Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

ISAIAH 46:11KJV
Know the Bible

Isaiah 46:11 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 46:11 mean?

Isaiah 46:11 describes God declaring that He will call someone from the east—a person compared to a swift, hungry bird—to carry out His plans, and He promises that what He has spoken and intended, He will certainly accomplish. This verse emphasizes God's power to use people from distant places to fulfill His purposes, and His absolute commitment to bringing His plans to completion.

In this passage, God is speaking through Isaiah to the people of Israel, assuring them that He is in control of history and can use anyone, even a foreigner, to achieve what He has decided. The "ravenous bird from the east" is often understood as a reference to Cyrus the Great of Persia, who would later allow the Israelites to return from exile. The verse highlights God's sovereignty and reliability in keeping His word.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 46:11

  • "Calling" (קָרָא, qara): This word means to summon or call out, showing God's active role in initiating events, not just predicting them.
  • "Bird" (עַיִט, ayit): This term refers to a bird of prey, emphasizing speed and decisiveness, which paints a vivid picture of how quickly and powerfully God's chosen agent will act.
  • "Counsel" (עֵצָה, etsah): This word means advice, plan, or purpose, highlighting that the actions described are not random but are part of God's deliberate design.
  • "Purposed" (יָצַר, yatsar): This verb means to form or plan, reinforcing that God is not reacting to events but shaping them according to His will.

Why Isaiah 46:11 matters

  • Isaiah 46:11 clarifies that God can use people outside of Israel, even powerful foreign leaders, as instruments to fulfill His promises and plans.
  • The verse stresses God's faithfulness and absolute ability to carry out what He has decided, which reassures the audience that God's word is reliable.
  • In the wider context of Isaiah 46, this verse stands as a contrast to powerless idols, showing that only the God of Israel has the authority and power to shape history according to His intentions.

Where else these words appear

“bird” Hebrew H5861 · used in 6 verses

  • Genesis 15:11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
  • Job 28:7 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:
  • Jeremiah 12:9 Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.

“far” Hebrew H4801 · used in 18 verses

  • 2 Samuel 15:17 And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off.
  • Isaiah 10:3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?
  • Jeremiah 5:15 Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

“purposed” Hebrew H3335 · used in 55 verses

  • Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
  • Isaiah 37:26 Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.
  • Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

“east” Hebrew H4217 · used in 71 verses

  • Exodus 27:13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.
  • Joshua 16:5 And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the upper;
  • 1 Chronicles 26:17 Eastward were six Levites, northward four a day, southward four a day, and toward Asuppim two and two.