Who bath declared from the beginning, that we may know: and from time of old, that we may say: Thou art just. There is none that sheweth, nor that foretelleth, nor that heareth your words.

“Who of the prophets of Baal told, like me, a thing destined to come, and who told it from before, that when it comes we will say that he is just, that his prophecy is just? Not one told But there is none among you who will foretell the future and that it will come true. not one hears your statements Who will testify when the future comes, that so and so the prophet of the Baal prophesied this from before.”

“"Let them be silent before me," etc. Here he begins to strengthen them toward a firm expectation, from the love of the God who promises. And it is divided into three parts. In the first he shows divine love from the benefits which he showed to the fathers; in the second, from the son whom he promised them, chapter 42: "Behold my servant," etc.; in the third, through the consolations which he foretells amid various distresses, chapter 43: "And now thus says the Lord," etc. Now by the benefits previously bestowed he intends the strengthening of the Jews and the refutation of the idols, which did not show such things to their worshippers; and therefore the first part is divided into two. In the first he disputes against the worshippers of idols; in the second against the idols themselves, at "Come near," etc.; the first into two: for first, by the benefits bestowed on the Jews, he convicts the adversaries; second, by the same he strengthens the Jews, "And you, Israel, my servant," etc. Concerning the first, three things. First he summons the nations to judgment, pursuing the order of judgment, that being silent they may hear, and thus respond. "Let them renew their strength," that is, let them strengthen themselves as if renewed in strength to dispute with me. Micah 6: "Let the mountains hear the judgment," etc. Second he recounts the benefit that was shown, "who called," where he recounts the multitude of benefits: as to the divine election, "from the east," namely Chaldea; "the just one," Abraham. Genesis 12, Job 23: "he has followed his steps," etc., Jeremiah 13: "as a girdle cleaves," etc., Hosea 9: "like the first fruits of the fig tree," etc.; as to the power granted, "he will give in his sight," namely when he freed Lot, fighting against four kings: Genesis 14. Psalm 1: "not so the wicked, not so," etc.; as to the ease of carrying it out, "he will pass in peace," that is, without labor; "the path," etc., as one who walks lightly, as it were leaving no trace of the way; or because the labor is in the feet, no sign of the way is left behind. Above, 40: "they shall run, and not labor," etc.; he seeks the author: "who has wrought this," and "who," calling, by eternal foreknowledge, below, 49: "the Lord from the womb," etc.; and he gives the response: "I the Lord," etc., Apocalypse 1: "I am Alpha," etc. Otherwise, according to the letter, it is expounded of Cyrus; mystically, of Christ. Third, he sets forth, as it were, the response of the Gentiles, in which they believed they could defend themselves by means of idols. And first he touches on their astonishment at the things alleged or the wonders seen, "the islands saw," etc., Psalm 76: "the waters saw you, O God," etc.; "they drew near," to resist. Second, he sets forth their mutual encouragement, "each one," etc., Job 40: "one shall cleave to another," etc. Third, he sets forth the fabrication of idols: "the one striking will strengthen," the iron with the hammer, he was forging, he was shaping the figure of the idol; saying of the glue, "it is good," for consolidating the idol: Wisdom 13: "setting it on the wall," etc. "And you, Israel," etc. In this part he strengthens the Jews from these same benefits: and first there is set forth the repetition of the past benefit in the election of the fathers Jacob and Abraham, by which they were universally distinguished from others: "Jacob whom," etc., Psalm 104: "the seed of Abraham his servant," etc., Romans 11: "but according to the election," etc. Second, there is set forth the promise of future things: and first as to immunity from evils, excluding fear: both on account of God's presence, "do not