witness does not tell what he thinks or feelshe tells what he has seen and heard. What Israel has seen is only Jehovah can save. Jehovah demonstrated to the sensory organs of man (eyes, ears, touch, etc.) that He alone saves. Jehovah did not reveal His saving power to Israel in a systematic philosophyHe revealed it in deeds, events, in the historical, human frame-of-reference. He also demonstrated experientially that none of the gods of man, none of the pagan idols, could save. Therefore, Israel must be Gods witness. God has not revealed Himself so precisely and extensively to any other people. God has no other witnesses. Isaiah knows about such a manifest destiny. When Isaiah was in the temple, God asked, Who will go for us, whom shall I send? (cf. Isaiah 6).
There cannot be another witness and there cannot be another God. There is only one God. He is from everlasting to everlasting. He had no beginning and has no end. Where is there one who can gainsay that!? God may be morally rejected and disobeyed, but His eternal power and deity cannot rationally be denied (cf. Rom. 1:16 f). Philosophy, science or psychology can never disprove the existence of God. Men would have to know everything there is to know, have existed everywhere there is existence in order to absolutely disprove God. So far, all the evidence proves beyond any reasonable doubt, that Jehovah does exist and none can deliver out of His hand and none can hinder whatever He wants to do!
QUIZ
1.
What does the Bible say in other books about Israels call?
2.
What is Gods challenge to the heathen concerning their gods?
3.
Where has another challenge to pagan powers like this been issued in the prophets?
4.
If there was plenty of evidence for Israel to witness the sovereignty of God, why didnt she?
5.
What is a witness?
6.
How did Israel qualify as a witness?
7.
Why must Israel be Gods witness?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(8) Bring forth the blind people . . .The command comes abruptly, as from a Divine voice, and is, as it were, a reversed echo of Isa. 42:18-20. There Israel saw but did not observe, had eyes and yet was blind. Here the blind and deafi.e., the heathen, or the Israel that had fallen into heathenismare spoken of as having capacities for sight and hearing which will one day be developed.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8, 9. An excellent view, is that of Lowth’s. Opposed to interpreters who follow Vitringa, Lowth supposes the heathen world summoned to a grand convocation to test the claims of Jehovah against idols. The point to decide upon is, that of predictive power, as in Isa 41:20-24.
Blind people that have eyes ears Such heathen as have improved natural faculties according to the light they have, (Rom 1:20,) let them be the judges as to whether idols can predict.
Former things A phrase not quite clear, but probably a list of fulfilled predictions.
Let them bring their witnesses Their documents attesting such fulfilment, that they may be verified, or that they may be held veracious. If they have not such, let them hear from testimony or documents from the other side, and confess their own failure.
But why is this subject brought up again, having already occupied two chapters? Because the prophet’s soul has not a little fear that tenderness to the supposed obsolete idolatry will be the means of reviving it again. He aspires for the last traces of this old evil to be utterly gone. He aspires for its burial out of sight for ever.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
God Declares That Only His People Can Be Witnesses to What He Is ( Isa 43:8-13 ).
Isa 43:8-9
‘Bring forth the blind people who have eyes,
And the deaf people who have ears.
Let all the nations be gathered together,
And let the peoples be assembled.
Who among them can declare this?
And show us former things?
Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be shown to be right,
Or let them hear, and say, “It is the truth”.
The call now goes out to any who can do what Yahweh has done and give an explanation of what of significance has happened in the past. This is especially so with regard to Abraham and his seed, and the giving of God’s covenant and Law, the point being that the world has failed to recognise their importance.
‘‘Bring forth the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf people who have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled.’ The call to gather to give their witness is sent out to the nations and peoples. But they are described as blind while having eyes and deaf while having ears. That is, they do not ‘see’ or ‘hear’ the truth. They are blind and deaf to truth. God is calling together the deaf and the blind to give judgment! It is intended to sound ridiculous. The description may also be intended to include the unbelieving of Israel.
