Exposition of Isaiah 46
The setting: Isaiah 1–45 in brief
Isaiah spoke Judah in the eighth century BC, when Assyria dominated the region and Babylon was arising as a mighty power. Isaiah’s vision looked beyond his generation to the Babylonian exile, Israel’s restoration, the coming Messiah, the salvation of the nations, and the establishment of God’s kingdom
Chapters 1–5 Covenant rebellion: Judah is religious but practices injustice and idolatry. God will purify Judah through His discipline and restore righteousness.
Chapter 6 — Isaiah’s commission: The prophet sees The Lord enthroned in holiness. Isaiah is sent to a spiritually hardened people, but the “holy seed” and a remnant is preserved.
Chapters 7–12 — Immanuel and the Davidic King: During the Syro-Ephraimite crisis, Judah is commanded to trust God rather than political alliances. The prophecies concerning Immanuel point to the expectation of a Davidic ruler who brings worldwide righteousness and peace (Isaiah 7:14; 9:5–6; 11:1–10).
Chapters 13–23 — Judgment of the nations: Babylon, Assyria, Moab, Egypt, Tyre, and others are accountable to Israel’s God. The Lord is not a territorial deity but the Judge of the whole earth.
Chapters 24–27 — Worldwide judgment and hope of resurrection: These chapters look toward final judgment, the defeat of evil, Israel’s restoration, and the resurrection of the dead (26:19–21).
Chapters 28–35 — Woes and restoration: Human alliances fail, but a righteous King will reign. The wilderness will blossom, the redeemed will return, and Zion will rejoice.
Chapters 36–39 — Hezekiah’s impact: Jerusalem’s is rescued from Assyria through the faith of the king. Hezekiah’s failure with the Babylonian envoys, anticipates Babylonian exile.
Chapters 40–45 — Comfort, the Servant, and Cyrus: God comforts Israel, declares His sovereignty, introduces and names Cyrus as His chosen servant who will overthrow Babylon and establish Israel’s return.
Isaiah 46 serves as a turning point. Isaiah 45 announced Cyrus’s victories; chapter 46 portrays Babylon’s gods falling before the God of Israel.
46:1–2 — Gods that must be carried – Bel, another title for Marduk, and Nebo were Babylonian gods. Worshipers carried their gods. Isaiah describes their inability to save.
Rashi calls Isaiah’s remarks as the language of ridicule: Babylon’s “glorious” gods are helpless. His explanation emphasizes Isaiah’s contempt for idolatry (Rashi on Isaiah 46:1).
The contrast that Isaiah makes is that Babylon’s people must carry their gods. While Israel’s God carries His people. Idols are a burden where the God of Israel bears Israel’s burdens.
Anything that we must support for it to sustain us has become an idol: wealth, political power, technology, ideology, reputation, or even religion.
Isaiah 46:3–4 — “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob…you who have been borne by Me from birth…Even to your old age I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you.”
The “house of Jacob” and “remnant of the house of Israel” are benefactors of God’s faithfulness to Israel. This did not begin with Israel’s obedience; it began with His election and covenant. This is evidence of God’s grace to Israel.
The four verbs in verse 4 are significant, “I made.” I will bear.” “I will carry.” “I will deliver.” Israel’s on-going existence is a testimony to God’s covenant faithfulness. Empires and nations that attempted to destroy Israel have passed away, but the Jewish people remain.
This rules out replacement theology. The Church has not become a reason for God to discard Israel. Paul cites this covenant in Romans 9–11: Israel remains beloved because of the patriarchs, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:28–29).
Isaiah 46:5–7 — Who is like God? “To whom will you liken Me and make Me equal?”
A craftsman forms an idol from materials provided by its worshiper. The worshiper then bows before the object he commissioned. When trouble comes, the idol neither moves nor answers. An idol has no life or independent reality at all. It is the projection of human desire.
We do the same whenever we attempt to create God in our own image, a deity who always confirms our politics, excuses our sin, or guarantees our comfort. Yeshua brings the same confrontation. He does not offer help to complement our existing ways; He calls people to abandon everything that comes before Him (Matthew 6:24).
