Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.

ISAIAH 48:6KJV
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Isaiah 48:6 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 48:6 mean?

Isaiah 48:6 says that God has revealed new and hidden things to the people—things they did not know before—and challenges them to recognize and declare what they have now heard and seen. The verse emphasizes that God is showing them something fresh and previously concealed, urging them to acknowledge His work.

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Israel on God’s behalf. The context is God reminding Israel that He has told them about events in advance, but now He is revealing even more—things they could not have known on their own. God is calling them to pay attention and admit what He has made known, highlighting His unique ability to reveal mysteries.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 48:6

  • heard (שָׁמַע, shamaʿ): This word means more than just hearing sounds; it often carries the sense of paying attention or obeying. Here, it points to Israel’s responsibility to truly listen to what God has revealed.
  • see (חָזָה, chazah): This word is about perceiving or understanding, not just physical sight. God is inviting Israel to grasp what He is showing them, not just observe it.
  • declare (נָגַד, nagad): This means to make something known or to announce. God is challenging Israel to openly acknowledge what He has revealed, rather than keeping silent.
  • things (חָדָשׁ, chadash): This word refers to something new or fresh. God is emphasizing that what He is revealing now is not recycled information, but genuinely new insight.

Why Isaiah 48:6 matters

  • Isaiah 48:6 clears up the idea that God only repeats old messages; instead, God can reveal new and surprising things that people could not predict.
  • The verse highlights Israel’s tendency to ignore or downplay God’s revelations, pressing them to honestly recognize what God has done.
  • This verse connects to the wider theme in Isaiah 48, where God contrasts His knowledge and power with the inability of idols or human wisdom to foresee or explain such hidden things.

Where else these words appear

“time” Hebrew H6258 · used in 9 verses

  • Genesis 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
  • Genesis 26:29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.
  • Psalms 113:2 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.

“see” Hebrew H2372 · used in 47 verses

  • Exodus 18:21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
  • Psalms 17:2 Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.
  • Isaiah 30:10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

“things” Hebrew H2319 · used in 48 verses

  • Exodus 1:8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
  • 2 Samuel 21:16 And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.
  • Song of Solomon 7:13 The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

“things” Hebrew H5341 · used in 62 verses

  • Exodus 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
  • Psalms 119:33 HE. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.
  • Proverbs 7:10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.