I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.
properly · verb, hiphil perfect, 1st person common singular
things
הָרִֽאשֹׁנוֹת֙ha.ri.sho.nOt
H7223
first · definite article + ordinal number, feminine plural absolute
beginning
מֵאָ֣זme.'Az
H227
at that time or place · preposition + adverb
forth
יָצְא֖וּya.tze.'U
H3318
to go (causatively · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
mouth
וּמִפִּ֥יu.mi.Pi
H6310
the mouth (as the means of blowing) · conjunction + preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
shewed
וְאַשְׁמִיעֵ֑םve.'ash.mi.'Em
H8085
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attent… · conjunction + verb, hiphil, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
did
עָשִׂ֖יתִי'a.Si.ti
H6213
to do or make · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
suddenly
פִּתְאֹ֥םpit.'Om
H6597
instantly · adverb
pass
וַתָּבֹֽאנָהva.ta.Vo.nah
H935
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine plural
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Isaiah 42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
Joshua 21:45 There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.
Isaiah 41:22 Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know…
Isaiah 44:7-8 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are c…
Isaiah 45:21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time…
Isaiah 43:9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let t…
Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Joshua 23:14-15 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath fai…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Isaiah 48:1-8
We may observe here,
I. The hypocritical profession which many of the Jews made of religion and relation to God. To those who made such a profession the prophet is here ordered to address himself, for their conviction and humiliation, that they might own God's justice in what he had brought upon them. Now observe here,
1. How high their profession of religion soared, what a fair show they made in the flesh and how far they went towards heaven, what a good livery they wore and what a good face they put upon a very bad heart. (1.) They were the house of Jacob; they had a place and a name in the visible church. Jacob have I loved. Jacob is God's chosen; and they are not only retainers to his fa…
former--things which have happened in time past to Israel (Isa 42:9; Isa 44:7-8; Isa 45:21; Isa 46:10).
suddenly--They came to pass so unexpectedly that the prophecy could not have resulted from mere human sagacity.
John Gill on Isaiah 48:3
I have declared the former things from the beginning,.... From the time of their first ancestors, from the time of Abraham their father, to whom was declared what should befall his posterity; that they should sojourn in Egypt, be afflicted there, and come out from thence with great substance; that they be brought into the land of Canaan, and the inhabitants of it being driven out before them, Genesis 15:13.
And they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them; they were told to Abraham by word of mouth; they were shown to him in prophecy:
I did them suddenly, and they came to pass; for very quickly these things began to take place, even in Abraham's time; for his seed being a stranger in…
Long ago have I declared the former things. He accuses the Jews of ingratitude, because they distrust God, who has given every possible proof of his goodness, in order to establish them in sincere confidence; and therefore he takes away from them every excuse, by saying, that "he declared the former things." He appears to speak not of their deliverance from Babylon, but of other benefits which the Lord had bestowed on that nation; as if he had said that God began, long before this, to foretell to his people what would happen, and never promised anything which he did not perform, and yet that his people, after having received so many proofs, did not place confidence in his certain and infalli…
The Church Fathers
The adversities that have come on you were announced by me well beforehand, in order that you would be frightened by threats and driven to repentance, so that you may steer clear of the dreadful events. But since you failed to believe my words, I will now proceed to demonstrate their truth by my actions. For you see what is added, "I acted suddenly, and the events came to pass."
It is not in human nature to know things that are to come. I am the God who foretells them even now and who did so throughout former times. In addition, the predictions that previously came through the mouths of my other prophets as declarative of many things to come were reported by and complied with by those prophesying, to whom the events seemed to fit the words of the other prophets.
(Verse 3, 4 and following) I announced the former things long ago, they went out from my mouth, and I made them heard. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. For I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your forehead is bronze. I foretold them to you long ago, before they came to pass I announced them to you, lest you should say, 'My idols did these things, and my carved images and molded idols commanded them.' You have heard; see all this. And will you not declare it? I have made known to you new things from this time, even hidden things which you have not known. They are created now, and not from before; even until this day you have not heard of them, lest you should say, 'Behold, I knew them!' Neither have you heard, nor have you known, nor from that time your ear has been opened. For I knew that you would deal treacherously, and called you a transgressor from the womb. For my name's sake I will defer my anger, and for my praise I will hold it back from you, so that you do not cut off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of poverty. Because of me, because of me I will act, so that I may not blaspheme; and I will not give my glory to another. I have announced beforehand: and from my mouth they have gone forth, and it has been heard: suddenly I have done it, and they have come. I know that you are stubborn, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your forehead is bronze. I have announced it to you long ago, before it came to pass, so that you would not say, 'My idols have made these things for me, and my images and molded idols have commanded them to me.' You have heard all, and you have not understood: but I have told you new things that will happen now. And you did not say, now they are happening, and not in the past days. Do not even say that you knew them: neither do you know, nor do you understand, nor have you opened your ears from the beginning. For I know that you will act deceitfully: and you will be called unjust even from the womb. Because of my name, I will show you my anger: and I will bring my glory upon you, so that I do not kill you. Behold, I have sold you not for silver: I have redeemed you out of the furnace of poverty: for my own sake will I do this, lest my name should be polluted: and I will not give my glory to another. I have declared to you the things that are to…
Isaiah 48:3 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
After this summons, and description of those who are summoned, the address of Jehovah begins. "The first I have long ago proclaimed, and it has gone forth out of my mouth, and I caused it to be heard. I carried it out suddenly, and it came to pass. Because I knew that thou art hard, and thy neck an iron clasp, and thy brow of brass; I proclaimed it to thee long ago; before it came to pass, I caused thee to hear it, that thou mightest not say, My idol has done it, and my graven image and molten image commanded it." The word הראשׁנות in itself signifies simply priora; and then, according to the context, it signifies prius facta (Isa 46:9), or prius praedicta (Isa 43:9), or prius eventura (Isa…
The Lord had forewarned Israel of what was going to happen in the Exile.
Rashi on Isaiah 48:3
The first things that passed, [viz.] the redemption from Egypt and Hezekiah’s salvation from the hand of Sennacherib.
I told from then When they had not yet come about, and suddenly I did it.
and they came to pass as I told before through My prophets.