V 8–11 — God calls His people to look at God’s hand in history. “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other…declaring the end from the beginning.”
Israel is commanded to remember. Biblical faith rests on God’s past acts, creation, the Exodus, The covenant at Sinai and His preservation of His people, His judgment, and restoration, not just personal and private spiritual experiences.
God’s foreknowledge in verses 9–10 is part of His sovereignty: “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose.”
The “bird of prey from the east” in verse 11 is Cyrus. He would come from Persia and accomplish God’s purpose against Babylon. Cyrus did not know Israel’s God in a covenant relationship (Isaiah 45:4–5), but God nevertheless God raised Him up for His purposes to accomplish His will for His covenant people.
Cyrus is important but should not be identified with Yeshua. The Hebrew mashiach in Isaiah 45:1 means “anointed” and can designate a ruler appointed for a particular task. Cyrus is a historical, Gentile deliverer whom God uses to liberate Israel. Just as God raised up Nebuchadnezzar to be His hand of discipline to bring Israel into captivity.
The Talmud itself recognizes a distinction between Cyrus and the final Messiah. In a discussion of Isaiah 45:1, it asks, “Was Cyrus really Messiah?” and portrays Cyrus as falling short because he only permitted the Jews to return instead of personally completing the Temple and gathering the exiles (Megillah 12a).
This complements what is revealed in the New Covenant: Cyrus defeated historical Babylon. Yeshua defeats sin, death, and ultimately the kingdom represented by Babylon. Cyrus authorized a partial return. Messiah brings Israel’s complete redemption and the restoration of all creation. Cyrus is therefore one of many divine analogies that we find throughout Scripture providing a pattern, not the ultimate fulfillment.
V 12–13 — Salvation provided “Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted…My righteousness is near; it is not far off, and My salvation will not delay. I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel My glory.”
“Stubborn-hearted” refers to Israel who had difficulty trusting that God would deliver them. God’s saving ways does not rest on their ability to imagine how He will fulfill it.
The chapter ends not with Israel being assimilated into the nations but with God providing salvation and deliverance to His people. To glory given to Israel as their conquerors are overthrown and God’s purposes for His people are fulfilled.
I have called our studies “The Gospel according to Isaiah” Let’s see how the Gospel has been portrayed thus far:
Yeshua’s first and second comings
Isaiah’s prophecies display Messiah’s suffering, mission to the nations, judgment, and His reign within his prophetic visions. The New Testament clarifies that this as it unfolds in both of His comings.
At His first coming, Yeshua came as the humble Servant:
He brought God’s justice gently to the nations (Isaiah 42:1–4; Matthew 12:15–21).
He became a covenant and light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6; Luke 2:29–32).
He bore sin and provided atonement (Isaiah 52:13–53:12).
He declared the good news promised to Israel (Isaiah 61:1–2; Luke 4:16–21).
Targum Jonathan identifies the servant of Isaiah 42:1 as “My servant, the Messiah” (Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 42). This demonstrates that a personal Messianic interpretation of Isaiah’s Servant was not alien to Jewish tradition.
Yeshua accomplished redemption at His first coming, but the visible transformation of the nations and Israel’s national restoration await their fullness.
The second coming – At His return, Yeshua will openly accomplish what the prophets associate with the reign of the Davidic Messiah:
He will judge rebellious nations.
He will defeat the rebellious reign of a revived Babylon.
He will deliver and spiritually renew Israel.
He will gather Israel’s dispersed among the nations. Bringing them back to the Land.
He will reign from Jerusalem
He will extend God’s righteousness throughout the earth.
Rashi reads Isaiah 11:1 as the coming of “the King Messiah” who will redeem Israel’s exiles (Rashi on Isaiah 11:1). Messianic Jews identify this promised son of David with Yeshua and see what is unfulfilled to be fulfilled at Isaiah 11 His return.