‘Who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be shown to be right.’ The question is, which of them can explain anything that has happened in the past that is of heavenly significance? If they claim to be able to, let them produce their witnesses of such happenings, so that they can be shown to be right.
‘Or let them hear, and say, “It is the truth”.’ Or alternatively let them now listen to God’s witnesses and testify to their truth, acknowledging that He is right.
Isa 43:10-11
“You are my witnesses,” says Yahweh,
“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,
Nor will there be after me.
I even I am Yahweh,
And beside me there is no saviour.”
This takes up from Isa 43:7 (with Isa 43:8-9 referring therefore to those whose eyes and ears and ears are closed to Yahweh, to the nations and the unbelieving in Israel).
God does have His witnesses. They are the Servant whom He has chosen. The fact of God’s choice of His true people is constantly stressed. They were not chosen because they were mighty, nor because they were worthy, but simply because God set His love on them and elected to choose them, and for the sake of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to whom He had made His promises (Deu 7:6-8). And He chose them so that they might know and believe Him, and understand Who and What He really is. This was why He called Abraham, that He might produce from him a seed which would be God’s witnesses to the world. Abraham believed God (Gen 15:6), and his seed are to follow in his train (Exo 14:31; Num 14:11; Psa 106:12 contrast Psa 78:22).
‘That you may know and believe me, and understand that I am He (literally ‘I He’).’ The knowledge of God was specifically revealed to His Servant in Exo 6:3; Exo 6:7 (Yahweh means essentially ‘He is’ or He will be’) under the equivalent of the name of ‘I am’ (Exo 3:13-15). God’s concern is that they might know, believe from the heart, and understand deep within, the reality of the name and of the One Who bears it.
‘Before me there was no God formed, nor will there be after me.’ This is not saying that God was ‘formed’, it is declaring that there have been no gods formed either before or after Him. For He is before all things, and there are no other gods, nor will there ever be.
Indeed He is Yahweh, the One Who is, and there is no other god who can save in any way apart from Him. Thus all idea of other gods is excluded. It is a clear statement of monotheism.
Isa 43:12-13
“I have declared, and I have saved (delivered), and I have shown,
And there was nothing strange among you.
Therefore you are my witnesses,” says Yahweh.
“And I am God. Yes, since the day was I am he,
And there is none who can deliver out of my hand.
I will work and who will hinder it?”
His people can know and believe and understand (Isa 43:10) because He has declared, and saved, and shown. He ‘declared’ His name to Abraham (Gen 15:7), to Moses (Exo 3:13-15; Exo 6:2; Exo 6:29) and to His people at Mount Sinai (Exo 20:1). He ‘delivered’ His people from Egypt and through the wilderness, and into the land of Canaan, and beyond until under David they ruled the whole area from the River to the Wadi of Egypt. And He had constantly ‘shown’ His power throughout their history, and especially in the deliverance from Sennacherib.
‘And there was nothing strange among you.’ That is, no strange gods or supernatural influence of any kind apart from Him (compare Deu 32:12). It is the picture of the ‘ideal’ Israel. For He had delivered them from such folly. This was initially so when He first spoke to them, and always so when they walked in obedience to Him, for they had continually had to put away their strange gods (Jos 24:2-3 with Gen 12:1; Gen 12:7-8; Gen 35:2-3; Exo 20:3-5; Exo 20:23; Jos 24:23; Jdg 10:16).
Thus were they witnesses to what God had done and Who and What He was, and what His purposes were.
‘And I am God, yes, since the day was I am He.’ (Literally ‘yes, from the day, I He’). Thus it could mean ‘from the very first day (or the beginning of time) I am He’ or ‘from this day forward I am He’, or ‘at this very day I am He’. Or it may signify the whole course of time looking from the standpoint of the present (from the day looking backwards and forwards). The idea is clearly that in whatever period of time is being described Yahweh alone is God.
