Isaiah 48:7
New International Version
They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot say, ‘Yes, I knew of them.’

New Living Translation
They are brand new, not things from the past. So you cannot say, ‘We knew that all the time!’

English Standard Version
They are created now, not long ago; before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’

Berean Standard Bible
They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot claim, ‘I already knew them!’

King James Bible
They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.

New King James Version
They are created now and not from the beginning; And before this day you have not heard them, Lest you should say, ‘Of course I knew them.’

New American Standard Bible
“They are created now and not long ago; And before today you have not heard them, So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’

NASB 1995
“They are created now and not long ago; And before today you have not heard them, So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’

NASB 1977
“They are created now and not long ago; And before today you have not heard them, Lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’

Legacy Standard Bible
They are created now and not long ago; And before today you have not heard them, Lest you say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’

Amplified Bible
“They are created now [called into being by the prophetic word] and not long ago; And before today you have not heard of them, So that you will not say, ‘Oh yes! I knew them.’

Christian Standard Bible
They have been created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today, so you could not claim, ‘I already knew them! ’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They have been created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today, so you could not claim, ‘I already knew them!’

American Standard Version
They are created now, and not from of old; and before this day thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.

Contemporary English Version
Today I am doing something new, something you cannot say you have heard before.

English Revised Version
They are created now, and not from of old; and before this day thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They are created now, not in the past. You haven't heard about them before today, so you can't say that you already knew about them.

Good News Translation
Only now am I making them happen; nothing like this took place in the past. If it had, you would claim that you knew all about it.

International Standard Version
They are created now, and not long ago; you didn't hear them before today, so you cannot say, 'Yes, I knew them.'

Majority Standard Bible
They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot claim, ?I already knew them!?

NET Bible
Now they come into being, not in the past; before today you did not hear about them, so you could not say, 'Yes, I know about them.'

New Heart English Bible
They are created now, and not from of old; and before this day you did not hear them; lest you should say, 'Look, I knew them.'

Webster's Bible Translation
They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardst them not; lest thou shouldst say, Behold, I knew them.

World English Bible
They are created now, and not from of old. Before today, you didn’t hear them, lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Now they have been produced and not from that time, "" Indeed, before the day, and you have not heard them, "" Lest you say, Behold, I have known them.

Young's Literal Translation
Now they have been produced and not from that time, Yea, before the day, and thou hast not heard them, Lest thou say, 'Lo, I have known them.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Now were they created and not from then; and before the day and thou heardest them not; lest thou shalt say, Behold, I knew them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They are created now, and not of old: and before the day, when thou heardest them not, lest thou shouldst say: Behold I knew them.

Catholic Public Domain Version
They are created now, and not in that time. And even before today, you did not hear of them; otherwise, you might say, “Behold, I knew them.”

New American Bible
Now, not from of old, they are created, before today you did not hear of them, so that you cannot claim, “I have known them.”

New Revised Standard Version
They are created now, not long ago; before today you have never heard of them, so that you could not say, “I already knew them.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
They are created now, and not of old; even before the day when you did not hear of them, lest you should say, Behold, I knew them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And from now they are created and not from former time; from before the day you had not heard them, lest you would say, "I know them"
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
They are created now, and not from of old, And before this day thou heardest them not; Lest thou shouldest say: 'Behold, I knew them.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Now they come to pass, and not formerly: and thou heardest not of them in former days: say not thou, Yea, I know them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Israel's Stubbornness
6You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not acknowledge them? From now on I will tell you of new things, hidden things unknown to you. 7They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot claim, ‘I already knew them!’ 8You have never heard; you have never understood; for a long time your ears have not been open. For I knew how deceitful you are; you have been called a rebel from birth.…

Cross References
Isaiah 42:9
Behold, the former things have happened, and now I declare new things. Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”

Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

Isaiah 46:9-10
Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. / I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’

Jeremiah 31:22
How long will you wander, O faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the land—a woman will shelter a man.”

Ezekiel 36:26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

Revelation 21:5
And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are faithful and true.”

Isaiah 65:17
For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

Jeremiah 33:3
Call to Me, and I will answer and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Psalm 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

Romans 16:25-26
Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery concealed for ages past / but now revealed and made known through the writings of the prophets by the command of the eternal God, in order to lead all nations to the obedience that comes from faith—

Ephesians 3:5
which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.

Colossians 1:26
the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now revealed to His saints.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10
Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” / But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

Isaiah 41:22-23
“Let them come and tell us what will happen. Tell the former things, so that we may reflect on them and know the outcome. Or announce to us what is coming. / Tell us the things that are to come, so that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do something good or evil, that we may look on together in dismay.


Treasury of Scripture

They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when you heard them not; lest you should say, Behold, I knew them.

