Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet's series of questions isn't just asking if people know about God, but rather if they've failed to grasp the most evident truths. It points to a willful blindness – even the very structure and existence of the earth, "from the foundations," screams of its Creator, yet people choose not to "hear" or "understand." This isn't about a lack of information, but a refusal to acknowledge the obvious divine architect.
Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Isaiah has just described the futility of idols and the foolishness of comparing them to God. He now poses a series of rhetorical questions, challenging listeners – both those who worship idols and potentially the Israelites themselves – on whether they truly grasp the self-evident greatness of the Creator. The prophet is emphasizing that God's existence and power have been evident since the beginning of the world and are clearly demonstrated in His creation, making ignorance or misunderstanding inexcusable.
Have you ever looked up at the stars or felt the solid ground beneath your feet and just known there's something more?
The prophet Isaiah doesn't just ask rhetorical questions; he points to the very nature of reality. He's saying that the knowledge of God isn't some obscure secret only revealed to a few.
The World as a Witness
What happens when we know something is true but choose to ignore it?
Ask a follow-up
Isaiah's repeated questions – 'Do you not know? Do you not hear?' – aren't just a gentle reminder; they carry a weight of frustration, bordering on condemnation. He's addressing a profound spiritual problem: willful ignorance.
Blinding Ourselves
Understand the original words
re'shiyth · Hebrew Noun
The foundational epoch or start of history, often pointing back to God's act of creation or the revelation of His truth to humanity.
muwcad · Hebrew Noun
The established order or base upon which the world was founded by God; signifies the point of creation.
This passage resonates deeply in the context of the Assyrian invasions and the looming threat of Babylonian exile. Isaiah's questions challenge a people surrounded by imperial might and internal spiritual decay, urging them to remember God's ultimate power as Creator, not just as a deliverer in a specific crisis.
c. 750-700 BC
Assyrian Empire's Height
Isaiah prophesies during a period of immense Assyrian power, a dominating force in the ancient Near East whose presence loomed large over Judah and other nations.
c. 734-732 BC
Syro-Ephraimitic War
The northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) and Syria conspire against Judah. Isaiah advises King Ahaz to trust God, not alliances, a message met with resistance.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The capital of the northern kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrians, leading to the exile of its people. This event serves as a stark warning to Judah about the consequences of disobedience.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Assyrian Invasion of Judah
King Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah, conquering many cities and besieging Jerusalem. This is a pivotal moment Isaiah addresses, stressing reliance on God.
Post-701 BC
Hezekiah's Reforms
Following the Assyrian crisis, King Hezekiah implements religious reforms, attempting to centralize worship in Jerusalem and turn people away from idolatry.
c. 605-562 BC
Babylonian Captivity Begins
Under Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon rises to power, exiling segments of the Judahite population, including many intellectuals and artisans, beginning a period of exile.
This passage echoes Isaiah's point by stating that God's eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived 'since the creation of the world' through what has been made, directly correlating with understanding God from the foundations of the earth.
Psalm 19:1-4This psalm illustrates the concept that the heavens declare God's glory, and their 'speech' goes out to all the earth, showing that God's existence and power are evident through creation itself, as Isaiah implies.
Job 12:7-10This passage provides a similar argument to Isaiah's, asking 'But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee.' It emphasizes that even the natural world testifies to the Creator's hand.
Acts 17:22-28Paul's sermon in Athens highlights that God is not far from any one of us, as 'in him we live, and move, and have our being,' and that He has made humankind 'from one man to rule over the whole earth.' This reflects Isaiah's message about God's sovereignty and accessibility through creation.
bensonIsaiah 40:21: "Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?"
Isaiah 40:21-24 . Have ye not known — Jehovah to be the only true God, the Maker and Governor of the world, and all its inhabitants? How can ye be ignorant of so evident a truth? He addresses his speech to the idolatrous Gentiles; from the beginning — Namely, of the world, as the next clause explains it: were not these infinite perfections…
barnesIsaiah 40:21: "Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?"
Have ye not known? - This is evidently an address to the worshippers of idols, and either designed to be addressed to the Jews themselves in the times of Manasseh, when idolatry abounded, or to all idolaters. The prophet had in the previous verses shown the manner in which the idols were made, and the folly of regarding them as objects of…
The prophet's series of questions isn't just asking if people know about God, but rather if they've failed to grasp the most evident truths. It points to a willful blindness – even the very structure and existence of the earth, "from the foundations," screams of its Creator, yet people choose not to "hear" or "understand." This isn't about a lack of information, but a refusal to acknowledge the obvious divine architect.
Isaiah has just described the futility of idols and the foolishness of comparing them to God. He now poses a series of rhetorical questions, challenging listeners – both those who worship idols and potentially the Israelites themselves – on whether they truly grasp the self-evident greatness of the Creator. The prophet is emphasizing that God's existence and power have been evident since the beginning of the world and are clearly demonstrated in His creation, making ignorance or misunderstanding inexcusable.
Isaiah has just described the futility of idols and the foolishness of comparing them to God. He now poses a series of rhetorical questions, challenging listeners – both those who worship idols and potentially the Israelites themselves – on whether they truly grasp the self-evident greatness of the Creator. The prophet is emphasizing that God's existence and power have been evident since the beginning of the world and are clearly demonstrated in His creation, making ignorance or misunderstanding inexcusable.
"Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?" — The prophet's series of questions isn't just asking if people know about God, but rather if they've failed to grasp the most evident truths. It points to a willful blindness – even the very structu…
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Last reviewed October 2026