‘And there is none who can deliver out of My hand. I will work and who will hinder it?’ Added to that fact is His divine sovereignty. None can deliver from His hand, but He Himself can deliver from any hand and any situation, and none can prevent it. And He can do what He will.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jehovah The True God And Only Savior
v. 8. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes and the deaf that have ears, v. 9. Let all the nations be gathered together and let the people be assembled, v. 10. Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, and My Servant whom I have chosen, v. 11. I, even I, am the Lord, v. 12. I have declared, v. 13. Yea, before the day was, I am He,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Isa 43:8-10. Bring forth the blind, &c. Vitringa renders the 9th verse, Let, &c. Who among them could declare this? Either let them tell us what shall first happen, and bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them [be content to] hear, and say, this is truth. The scope of this period is, to confirm the people of God in their belief of the true Divinity, from those remarkable events so clearly foretold by the prophet; and to instruct them, to convince the degenerate Jews, and idolatrous Gentiles, concerning this same belief from the same arguments; namely, from the deliverance of the people out of Babylon by Cyrus, and the mission of Jesus Christ, as the great prophet to convert the Gentiles; which again in the subsequent part of this chapter are repeated and set forth under different figures. The blind people that have eyes, &c. mean the blind and idolatrous Jews. See the preceding chapter, Isa 43:19 and ch. Isa 6:9-10. Ye are my witnesses, even my servant whom I have chosen, mean the true believers among the people: or more particularly the witnesses may signify the prophets and teachers of the church; and my servant, may mean Israel, or the believing people in general. See ch. Isa 41:8 Isa 44:1. More remotely, the Messiah, peculiarly God’s servant, and the apostles, his witnesses, may be meant. See Vitringa.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Some have supposed this to be a challenge to the worshippers of idols; but I humbly conceive, that as these verses follow the account of Him, of whom Jehovah speaketh so gloriously, it is rather a demand, in reference to gospel days, to bring forth the blind and the deaf, spiritually considered, to whom the Lord Jesus would give the restoration of their faculties, in virtue of his great redemption; and as the heathen world are called in to behold the testimony, is not this a plain allusion to the conversion of the Gentiles? Isa 49:6 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 43:8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
Ver. 8. Bring forth the blind people. ] Such as were blind and ignorant, but now are enlightened.
And the deaf.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 43:8-13
8Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,
And the deaf, even though they have ears.
9All the nations have gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled.
Who among them can declare this
And proclaim to us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified,
Or let them hear and say, It is true.
10You are My witnesses, declares the LORD,
And My servant whom I have chosen,
So 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.
11I, even I, am the LORD,
And there is no savior besides Me.
12It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses, declares the LORD,
And I am God.
13Even from eternity I am He,
And there is none who can deliver out of My hand;
I act and who can reverse it?
Isa 43:8 the people who are blind This was because of their continuing unbelief and covenant disobedience (cf. Isa 6:9-10; Isa 42:18-22).
Isa 43:9 There is a series of Qal IMPERFECTS used as JUSSIVES (cf. NRSV and NJB, let. . .).
1. let them bring their witness (BDB 678, KB 733)
2. let them justify themselves (BDB 842, KB 1003)
3. let them hear (BDB 1033, KB 1570)
4. let them say (BDB 55, KB 65)
The nations, like the idols of Isaiah 40, do not know the future. Only YHWH holds time and history in His hand. He will use Israel to reveal Himself and ultimately He will use the Messiah, His special Servant.
Isa 43:10-13 Notice the many ways YHWH’s uniqueness, power, and eternality are expressed.