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Isaiah 48
1. God, to convince the people of their foreknown obstinance, revealed his prophecies
9. He saves them for his own sake
12. He exhorts them to obedience, because of his power and providence
16. He laments their backwardness
20. He powerfully delivers his people out of Babylon














They are created now
This phrase emphasizes the immediacy and freshness of God's actions. In the Hebrew, the word for "created" is "bara," which is the same word used in Genesis 1:1, indicating a divine act of creation. This suggests that God is doing something entirely new, something that has not been seen or experienced before. It underscores God's sovereignty and His ability to bring forth new realities and possibilities in the lives of His people. Historically, this can be seen as a message of hope to the Israelites, who were in exile and longing for deliverance. It reassures them that God is actively working in their present situation.

and not long ago
This phrase contrasts the newness of God's creation with the past. It implies that what God is doing is not a continuation of the old but a fresh start. The Hebrew word for "long ago" is "me'az," which can also mean "from ancient times." This highlights the distinction between God's eternal nature and His timely interventions in human history. It serves as a reminder that while God is eternal, His actions are timely and relevant to the current needs of His people.

you have not heard of them before today
This phrase indicates that the people were previously unaware of what God was doing. The Hebrew word for "heard" is "shama," which means to hear, listen, or obey. This suggests that the people were not only unaware but perhaps also unprepared or unwilling to listen to God's new revelation. It challenges the audience to be attentive and open to God's voice and His unfolding plans. In a broader scriptural context, it calls believers to be vigilant and receptive to God's ongoing work in their lives.

so that you cannot claim
This phrase serves as a safeguard against human pride and self-reliance. It implies that God's actions are beyond human comprehension and control, ensuring that no one can take credit for what God alone has done. The Hebrew word for "claim" is "amar," which means to say or declare. This highlights the importance of humility and acknowledgment of God's sovereignty. It reminds believers that all glory and honor belong to God, and it is He who orchestrates the events of history for His purposes.

I already knew them
This final phrase addresses the human tendency to claim foreknowledge or understanding of God's plans. It serves as a rebuke to those who might boast in their own wisdom or insight. The Hebrew word for "knew" is "yada," which means to know intimately or experientially. This underscores the depth of God's knowledge compared to human understanding. It calls believers to trust in God's wisdom and to recognize that His ways are higher than our ways. In a spiritual sense, it encourages a posture of humility and dependence on God's revelation rather than human reasoning.

(7) They are created now . . .--The verb is an unusual one, as applied to the events of history. What is meant is that the things which had been from the beginning in the mind of God are now, for the first time, manifested, through the prophet, as about to pass into act. What these are the prophet develops in the following chapters, as including the spiritual redemption and restoration of Israel. They were kept in store, as it were, to make men wonder (Romans 16:25-26).

Even before the day when . . .--Better, and before to-day thou heardest them not. . . . The reason given for what we might almost call this method of reserve and reticence, was that the people had been till now unprepared to receive the truth, and in their state it would but have increased their condemnation (John 16:12; Mark 4:33).

Verse 7. - They are created now. The revelation to man of what has lain secret in God's counsels from all eternity is a sort of creation. As Nagelbach well says, it converts the λόγος ἐνδιάθετος into a λόγος προφορικός and therefore is one step towards actual accomplishment. The mystery of "the Servant of the Lord," and of atonement and salvation through him, had hitherto been hid away - "hid in God" (Ephesians 3:9), and was now for the first time to be made known to such as had "eyes to see" and "cars to hear" by the teaching of the evangelical prophet. Even before the day when thou heardest them not; rather, and before to-day thou heardest them not. Whatever shadows of evangelic truth are discernible in the Law and in the earlier psalms, they did not constitute a revelation of the way of salvation at all comparable to that contained in Isaiah's later chapters. Lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them. If the "new things" of Isaiah's prophecy had been revealed many centuries before, they would not have impressed the Jews of Isaiah's time, or even of the Captivity period, as they did by having been reserved to a comparatively late date. They would have seemed to most of them an old and trite story.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They are created
נִבְרְאוּ֙ (niḇ·rə·’ū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1254: To create, to cut down, select, feed

now,
עַתָּ֤ה (‘at·tāh)
Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

and not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

long ago;
מֵאָ֔ז (mê·’āz)
Preposition-m | Adverb
Strong's 227: At that time, place, therefore

you have not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

heard of them
שְׁמַעְתָּ֑ם (šə·ma‘·tām)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

before
וְלִפְנֵי־ (wə·lip̄·nê-)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

today,
י֖וֹם (yō·wm)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

so you cannot
פֶּן־ (pen-)
Conjunction
Strong's 6435: Removal, lest

claim,
תֹּאמַ֖ר (tō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘I already
הִנֵּ֥ה (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

knew them!’
יְדַעְתִּֽין׃ (yə·ḏa‘·tîn)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular | third person feminine plural
Strong's 3045: To know


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 48:7 They are created now and not (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 48:6
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