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.
Parallel translations
- WEB They are created now, and not from of old; and before today you didn’t hear them; lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
- BSB They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot claim, ‘I already knew them!’
- NKJV 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.’
- NASB “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.’
- NLT They are brand new, not things from the past. So you cannot say, ‘We knew that all the time!’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
These new things are created now, not from of old, so no one can claim to have known them already. God's revelation is genuinely new and his alone.
Overview
God stresses that the new things are freshly brought into being, beyond anyone's prior knowledge, leaving no room for the boast 'I knew them.' Only God can announce what is truly unprecedented. This guards his unique foreknowledge and prepares for the surprising newness of redemption in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 48:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.