All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.

ISAIAH 48:14KJV
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Isaiah 48:14 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 48:14 mean?

Isaiah 48:14 calls the people to gather and listen, questioning which of their idols could have predicted what is happening. The verse declares that the LORD has chosen someone He loves to carry out His purpose against Babylon, and that His power will be used against the Chaldeans.

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Israel, challenging them to recognize that only the LORD (not their idols) can declare the future. The “one the LORD loves” is often understood as Cyrus, the Persian king, whom God will use to conquer Babylon and free the Israelites from exile. The verse emphasizes God’s control over history and His ability to use even foreign rulers to fulfill His plans.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 48:14

  • "assemble" (קָבַץ, qavats): This word means to gather together, stressing the importance of everyone coming to hear what God is about to say.
  • "declared" (נָגַד, nagad): This verb means to make known or announce, highlighting the challenge that none of the idols or false gods could have predicted these events.
  • "loved" (אָהַב, ahav): Here, it refers to God’s special favor or choice; in context, it points to God’s selection of Cyrus as an instrument of His will, even though Cyrus is not an Israelite.
  • "arm" (זְרוֹעַ, zeroa): This word often symbolizes strength or power; saying God’s arm will be on the Chaldeans means His might will be directed against them.

Why Isaiah 48:14 matters

  • Isaiah 48:14 makes clear that God, not idols, controls the future and can announce what will happen before it occurs.
  • The verse highlights that God can use anyone—even a foreign king like Cyrus—to accomplish His purposes, showing His sovereignty over all nations.
  • This verse connects to the larger message of Isaiah 40–48, where God repeatedly contrasts Himself with powerless idols and reassures Israel of His power to deliver them.

Where else these words appear

“pleasure” Hebrew H2656 · used in 38 verses

  • 1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
  • Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
  • Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

“Chaldeans” Hebrew H3778 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 11:28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
  • Jeremiah 32:5 And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.
  • Jeremiah 50:1 The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.

“arm” Hebrew H2220 · used in 84 verses

  • Genesis 49:24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob;(from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
  • Job 38:15 And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.
  • Isaiah 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

“assemble” Hebrew H6908 · used in 121 verses

  • Genesis 41:35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:4 So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?
  • Jeremiah 31:8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.