Isaiah 43:10

10 You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.

Isaiah 43:10 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 43:10

Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord
The people of Israel, who could testify that the Lord had foretold their affliction in Egypt, their coming from thence, and settling in the land of Canaan, many hundreds of years before they came to pass, and which were exactly fulfilled; and so the apostles of Christ, and ministers of the word, and all Christian people in all nations, are witnesses of the prophecies concerning Christ, his birth, miracles, obedience, sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension to heaven, and session at the right hand of God, all which are exactly accomplished, ( Acts 1:8 ) : and my servant whom I have chosen;
meaning either the Prophet Isaiah, or the prophets in general; or rather the Messiah. So the Targum,

``and my servant the Messiah, in whom I am well pleased;''
and who is called the faithful witness, ( Revelation 1:5 ) ( 3:14 ) , and to whom the characters of a servant, and the Lord's chosen, well agree, ( Isaiah 42:1 ) : that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he;
by which testimonies and evident proofs of deity, from the prediction of future events, and the accomplishment of them, you may have a competent knowledge, a firm persuasion, and a clear perception of this important truth, that the God of Israel, and of all true Christians, is the one only Lord God: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me;
intimating that idols were formed by the hands of men, and yet none of these were formed before him, and therefore could make no pretensions to deity, or to an equality with him; nor should any be formed afterwards, that could be put in competition with him. In short, the sense is, there is no other god beside him; as the Targum, Septuagint, and Arabic versions render it.

Isaiah 43:10 In-Context

8 Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears!
9 Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. Who among them declared this, and foretold to us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to justify them, and let them hear and say, "It is true."
10 You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.
11 I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.
12 I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses, says the Lord.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.