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Isaiah 44

YHWH exposes the helplessness of idols and declares his power to forgive Israel, give his Spirit, and rebuild Jerusalem.

YHWH speaks to Jacob and Israel as his chosen servant, promising help and the gift of his Spirit to their descendants. He declares that no other god exists. A long account of craftsmen making idols exposes the folly of asking a carved piece of wood for rescue. YHWH then calls Israel to remember him and return, declaring their sins blotted out. The chapter closes with his promise to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple through Cyrus.

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1Yet listen now, Jacob my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen.
2This is what the LORD 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 the LORD’s.’ Another will be called by the name of Jacob; and another will write with his hand ‘to the LORD,’ and honor the name of Israel.”
6This is what the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD 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.”
9Everyone who makes a carved image is vain. The things that they delight in will not profit. Their own witnesses don’t see, nor know, that they may be disappointed.
10Who has fashioned a god, or molds an 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. He marks it out with compasses, and shapes it like the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to reside 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 cypress 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 carved image, and falls down to it.
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 he has shut their eyes, that they can’t see, and their hearts, 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, nor say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?”
21Remember 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 the LORD has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth! Break out into singing, you mountains, O forest, all of your trees, for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will glorify himself in Israel.
24The LORD, your Redeemer, and he who formed you from the womb says: “I am the LORD, 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,’ even saying of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built;’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Isaiah 44:3Water on dry ground pictures the life God promises through his Spirit and blessing on Israel’s descendants.
Isaiah 44:22God’s declaration that he has removed Israel’s sins grounds his call for his people to return.
Isaiah 44:6YHWH’s claim to be the only God frames the chapter’s exposure of idols and promises of restoration.
Where this chapter reaches

Joel and Acts share Isaiah’s language of God pouring out his Spirit, while Jeremiah shares its exposure of wooden idols made by human hands. Revelation shares the designation of first and last, language that declares divine rule over the whole span of history.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What stands out about the contrast between God forming Israel and craftsmen forming their gods?

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How does God’s declaration of redemption shape your understanding of his call to return?

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Questions people ask about Isaiah 44

Who is Cyrus in Isaiah 44:28?

Cyrus was the Persian king whom YHWH names as his shepherd, assigning him a role in Jerusalem’s restoration. Verse 28 connects his work with rebuilding the city and laying the temple’s foundation. The title describes his appointed task; the verse does not say that Cyrus worships YHWH.

What does pouring water on dry ground mean in Isaiah 44:3?

The promise of water and streams stands alongside God’s promise to pour his Spirit and blessing on Israel’s descendants. The next verse compares them to plants growing beside water. Together, these images describe renewed life and growth for God’s people, with their descendants declaring that they belong to YHWH.

Why does Isaiah 44 describe someone making an idol from wood?

Verses 14–20 follow one piece of wood from ordinary fuel to an object of worship. Part cooks food and provides warmth; the rest becomes a god asked to deliver its maker. The account exposes the idol’s dependence on human labor and the worshiper’s inability to recognize the contradiction.

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Isaiah · 66 chapters
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What the Bible says about guilt →What the Bible says about doubt →What the Bible says about worship →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).