Isaiah 44 · WEB

The Folly of Idols and the Naming of Cyrus

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"Yet listen now, Jacob my servant, and Israel whom I have chosen.

²This is what Yahweh who made you, and formed you from the womb, who will help you says: 'Don't be afraid, Jacob my servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

³For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and streams on the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring;

⁴and they will spring up among the grass, as willows by the watercourses.'

⁵One will say, 'I am Yahweh's;' and another will call himself by the name of Jacob; and another will write with his hand 'to Yahweh,' and surname himself by the name of Israel."

⁶This is what Yahweh, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies says: "I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.

⁷Who is like me? Who will call, and will declare it, and set it in order for me, since I established the ancient people? Let them declare the things that are coming, and that will happen.

⁸Don't fear, neither be afraid. Haven't I declared it to you long ago, and shown it? You are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? Indeed, there is not. I don't know any other Rock."

⁹Those who fashion a graven image are all of them vanity. The things that they delight in will not profit. Their witnesses don't see, and don't know, that they may be disappointed.

¹⁰Who has fashioned a god, or molds a graven image that is profitable for nothing?

¹¹Behold, all his fellows will be disappointed; and the workmen are mere men. Let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; they will fear; they will be put to shame together.

¹²The blacksmith takes an ax, works in the coals, fashions it with hammers, and works it with his strong arm. He is hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water, and is faint.

¹³The carpenter stretches out a line. He marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes, and he marks it out with a compass, and makes it in the shape of a man, with the beauty of a man, to live in a house.

¹⁴He cuts down cedars for himself, and takes the cypress and the oak, and strengthens for himself one among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir tree, and the rain nourishes it.

¹⁵Then it will be for a man to burn; and he takes some of it and warms himself. Yes, he burns it and bakes bread. Yes, he makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image, and falls down to it.

¹⁶He burns part of it in the fire. With part of it, he eats meat. He roasts a roast and is satisfied. Yes, he warms himself and says, "Aha! I am warm. I have seen the fire."

¹⁷The rest of it he makes into a god, even his engraved image. He bows down to it and worships, and prays to it, and says, "Deliver me; for you are my god!"

¹⁸They don't know, neither do they consider: for their eyes are shut, so that they can't see; and their hearts, so that they can't understand.

¹⁹No one thinks, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, "I have burned part of it in the fire. Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals. I have roasted meat and eaten it. Shall I make the rest of it into an abomination? Shall I bow down to a tree trunk?"

²⁰He feeds on ashes. A deceived heart has turned him aside; and he can't deliver his soul, or say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?"

²¹"Remember these things, Jacob and Israel; for you are my servant. I have formed you. You are my servant. Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.

²²I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins. Return to me, for I have redeemed you."

²³Sing, you heavens, for Yahweh has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth! Break out into singing, you mountains, O forest, all of your trees, for Yahweh has redeemed Jacob, and will glorify himself in Israel.

²⁴This is what Yahweh, your Redeemer, and he who formed you from the womb says: "I am Yahweh, who makes all things; who alone stretches out the heavens; who spreads out the earth by myself;

²⁵who frustrates the signs of the liars, and makes diviners mad; who turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish;

²⁶who confirms the word of his servant, and performs the counsel of his messengers; who says of Jerusalem, 'She will be inhabited;' and of the cities of Judah, 'They will be built,' and 'I will raise up its waste places;'

²⁷who says to the deep, 'Be dry,' and 'I will dry up your rivers;'

²⁸who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, saying of Jerusalem, "She will be built," and of the temple, "Your foundation will be laid."'"

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Summary

Isaiah 44 opens with God's tender reassurance to Israel, promising to pour out his Spirit like water on dry ground, bringing renewal and fruitful blessing to his people. God then thunderously declares himself the first and the last, the only God, challenging any other supposed deity to match his knowledge of history and prophecy. The centerpiece of the chapter is a devastating satirical expose of idol worship — a man uses the same log to cook his food and warm himself, then worships the remainder as a god, revealing the utter self-deception behind idolatry. The chapter closes with a stunning predictive prophecy naming Cyrus, king of Persia, as God's chosen shepherd who would authorize the rebuilding of Jerusalem — a prophecy delivered roughly 150 years before Cyrus was born.

Themes

God's incomparable uniqueness — he alone is the first and last, the only true God
The folly and self-deception of idol worship
God's sovereign control over history, including the naming of foreign rulers
Redemption and the forgiveness of Israel's sins
The outpouring of the Spirit and spiritual renewal for God's people

Key verses

Isa 44:20 — “He feeds on ashes. A deceived heart has turned him aside; and he can't deliver his soul, or say, 'Is there not a lie in my right hand?'”
Isa 44:22 — “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”
Isa 44:28 — “...who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, saying of Jerusalem, "She will be built," and of the temple, "Your foundation will be laid."'”
Isa 44:6 — “I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.”

Context & background

Isaiah 44 is part of a major section of Isaiah (chapters 40–55) that addresses the Babylonian exile, offering comfort and hope to Israel during a time of national devastation. The idolatry mocked here reflects the widespread religious practices of ancient Mesopotamia — modern Iraq — where elaborate wooden and metal cult statues were central to worship. The naming of Cyrus (v. 28) is one of the most striking predictive prophecies in all of Scripture: Cyrus the Great, king of Persia (modern Iran), issued his famous decree around 538 BC allowing Jewish exiles to return to their homeland in Canaan (modern Israel/Palestine) and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Jeshurun (v. 2) is a poetic name for Israel, meaning "the upright one," used affectionately in Deuteronomy and here.

Cross-references

Deut 4:35 — "Yahweh is God; there is no one else besides him" — same monotheistic affirmation foundational to Isaiah's argument
Ezra 1:1–4 — The historical fulfillment of the Cyrus prophecy; his decree allowing Jews to return and rebuild Jerusalem
Isa 40:18–20 — Earlier satirical comparison showing no image can represent God, paired with the idolatry critique here
Isa 45:1 — Continues the prophecy about Cyrus, calling him God's anointed and detailing how God would open doors before him
Rev 1:17 — Jesus identifies himself as "the first and the last," echoing God's declaration in Isaiah 44:6

The Folly of Idols and the Naming of Cyrus

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Cross-references

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