fear, because," etc., Jeremiah 1: "do not fear before the face," etc.; and on account of the justice of the fathers, "he has taken you up," as the promised seed, "of my just one," Abraham. Or "he has taken up," to defend, "the just one," Cyrus. Psalm 90: "in their hands they shall bear," etc.; setting forth also the removal of enemies as to their confusion, "behold they shall be confounded." Jeremiah 17: "let them be confounded who persecute me," etc.; as to destruction, "they shall be as if they were not." Above, 30: "to bring the nations to nothing," etc.; and the impossibility of restoration, "you shall seek them," etc., Psalm 36: "I saw the wicked, above," etc.; showing also the reason for the destruction, "because I the Lord," etc., Psalm 143: "send forth your hand," etc. Second, as to the abundance of goods: and first against servitude, setting forth the very yoke of servitude: "fear not, worm"; as one who is held vile and trodden upon like a worm, and reckoned as dead. Psalm 21: "I am a worm," etc.; setting forth also the divine help. Below, 41: "I have helped," etc.; setting forth also the benefit of exaltation, as to the subjugation of enemies, "I have set you," etc., above, 25: "and Moab shall be threshed," etc., which perhaps refers to the time of the Maccabees. And as to their exultation, "and you shall exult," etc., Canticle 1: "we shall rejoice and exult," etc. Second, against poverty, setting forth first the hardship of poverty, "the needy and the poor," etc., above, 5: "her nobles have perished," etc.; second, the divine purpose: "I the Lord," etc., Psalm: "he shall call upon me and I," etc.; third, he sets forth the benefit as to the abundance of waters in mountainous places: "I will open on the heights," etc., above, 30: "there shall be upon the mountain," etc.; and in desert places, "I will make a desert," that is, your land, previously deserted. Psalm 106: "he has turned the desert into pools," etc.; and as to the beauty of the trees, "I will give in the wilderness," etc., Ezekiel 30: "the plantations have multiplied," etc.; fourth, he sets forth the fruit of the benefit, "that they may see," etc., Ecclesiasticus 36: "let them know that there is no God," etc. "Come near," etc. Here he sets forth the dispute against the idols themselves: and first he sets forth the dispute; second, the determination of the sentence, "and I saw, and there was not," etc. Concerning the first, two things. First he disputes against the idols with universal arguments; second, by an argument taken from a certain particular deed, "I have raised up," etc. Concerning the first, three things. First he summons them to judgment: "come near," that is, draw near to me, that we may be judged together — you idols, or idolaters; "bring forth," that is, allege, if you have anything, that you may prove yourselves gods; "if you have something to say," etc., Psalm 81: "God has stood in the assembly," etc. Second, he proposes a twofold argument. One taken from divine knowledge, which fully knows all things, past and future, which the idols do not have: "the former things, what they were," etc. Ecclesiasticus 23: "to the Lord God before they were created," etc.; the other is taken from divine power, which can punish and do good: "also do good," etc., Baruch, last chapter: "nor if they suffer any evil," etc. Third, he concludes their defect: as to the material cause, "behold you," idols, are from nothing, from created matter; as to the formal cause, "a work," that is, an artificial form, which fashions in you a divinity that is not; and as to the efficient cause, "an abomination," that is, abominable — or: "you," the craftsmen; "your work," namely the idols; "who chose," the worshippers. 