Isaiah 46 displays this two-coming pattern:
| Isaiah 46 | First coming | Second coming |
| God’s salvation comes near | Atonement and reconciliation through Yeshua | Deliverance and kingdom rule |
| Idols are exposed | The gospel frees people from spiritual bondage | Every rebellious power is overthrown |
| God carries Israel | Israel is preserved through dispersion | Israel is gathered, delivered, and renewed |
| Salvation is placed in Zion | The gospel goes out from Jerusalem | Messiah reigns and is glorified in Zion |
Israel, the tribulation, and prophetic preparation
The present regathering of Jewish people to the land may be the providential preparation for events surrounding Messiah’s return. It harmonizes with the prophetic expectation that Israel will again exist as a people in the Promised land.
However, we should avoid claiming that every political or military development is a direct fulfillment of a particular verse. Yeshua forbids date-setting, and prophecy should produce faithfulness rather than sensationalism (Matthew 24:36–44; Acts 1:6–8).
Scripture describes several aspects of Israel’s preparation:
Physical preservation and regathering.
God preserves Israel as a people and brings Jewish people back to the land (Isaiah 11:11–12; Ezekiel 36:24).
Exposure of false securities.
Like the fall of Bel and Nebo, future upheaval will demonstrate that military strength, international alliances, wealth, and human government cannot provide ultimate deliverance.
A time of severe distress.
Isaiah 26:20–21, Daniel 12:1, Jeremiah 30:7, Zechariah 12–14, and Yeshua’s teaching in Matthew 24 anticipate an unparalleled period of trouble preceding final deliverance. Christians differ over the timing and nature of the Church’s presence during this period, so its details should be held with humility.
Spiritual awakening.
Israel’s ultimate preparation is not merely territorial but spiritual. Zechariah 12:10 anticipates a Spirit-given recognition of the pierced one, while Romans 11:25–27 expects a future turning associated with the Deliverer coming from Zion.
Messiah’s direct intervention.
Israel’s final hope is not a nation, alliance, or political leader. It is the covenant-keeping God acting through the Messiah. Isaiah 46 insists that God Himself carries and delivers Israel.
Rabbinic tradition also connects redemption with repentance. Sanhedrin 98a discusses Isaiah’s language of redemption being either “hastened” or arriving “in its time,” relating the question of timing to Israel’s response to God (Sanhedrin 98a). The New Testament likewise calls Israel and the nations to repentance, while grounding final redemption in God’s sovereign faithfulness.
Isaiah helps us to understand that the gospel is the fulfillment of Israel’s story, not its replacement. Yeshua is Israel’s Messiah, the son of David and the Servant of the Lord. Gentile believers are grafted into Israel’s olive tree; they do not replace its natural branches (Romans 11:17–24).
This understanding protects the Church from arrogance and antisemitism. Paul explicitly warns Gentile believers, “Do not boast against the branches.” Isaiah 46 teaches that God carries Israel even through judgment and unbelief.
The Gospel of Isaiah gives God’s people confidence in God’s promises. If God could permanently abandon Israel, no believer could be certain of His relationship with God and that He is faithful to His covenant. Israel’s preservation is evidence that “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
The Church, like Israel, is carried by grace. We do not carry God through our institutions, traditions, or political influence. He carries us.
This message shapes our mission: proclaim Yeshua to Jews and Gentiles, understand and honor the Jewish roots of our faith, and oppose antisemitism because, in Messiah, we have been joined to God’s chosen people. We should pray for Israel – for individuals and the nation, and for their spiritual redemption. Considering the Jewish people’s present regathering to the Land in unbelief, we should also prepare for Messiah’s return at any time by living holy lives in Him.
Isaiah 46 asks us as it asked Israel: Will you carry your god, or will you trust the God who carries you?
Babylon’s gods failed to deliver them in their day of judgment. Israel’s God, however, carries His covenant people from their birth to their old age. He foretells Cyrus, overthrows Babylon, places salvation in Zion, and guarantees that His purpose will stand.
Israel and our calling reach its calling in Yeshua: the Servant who bore sin at His first coming and is the Davidic King who will return to deliver Israel, judge evil, and establish righteousness throughout the earth. Our response should not focus on prophetic speculation or boasting, but remembrance, repentance, faithfulness, and confident hope: “I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it” (Isaiah 46:11).
