Isaiah 44:6
Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Study Note
Study Note
The self-identification — 'I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god' — is one of the clearest expressions of monotheism in the Hebrew Bible, framing the polemic against idols (44:6-23) with a claim of absolute divine uniqueness. The title 'the first and the last' (rishon ve'acharon) presents God as encompassing all of history: existing before the beginning and remaining after the end, with no temporal rival. The Revelation uses this title for Christ at three key points (1:17; 2:8; 22:13), making the christological claim explicit: Jesus receives and bears the divine title that Second Isaiah reserved for YHWH alone. The verse has been central to discussions of Second Isaiah's monotheism and to New Testament Christology's implicit identification of Jesus with the God of Israel.
Other Translations
Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.
Thus said Jehovah, king of Israel, And his Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts: `I <FI>am<Fi> the first, and I the last, And besides Me there is no God.
The Lord, the King of Israel, even the Lord of armies who has taken up his cause, says, I am the first and the last, and there is no God but me.
Cross References
Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside …
Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and …
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make …
For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.
O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of …
Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know …
Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the Lord, the first, and with the …
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, …
Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.