1 Corinthians 8: "we know that an idol," etc., Jeremiah 10: "every craftsman is confounded," etc. "I have raised up." Here he takes up a certain special deed to argue against the idols, and first he foretells a certain future thing: "from the north," the Chaldean; "from the east," the Persian, who subjugated to themselves various lands and princes. "Plastes," that is, the potter; "plasma," the thing formed. Mystically: by him who is from the north, the Gentile; by him who is from the east, Christ. Psalm 17: "as the mire of the streets," etc. Second, from this, under a question, he proposes the argument: that he who can foretell this is justly to be called God; and he who cannot, is not. "Who has announced it?" Below, 48: "assemble yourselves and hear," etc. Third, he excludes from the idols any indication of divinity: "there is none announcing," any among you gods; nor, any of the worshippers, "hearing," etc., Psalm 113: "they have eyes, and shall not see," etc. Fourth, he shows in the true God the sign of divinity. "The first," that is, our singular God. "Behold I am present," in help, the Evangelists, announcing future things. Daniel 2: "truly your God is God," etc.; or "the first," the prophet of the Lord, in the person of God; or "the first": the firstborn Son of God. Ephesians 4: "and he gave some indeed," etc. "And I saw." Here, from the dispute set forth above, he concludes the determination of the sentence: and it is evident of itself. Jeremiah 10 and 11: "they are vain, and a work worthy of laughter," etc. (Collationes, chapter 41.) Christ passed over in the peace of flesh to spirit, which he had — Job 5: "you shall know that it has peace," etc.; of man to neighbor, which he taught — below, 52: "how beautiful upon the mountains," etc.; of the world to God, which he made — Ephesians 2: "he made peace," etc. There moves one to preach: the instinct of faith — Psalm: "I believed, therefore," etc., 2 Corinthians 4, Apocalypse, last chapter; the goad of zeal — Jeremiah 20: "and it became in my heart," etc.; the greatness of the reward — Matthew 5: "whoever shall do and teach," etc. Christ took us up as a victor a captive, to set free — Genesis, last chapter: "to the prey, my son," etc.; Psalm: "lead out of custody"; as a physician the sick, to heal — Psalm: "who is merciful to all," etc.; as an advocate the accused, to excuse — 1 John 1: "we have an advocate," etc.; as the strong the weak, to defend — below, 63: "I who speak justice," etc., Exodus: "the Lord will fight," etc.; as a bridegroom the bride, to rejoice together — Hosea 2: "I will espouse you to me," etc. Water: tears poured out — Jeremiah 9: "who will give to my head," etc.; the cleanness of baptism — John 3: "unless one be born again," etc.; spiritual grace — John 7: "he who believes in me, rivers," etc.; divine wisdom — Ecclesiasticus 24: "I, wisdom, have poured forth," etc.; inner joy — Proverbs 5: "drink water," etc.”

“Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know?.... Who of the idols, or of their priests, that have declared things future before they came to pass, or ever predicted such an event as this before mentioned; which, if understood of Cyrus, was an hundred and fifty years before it came to pass; and if of Constantine, near a thousand years: and before time, that we may say, he is righteous? that is, who hath declared things before the time of the accomplishment of them, and they have come to pass, as they have been declared? by which it may be known that they are gods, or the priests of such that are so, by their having prescience of future events, or the spirit of prophecy; and so it may be said of them, that they are just in their pretensions, and have a rightful claim to deity, or are true prophets; so the Targum, "that we may say it is true'' yea, there is none that showeth, yea, there is none that declareth; that shows and declares things to come, or such as the true God shows and declares: yea, there is none that heareth your words; none of your worshippers that ever heard you speak a word, who, when they have prayed to you, could never have an answer; and therefore you have no just claim to deity; or ever heard any of your prophets say such a thing should come to pass, and it did.”

“Who--of the idolatrous soothsayers? When this prophecy shall be fulfilled, all shall see that God foretold as to Cyrus, which none of the soothsayers have. beforetime--before the event occurred. He is righteous--rather, "It is true"; it was a true prophecy, as the event shows. "He is righteous," in English Version, must be interpreted, The fulfilment of the idol's words proves that he is faithful. showeth, &c.--rather, "there was none (of the soothsayers) that showed . . . declared--no one has heard your words" foretelling the event.”