1. He wants humans, made in His image, to
a. know (BDB 393, KB 390, Qal IMPERFECT)
b. believe (BDB 52, KB 63, Hiphil IMPERFECT)
c. understand (BDB 106, KB 122, Qal IMPERFECT)
2. He is the only God (see Special Topic: Monotheism )
a. I am He, Isa 43:10-13
b. before Me there was no God formed, Isa 43:10
c. after Me no God formed, Isa 43:10
d. no savior beside Me, Isa 43:11
3. His acts (all Hiphil PERFECTS)
a. He has spoken (BDB 616, KB 665)
b. He has saved (BDB 446, KB 448)
c. He has proclaimed (BDB 1033, KB 1570)
4. He is from eternity, Isa 43:13 a
5. His power, Isa 43:13 b,c
These truths are what the nations need to know and affirm, Isa 43:9.
Isa 43:10 You are My witnesses This is metaphorical for a court scene (cf. Isa 43:12; Isa 1:18; Isa 41:21; Isa 44:8; Rom 8:31-39), where all the nations are gathered (cf. Isa 43:9).
Before Me there was no God This refers to monotheism (cf. Isa 43:10-13, see Special Topic: Monotheism ). This is reflected in Exo 20:5.
Isa 43:13 eternity This follows the Septuagint. The MT has from the day.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
the blind People = a blind People: i.e. Israel (See Isa 6:10; Isa 42:19, Isa 42:20. Jer 5:21. Eze 12:2. Mat 13:14. Act 28:26, Act 28:27).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Isa 43:8-13
Isa 43:8-13
“Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled: who among them can declare this, and show us former things? let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear, and say, It is truth, Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he; before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am Jehovah; and besides me there is no saviour. I have declared, and I have saved, and I have showed; and there was no strange god among you: therefore, ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and I am God. Yea, since the day was; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who can hinder it?”
One of the big things in this paragraph is that the fleshly Israel, the deaf and blind Israel, are here commissioned as God’s witness, whether or not they were willing; and this tremendous predictive prophecy is this very day being fulfilled all over the earth. The very existence of Israel is a witness for every single line of the Old Testament; and “These are they that testify of me,” as Jesus stated it. Note that the imaginary court scene is again used as a device for emphasizing these significant facts.
The greatest possible triumph over false gods was demonstrated in the delivery of Israel from Egypt; and, in the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, the same sensational triumph was again demonstrated.
Israel (the old fleshly one) did not actually wish to be God’s witness; but God required it of her any way. They did not wish to preach to the Gentiles; but, in spite of their efforts to avoid it, their greatest men, of whom was Paul the Apostle, preached the word to the Gentiles in spite of all Jewish efforts to stop it. That fulfilled the type seen in Jonah, who preferred death to preaching to Nineveh; but God put his hook in the nose of that prophet and compelled him to do it contrary to his personal desire.
There should be no misunderstanding relative to who are meant by those called “the blind with eyes, and the deaf with ears.” “These are the Jews who had mixed themselves up with the heathen, learned their ways, and had rejected the Word of God. It is the height of folly to suppose that the gracious promises of the first seven verses may be logically applied to such racial Israelites.
Yes indeed, Israel in time would witness for God; but it would not be by the controlling majority of the rebellious nation, but by that pitifully small remnant composed of people such as the apostles of Christ. That witnessing would not occur in the lifetime of Isaiah, nor in any of the events following the end of the exile; but, for ages, the fleshly Israel would continue to be “a passive and reluctant exhibit. What a poor witness fleshly Israel proved to be! As Kelley wrote, “One of the amazing things that emerges from this passage is that a task so momentous should have been entrusted to a people as unfit as Israel (cf. 2Co 4:7).
Isa 43:8-10 MESSENGER: Israel was called by God to be His servant as a testimony among the nations of Jehovahs sovereignty (cf. Exo 19:5; Deu 4:6-7; Deu 14:2; Deu 26:18; Deu 28:10; Psa 135:4; Lev 20:24-26; Deu 7:6). The passage before us deals with Gods call to this servanthood. Israel had not fulfilled her purpose (cf. Amo 3:9-11; Jer 2:9-13; Jer 18:13), she out-heathened the heathen. She was given the land of Canaan to show the heathen nations the holiness of God, but she became more unholy than the heathen around her! Now, Isaiah, speaking for Jehovah, is calling for a remnant of Israel to turn again to this God-oriented purpose.
