Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

ISAIAH 44:8KJV
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Isaiah 44:8 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 44:8 mean?

Isaiah 44:8 presents God’s earlier words as a reason for his people not to be afraid. They have heard what he announced and can speak as witnesses to it. God also says that no other God exists beside him.

God is speaking to Israel through the prophet Isaiah. After the declaration in verse 7, God asks whether he has not told them from long ago. The question calls their attention to what they have already heard.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 44:8

  • “told” — שָׁמַע (shamaʿ): This word often means “hear.” Here it carries the sense of making something heard, so the KJV translates it “told.”
  • “witnesses” — עֵד (ʿed): A witness is someone who can give evidence about something. The word casts the people as those able to speak about what God has made known.
  • “God” — צוּר (tsur): The second “God” in the KJV translates a Hebrew word meaning “rock.” The image describes a solid, dependable support; the KJV expresses the point as “there is no God.”

Why Isaiah 44:8 matters

  • The verse connects God’s claim to events he has announced. In verse 7, God challenges anyone comparable to him to announce what is coming; verse 8 calls the people his witnesses.
  • The final question expects a negative answer. “Is there a God beside me?” is followed by the emphatic statement, “I know not any.”
  • The rock image helps connect the verse to the passage that follows. Verses 9–10 turn to people who make images for worship, setting those human-made objects alongside the claim that there is no other rock.

Where else these words appear

“beside” Hebrew H1107 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 14:24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
  • 2 Samuel 22:32 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?
  • Isaiah 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

“time” Hebrew H227 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 12:6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
  • 2 Samuel 15:34 But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father's servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.
  • Psalms 93:2 Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.

“Fear” Hebrew H6342 · used in 25 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
  • Psalms 78:53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
  • Isaiah 44:11 Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.

“God” Hebrew H433 · used in 56 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
  • Job 12:6 The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.
  • Job 31:6 Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.