Isaiah 40:21-22
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? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The prophet isn't just asking rhetorical questions; he's pointing out how utterly inexcusable ignorance of God's power and sovereignty is. The "foundations of the earth" implies this knowledge isn't just ancient tradition, but a truth embedded in the very fabric of creation itself, accessible to anyone who truly looks.
The prophet Isaiah has just detailed the futility of idols, contrasting their lifeless creation with the living God. Now, he directly challenges those who cling to idolatry, asking if they truly haven't known or heard the most basic truths about the Creator. This verse emphasizes that God's existence and power are evident from the very creation of the world and have been passed down through tradition, making ignorance an inexcusable choice for both Jews and Gentiles.
Why does God repeatedly ask if we 'know' and 'hear'?
God isn't playing a guessing game; He's pointing to evidence everywhere.
Revealed in the Making
Isaiah confronts people – both the Israelites tempted by surrounding idolatry and the Gentiles themselves – with a simple yet profound question: Have you not noticed?
God expects us to recognize Him, not just through sacred texts, but through the magnificent reality He has constructed.
Why would God press this point so hard against the backdrop of idolatry?
The people Isaiah is addressing are surrounded by the worship of lifeless idols. This context is crucial to understanding his insistent questions.
The Empty Gods
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.
chuwg · Hebrew Noun
The high, arched vault of the sky; often used metaphorically to describe God's sovereignty over the entire created order.
shamayim · Hebrew Noun
The vast expanse above the earth, created by God to demonstrate His power and glory; serves as the dwelling place of His presence.
Isaiah's powerful questions in this verse are directed to a people who have experienced profound national trauma through exile and destruction. They serve as a stark reminder that God's existence and power are evident not only in creation itself but also in the unbroken historical tradition that proclaims Him, a tradition that the people, despite their suffering, should have remembered and understood.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of its people and the introduction of foreign populations into the land. This event significantly impacted the spiritual and national identity of the remaining Israelites.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah, deporting a portion of the population, including notable figures like Daniel. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Babylon deports more Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, intensifying the experience of exile and prompting further reflection on God's faithfulness and judgment.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
This passage echoes Isaiah's point by stating that God's invisible attributes and divine nature are clearly seen and understood through creation itself, just as Isaiah implies the foundations of the earth reveal God.
Psalm 19:1-4Similar to Isaiah's rhetorical questions, this Psalm highlights how the heavens declare God's glory and the firmament shows His handiwork, suggesting that God's existence and power are universally evident through His creation.
Jeremiah 10:11-12This passage directly contrasts the true God, who made the heavens and the earth, with the idols that cannot do these things, reinforcing Isaiah's argument that understanding the Creator is fundamental and evident from creation.
Acts 17:23-24Paul's speech in Athens illustrates Isaiah's theme by showing how the Apostle appeals to the Athenians' awareness of God as the Creator of all things, even worshipping an 'unknown god,' to lead them to the true God.
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 isn't just asking rhetorical questions; he's pointing out how utterly inexcusable ignorance of God's power and sovereignty is. The "foundations of the earth" implies this knowledge isn't just ancient tradition, but a truth embedded in the very fabric of creation itself, accessible to anyone who truly looks.
The prophet Isaiah has just detailed the futility of idols, contrasting their lifeless creation with the living God. Now, he directly challenges those who cling to idolatry, asking if they truly haven't known or heard the most basic truths about the Creator. This verse emphasizes that God's existence and power are evident from the very creation of the world and have been passed down through tradition, making ignorance an inexcusable choice for both Jews and Gentiles.
"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? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like…" — The prophet isn't just asking rhetorical questions; he's pointing out how utterly inexcusable ignorance of God's power and sovereignty is. The "foundations of the earth" implies this knowledge isn't…
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The call is to turn from the useless, man-made objects to the living God who spoke the world into existence.
The Babylonians utterly destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, completing the devastation of Judah and leading to a final, larger exile. This event represents the nadir of Israel's national and spiritual life.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, paving the way for the return of the Jewish exiles to their homeland.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus and Return of Exiles
Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. This marks a pivotal moment of hope and restoration.