The blind and the deaf are the Gentiles who claim they have eyes and ears to see and hear what is truth through their idols and diviners. But Jehovah challenges them to gather all the idols and soothsayers of all the nations on the earth and bring forth evidence of their abilities. God has challenged the heathen gods many times before (Moses and the Egyptian magicians; Elijah and the prophets of Baal) and He makes the challenge many times after this (Isa 44:9 f; Daniel 1-6, etc.). God is predicting, through His prophet Isaiah, the captivity and restoration of Israel. Which one of the heathen gods Israel has adopted is able to infallibly foretell the future like Jehovah? The false prophets of Israel are continually insisting that no captivity will come to them (cf. Mic 3:9-12). If the heathen gods Israel worships are gods, let them bring a record of their prophetic successes of the past. How many historical events have they foretold and seen fulfilled? Jehovah is not afraid of such a challenge for He knows they are not gods (Jeremiah demonstrated the impotence of the false prophets when he challenged the predictions of Hananiah, Jer 28:1-17). The god of Israel is the only God of truth. He alone has the truth. He alone knows righteousness and holiness. Israel is the only messenger of truth and righteousness, but they have rejected this servanthood for false gods. The challenge to the nations to amalgamate all their powers and present the best opposition they can to the sovereignty of Jehovah is much like the challenge in Joe 2:30 to Joe 3:21.
The heathen opposition has no witnesses and no evidence. But Jehovah has. Israel is Gods witness. In fact, this is their destiny. Israel is not called to be a mighty worldly power dominating other nations and exercising world-empire. That never was Israels destiny and never shall be. The new Israel, the church, is not of this world. Israel testified by her very existence and was called to testify by her deeds and words that Jehovah is the only God. Leupold says, Monotheism is Israels most precious insight. Whatever indications along this line had begun to glimmer here and there in divine revelation, all this now comes to clear expression and is finalized by our prophet. God had chosen Israel to be His servant, to be the instrument through which He could manifest His power and glory and holiness to all the earth. Israel had plenty of empirical proof of Jehovahs sovereignty. There was no reason for Israel not to know and believe there was only One God! But Israel set aside reason in favor of greed, lust and pride. For this the prophets often characterized their countrymen as irrational, stupid, perverse, self-willed, stubborn (cf. Ezek. ch. 2 & 3, etc.). The prophets did preserve a small remnant of faithful who did become witnesses in all the earth to the sovereignty of Jehovah. The dispersion of these faithful by the Persians, Greeks and Romans prepared the way for the preaching of the gospel all over the world in the first century A.D.
Isa 43:11-13 MESSAGE: The absolute sovereignty of Jehovah is the message Israel is to proclaim. They are witnesses to it. They have seen and heard first-hand-for that is what a witness is. A witness does not tell what he thinks or feels-he tells what he has seen and heard. What Israel has seen is only Jehovah can save. Jehovah demonstrated to the sensory organs of man (eyes, ears, touch, etc.) that He alone saves. Jehovah did not reveal His saving power to Israel in a systematic philosophy-He revealed it in deeds, events, in the historical, human frame-of-reference. He also demonstrated experientially that none of the gods of man, none of the pagan idols, could save. Therefore, Israel must be Gods witness. God has not revealed Himself so precisely and extensively to any other people. God has no other witnesses. Isaiah knows about such a manifest destiny. When Isaiah was in the temple, God asked, Who will go for us, whom shall I send? (cf. Isaiah 6).