“As Isa 41:25 points back to the first charge against the heathen and their gods (Isa 41:2-7), so Isa 41:26-28 point back to the second. Not only did Jehovah manifest Himself as the Universal Ruler in the waking up of Cyrus, but as the Omniscient Ruler also. "Who hath made it known from the beginning, we will acknowledge it, and from former time, we will say He is in the right?! Yea, there was none that made known; yea, none that caused to hear; yea, none that heard your words. As the first I saith to Zion, Behold, behold, there it is: and I bestow evangelists upon Jerusalem. And I looked, and there was no man; and of these there was no one answering whom I would ask, and who would give me an answer." If any one of the heathen deities had foretold this appearance of Cyrus so long before as at the very commencement of that course of history which had thus reached its goal, Jehovah with His people, being thus taught by experience, would admit and acknowledge their divinity. מראשׁ is used in the same sense as in Isa 48:16 : and also in Isa 41:4 and Isa 40:21, where it refers according to the context in each case, to the beginning of the particular line of history. צדּיק signifies either "he is right," i.e., in the right (compare the Arabic siddik, genuine), or in a neuter sense, "it is right" (= true), i.e., the claim to divine honours is really founded upon divine performances. But there was not one who had proclaimed it, or who gave a single sound of himself; no one had heard anything of the kind from them. אין receives a retrospective character from the connection; and bearing this in mind, the participles may be also resolved into imperfects. The repeated אף, passing beyond what is set down as possible, declares the reality of the very opposite. What Jehovah thus proves the idols to want, He can lay claim to for Himself. In Isa 41:27 we need not assume that there is any hyperbaton, as Louis de Dieu, Rosenmller, and others have done: "I first will give to Zion and Jerusalem one bringing glad tidings: behold, behold them." After what has gone before in Isa 41:26 we may easily supply אמרתּי, "I said," in Isa 41:27 (compare Isa 8:19; Isa 14:16; Isa 27:2), not אמר, for the whole comparison drawn by Jehovah between Himself and the idols is retrospective, and looks back from the fulfilment in progress to the prophecies relating to it. The only reply that we can look for to the question in Isa 41:26 is not, "I on the contrary do it," but "I did it." At the same time, the rendering is a correct one: "Behold, behold them" (illa; for the neuter use of the masculine, compare Isa 48:3; Isa 38:16; Isa 45:8). "As the first," Jehovah replies (i.e., without any one anticipating me), "Have I spoken to Zion: behold, behold, there it is," pointing with the finger of prophecy to the coming salvation, which is here regarded as present; "and I gave to Jerusalem messengers of joy;" i.e., long ago, before what is now approaching could be known by any one, I foretold to my church, through the medium of prophets, the glad tidings of the deliverance from Babylon. If the author of chapters 40-66 were a prophet of the captivity, his reference here would be to such prophecies as Isa 11:11 (where Shinar is mentioned as a land of dispersion), and more especially still Mic 4:10, "There in Babylon wilt thou be delivered, there will Jehovah redeem thee out of the hand of thine enemies;" but if Isaiah were the author, he is looking back from the ideal standpoint of the time of the captivity, and of Cyrus more especially, to his own prophecies before the captivity (such as Isaiah 13:1-14:23, and Isa 21:1-10), just as Ezekiel, when prophesying of Gog and Magog, looks back in Isa 38:17 fro the ideal standpoint of this remote future, more especially to his own prophecies in relation to it. In that case the mebhassēr, or evangelist, more especially referred to is the prophet himself (Grotius and Stier), namely, as being the foreteller of those prophets to whom the commission in Isa 40:1, "Comfort ye, comfort ye," is addressed, and who are greeted in Isa 52:7-8 as the bearers of the joyful news of the existing fulfilment of the deliverance that has appeared, and therefore as the mebhassēr or evangelist of the future מבשׂרים. In any case, it follows from Isa 41:26, Isa 41:27 that the overthrow of Babylon and the redemption of Israel had long before been proclaimed by Jehovah through His prophets; and if our exposition is correct so far, the futures in Isa 41:28 are to be taken as imperfects: And I looked round (וארא, a voluntative in the hypothetical protasis, Ges. 128, 2), and there was no one (who announced anything of the kind); and of these (the idols) there was no adviser (with regard to the future, Num 24:14), and none whom I could ask, and who answered me (the questioner). Consequently, just as the raising up of Cyrus proclaimed the sole omnipotence of Jehovah, so did the fact that the deliverance of Zion-Jerusalem, for which the raising up of Cyrus prepared the way, had been predicted by Him long before, proclaim His sole omniscience.”