Isaiah 45:23

“By myself I have sworn; righteousness has gone out from my mouth, a word, and it will not return: that to me every knee will bend, every tongue will swear.”
Isaiah 45:23 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

By myselfבִּיI have sworn;נִשְׁבַּעְתִּיrighteousnessצְדָקָהhas gone outיָצָאfrom my mouth,מִפִּיa word,דָּבָרand it will notוְלֹאreturn:יָשׁוּבthatכִּיto meלִיeveryכָּלkneeבֶּרֶךְwill bend,תִּכְרַעeveryכָּלtongueלָשׁוֹןwill swear.תִּשָּׁבַע

Quotation · Romans 14:11

Go to Romans 14:11

Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23 and begins with “As I live, says the Lord,” a frequent formula in the prophets.

Formula: γέγραπται “it is written” (Romans 14:11)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: γέγραπται γάρ Ζῶ ἐγώ λέγει κύριος ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται τῷ θεῷ

Hebrew (Masoretic text): בִּי נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי יָצָא מִפִּי צְדָקָה דָּבָר וְלֹא יָשׁוּב כִּי לִי תִּכְרַע כָּל בֶּרֶךְ תִּשָּׁבַע כָּל לָשׁוֹן

Septuagint (Isaiah 45:23 in the Septuagint numbering): κατ᾿ ἐμαυτοῦ ὀμνύω, εἰ μὴν ἐξελεύσεται ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου δικαιοσύνη, οἶ λόγοι μου οὐκ ἀποστραφήσονται, ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ, καὶ ἐξομολογήσεται πᾶσα γλῶσσα τῷ θεῷ,

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 6 consecutive words: “ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ καὶ.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Isaiah 45:23, word by word

I have swornנִשְׁבַּעְתִּיnishbati

swear

To promise with God as witness.

Where else “nishbati” appears

righteousnessצְדָקָהtsedaka

righteous deeds

Doing what is just, upright deeds.

Where else “tsedaka” appears

has gone outיָצָאyatsa

spring up

To spring up, be born, come from something.

Where else “yatsa” appears

from my mouthפִּpi

mouth

The part of the face with which one speaks, eats and kisses.

Where else “pi” appears

a wordדָּבָרdavar

word

What someone says or announces, above all what YHWH says.

Where else “davar” appears

returnיָשׁוּבyashuv

return

To go back to a place.

Where else “yashuv” appears

kneeבֶּרֶךְberech

knee

Knee.

Where else “berech” appears

will bendתִּכְרַעtichra

crouch

To bend the body or knees toward the ground, in prayer or before someone.

Where else “tichra” appears

tongueלָשׁוֹןlashon

tongue

The organ in the mouth used to taste and speak; hence, what one says.

Where else “lashon” appears

Translation note

Paul quotes this verse in Romans 14:11 and takes it up in Philippians 2:10-11.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Romans 14:11

Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23 and begins with “As I live, says the Lord,” a frequent formula in the prophets.

See them side by side

Isaiah 45:23

²³By myself I have sworn; righteousness has gone out from my mouth, a word, and it will not return: that to me every knee will bend, every tongue will swear.

Romans 14:11

¹¹For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess to God.

The context

22Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am El, and there is no other.

23 · This verse (above)

24‘Only in YHWH,’ one will say of me, ‘are acts of righteousness and strength.’ To him he will come, and they will be put to shame, all who were incensed against him.

Read all of Isaiah 45

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