There cannot be another witness and there cannot be another God. There is only one God. He is from everlasting to everlasting. He had no beginning and has no end. Where is there one who can gainsay that!? God may be morally rejected and disobeyed, but His eternal power and deity cannot rationally be denied (cf. Rom 1:16 f). Philosophy, science or psychology can never disprove the existence of God. Men would have to know everything there is to know, have existed everywhere there is existence in order to absolutely disprove God. So far, all the evidence proves beyond any reasonable doubt, that Jehovah does exist and none can deliver out of His hand and none can hinder whatever He wants to do!
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Isa 6:9, Isa 42:18-20, Isa 44:18-20, Deu 29:2-4, Jer 5:21, Eze 12:2, 2Co 4:4-6
Reciprocal: Isa 35:5 – the eyes Isa 44:9 – their own Isa 48:6 – and will Dan 10:21 – I will Mat 11:5 – the deaf Luk 7:22 – the deaf Luk 18:43 – he Joh 9:7 – and came Act 26:18 – open
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 43:8-10. Bring forth the blind people, &c. O ye idolatrous Gentiles, bring forth your false gods, which have eyes but see not, and ears but hear not. 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. And show us former things Such things as shall happen long before the return from the captivity, which yet your blind idols cannot foresee. See on Isa 41:22. Let them bring forth their 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 am the only true God. Ye are my witnesses They can produce no witnesses for themselves; but you, my people, are able to witness for me, that I have given you many plain demonstrations of my certain foreknowledge of future events. And my servant whom I have chosen Either Isaiah and other prophets, the singular word being put collectively, or, the Messiah, as not only Christians, but the Chaldee paraphrast understands it; who was thus described, (Isa 42:1,) and who is the most eminent witness in this cause; and that on two accounts; 1st, As he was the chief subject of prophecy, and the various particulars foretold concerning him came exactly to pass; and, 2d, As many future things were predicted by him, of which we have many examples in the New Testament. That I am he He whom I have affirmed myself to be, namely, the true God. Before me there was no God formed The gods of the heathen neither had a being before me, nor shall continue after me. Wherein more is understood than is expressed; that whereas Jehovah is God from everlasting to everlasting, these false pretenders to deity were but of yesterday, and should shortly be abolished. And withal he calls them formed gods, by way of contempt, and to show the ridiculousness of their pretensions to divinity, who are formed by the hands of men.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 43:8-13. Israel Called by Yahweh as His Witness before the Nations.The scene is again a court of justice. The nations, Yahwehs opponents, are already assembled (read are for let be). Yahweh commands His people to be summoned as witnesses for Him. Blind as Israel may have been to the deeper significance of Yahwehs actions, yet even she has eyes to see the facts of history. What god can forecast and announce the future as Yahweh has done? Let them produce any witnesses who can attest the claim. Israel will attest Yahwehs claims and convince the heathen of His uniqueness. He alone who foretold the event can accomplish it. No strange god did this. His control of history is absolute.
Isa 43:9. former things: possibly read, beforehand.or: translate, and; witnesses is the subject of hear, and say.
Isa 43:10. servant: read plural.ye may: read, they may.
Isa 43:12. and I am God: add, from of old.
Isa 43:13. since: read mg., and connect with what precedes.let: render as mg.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
The witness to redemption 43:8-44:20
Isaiah continued to show that Yahweh was both willing and able to deliver His people, a theme begun in Isa 42:10. He confronted the gods, again (cf. Isa 41:21-29), but this time he challenged them to bring forth witnesses to their deity, namely, people who could confirm their ability to predict the future. The captive Judeans were Yahweh’s witnesses. They would, despite their spiritual blindness and deafness, give witness to His ability to predict their salvation and to accomplish it.
God would make His people the evidence of His deity (Isa 43:8-13).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Isaiah summoned an unidentified authority to bring out the Israelites: the spiritually blind and deaf (cf. Isa 42:18-25; cf. Deu 29:4; Jer 5:21). The setting of this scene is a courtroom. The prophet was summoning them so God could address them (Isa 43:10) as His witnesses. Imagine calling blind and deaf people as witnesses in a court of law! Yet the Lord would use even them to testify to His greatness.