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Isaiah 45:16

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 45:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “They shall be put to shame, yea, confounded, all of them; they shall go into confusion together that are makers of idols.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

They shall be put to shame, yea, confounded, all of them; they shall go into confusion together that are makers of idols.
Isaiah 45:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 45

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward, saith Jehovah of hosts.
14Thus saith Jehovah, The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall go after thee, in chains they shall come over; and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, [saying], Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.
15Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.
16They shall be put to shame, yea, confounded, all of them; they shall go into confusion together that are makers of idols.
17[But] Israel shall be saved by Jehovah with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be put to shame nor confounded world without end.
18For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, that established it and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah; and there is none else.
19I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I, Jehovah, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
← Isaiah 45:15Isaiah 45:17 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them, &c.] This refers not to any persons spoken of before; not to Israel or the church, or converts among the Gentiles that came to her; but to those that follow, of whom the same is said in other words: they shall go to confusion together, that are makers of idols; the Targum is, “worshippers of images;” both may be designed: this refers to the first times of the Gospel, and its coming into the Gentile world, and its success there; when the oracles of the Heathens were struck dumb; idols and idol temples were forsaken; and Paganism was abolished in the Roman empire; and when the gods they served could not help them, but they fled to the…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“ashamed--"disappointed" in their expectation of help from their idols (see on Isa 42:17; Psa 97:7).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“They shall be ashamed and confounded - That is, they shall find all their hopes fail, and shall be suffused with shame that they were ever so senseless as to trust in blocks of wood and stone (see the notes at Isaiah 1:29; Isaiah 20:5; Isaiah 30:5; Isaiah 43:17). They shall go to confusion - They shall all retire in shame and disgrace. That is, when they have gone to supplicate their idols, they shall find them unable to render them any aid, and they shall retire with shame. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Isa 45:20, Isa 41:19, Isa 42:17, Isa 44:9, Isa 44:11; Psa 97:7; Jer 2:26, Jer 2:27, Jer 10:14, Jer 10:15 Isaiah 45:17”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“The way in which this God who hides Himself is ultimately revealed as the God of salvation, is then pointed out in Isa 45:16, Isa 45:17 : "They are put to shame, and also confounded, all of them; they go away into confusion together, the forgers of idols. Israel is redeemed by Jehovah with everlasting redemption: ye are not put to shame nor confounded to everlasting eternities." The perfects are expressive of the ideal past. Jehovah shows Himself as a Savour by the fact, that whereas the makers of idols perish, Israel is redeemed an everlasting redemption (acc. obj. as in Isa 14:6; Isa 22:17; Ges. 138, 1, Anm. 1), i.e., so that its redemption is one that lasts for aeons (αἰωνία λύτρωσις,…”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification