Isaiah 41:23 (YLT)

Passage

Declare the things that are coming hereafter, And we know that ye <FI>are<Fi> gods, Yea, ye may do good or do evil, And we look around and see <FI>it<Fi> together.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 41:21 Bring near your cause, saith Jehovah, Bring nigh your mighty ones, saith the king of Jacob.

Isaiah 41:22 They bring nigh, and declare to us that which doth happen, The first things--what they <FI>are<Fi> declare ye, And we set our heart, and know their latter end, Or the coming things cause us to hear.

Isaiah 41:23 Declare the things that are coming hereafter, And we know that ye <FI>are<Fi> gods, Yea, ye may do good or do evil, And we look around and see <FI>it<Fi> together.

Isaiah 41:24 Lo, ye <FI>are<Fi> of nothing, and your work of nought, An abomination--it fixeth on you.

Isaiah 41:25 I have stirred up <FI>one<Fi> from the north, And he cometh, From the rising of the sun he calleth in My name, And he cometh in <FI>on<Fi> prefects as <FI>on<Fi> clay, And as a potter treadeth down mire.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "declare", "things", "coming", "hereafter", "gods", "good", "evil", and "look". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "declare" and "things", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "They bring nigh and declare to us..." into verse 24's "Lo ye FI are Fi of nothing...", so "declare" and "things" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "declare" and "things" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.