Confused by a verse in the bible.

[Stephaniex3]

I'm a bit confused because the bible says that god is eternal but in isaiah 43:10 it says "BEFORE ME there was no god formed, and neither shall there be AFTER ME.". how could there be a before him or after him if he is eternal?

 

[Hizikyah]

I personally think there is error in the way EL (Yl) is translated into "God"

But the meaning of the verses is that there is no other true power besides Him. There was none before like Him and there will be none after. Yahweh (called God) is the Creator if all that is and He holds authority over everything.

The Encyclopedia Judaica, Volume 7, page 674
'El. The oldest Semitic term for God is `el (corresponding to Akkadian ilu (m), Canaanite 'el or 'il, and Arabic 'el as an element in personal names). The etymology of the word is obscure. It is commonly thought that the term derived from a root `yl or `wl meaning "to be powerful."

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Hebrew Dictionary
410. 'el, ale; short. from 352; strength; as adj. mighty; espec. the Almighty (but used also of any deity):—God, (god), x goodly, x great, idol, might (-y one), power, strong. Cop. names in "-el."

352. ayil, ah'yil; from the same as 193; prop. strength; hence anything strong; spec. a chief (politically); also a ram (from his strength); a pilaster (as a strong support); an oak or other strong tree:—mighty (man), lintel, oak, post, ram, tree.

193. uwl, ool; from an unused root mean. to twist. i.e. (by impl.) be strong; the body (as being rolled together); also powerful:—mighty, strength.

In ancient Hebrew there were no written vowels, thus a word can not start with a vowel, a vowel can be used in pronounciation, but a ancient Hebrew word can not start with a letter that is not in the written language.

IMO Yl (El) does not properly translate as "God" it means strength.

Isayah 43:10, "You are My witnesses, says Yahweh, and My servants whom I have chosen; so you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He! Before Me there was no power formed, nor will there be after Me."

Isaiah 43:10 ►Text Analysis
[TABLE="class: maintext"]
[TR]
[TD="class: top"]Str[/TD]
[TD="class: top, width: 20%"]Translit[/TD]
[TD="class: top, width: 20%"]Hebrew[/TD]
[TD="class: top, width: 25%"]English[/TD]
[TD="class: top, width: 18%"]Morph[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]859 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]’at-tem[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]אַתֶּ֤ם[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]you[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Pro[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]5707 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]‘ê-ḏay[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]עֵדַי֙[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"][are] my witnesses[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Noun[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]5002 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]nə-’um-[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]נְאֻם־[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]said[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Noun[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]3068 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]Yah-weh,[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]יְהוָ֔ה[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]the LORD[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Noun[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]5650 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]wə-‘aḇ-dî[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]וְעַבְדִּ֖י[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]and my servant[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Noun[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]834 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]’ă-šer[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]אֲשֶׁ֣ר[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]whom[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Prt[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]977 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]bā-ḥā-rə-tî;[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]בָּחָ֑רְתִּי[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]I have chosen[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Verb[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]4616 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]lə-ma-‘an[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]לְמַ֣עַן[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]to the end that[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Subst[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]3045 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]tê-ḏə-‘ū[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]תֵּ֠דְעוּ[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]you may know[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Verb[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]539 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]wə-ṯa-’ă-mî-nū[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]וְתַאֲמִ֨ינוּ[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]and believe[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Verb[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]lî[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]לִ֤י[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]to me[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Prep[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]995 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]wə-ṯā-ḇî-nū[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]וְתָבִ֙ינוּ֙[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]that understand[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Verb[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]3588 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]kî-[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]כִּֽי־[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"] -[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Conj[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]589 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]’ă-nî[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]אֲנִ֣י[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]I [am][/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Pro[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]1931 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]hū,[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]ה֔וּא[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]he[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Pro[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]6440 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]lə-p̄ā-nay[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]לְפָנַי֙[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"][am] before[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Noun[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]3808 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]lō-[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]לֹא־[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]not[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Adv[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]3335 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]nō-w-ṣar[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]נ֣וֹצַר[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]do formed[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Verb[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]410 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]’êl,[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]אֵ֔ל[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]God[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Noun[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]310 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]wə-’a-ḥă-ray[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]וְאַחֲרַ֖י[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]and after[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Adv[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]3808 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]lō[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]לֹ֥א[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]neither[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Adv[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"]1961 [e][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]yih-yeh.[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]יִהְיֶֽה׃[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"]shall there be[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"]Verb[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: strongsnt"][/TD]
[TD="class: translit"]s[/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew2"]ס[/TD]
[TD="class: eng"] -[/TD]
[TD="class: pos"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[Dan58]

I'm a bit confused because the bible says that god is eternal but in isaiah 43:10 it says "BEFORE ME there was no god formed, and neither shall there be AFTER ME.". how could there be a before him or after him if he is eternal?

Exactly; "how could there be a before him or after him if he is eternal?" Your question answers your question, God is eternal, so there could be no other god before or after Him.

 

[Hizikyah]

Isaiah 43: 10“You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. “I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me. “It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And I am God. “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”

Isayah 43:11 I, even I, am Yahweh; and beside Me there is no savior. I have declared, and I have saved,
and I have showed; and no strange god (el) is among you! Therefore, you are My witnesses, says Yahweh: that I AM YAHWEH!"

Isayah 45:5, "I am Yahweh, and there is no other apart from Me. There is no God. I will strengthen you with this knowledge, though you did not recognize that it was Me. So that they may know from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting that there is none besides Me. I am Yahweh, and there is no other!"

Isayah 45:18, "For this is what Yahweh, Who created the heavens, Who is the Father, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited, says: I am Yahweh, and there is no other source of power!"

 

[4enlightment]

I'm a bit confused because the bible says that god is eternal but in isaiah 43:10 it says "BEFORE ME there was no god formed, and neither shall there be AFTER ME.". how could there be a before him or after him if he is eternal?

That is why the scriptures need to be translated to modern times, it is hard for modern English speaking people to understand that old style language. It was referring that God had made that statement by saying that there's no god before Him and or after Him, that He is the one only.

 

[Stephaniex3]

Okay, Thanks. I just interpreted it as the bible saying that there was a time before god that there was no god, and that there would be a time after god where there will be no god. Thanks, i get it now.

 

[elf3]

I believe it could be looked at in two ways. First God is the alpha and omega so obviously no god's before him no god's after him.

And could mean you shall have no god's before me or after as in meaning..you shall have no other god's before me. As in place nothing above me in worship.

 

[Flamingspirit]

I'm a bit confused because the bible says that god is eternal but in isaiah 43:10 it says "BEFORE ME there was no god formed, and neither shall there be AFTER ME.". how could there be a before him or after him if he is eternal?

First there is but only ONE true God who is Spirit. Jesus (who is also God) says so as well. The verse is written in a way to show that there is unequivocally no one else! So when Muslims and Christians argue over who serves the real God and who serves a false, for those who understands this verse and others, their is but ONE God, regardless of what carnal arguments take place here among men.

 

[Gandalf]

We are dealing with and interesting challenge when reading the word of God in that it was translated from a very descriptive language. When you look at the word translated as before in Hebrew it is panyim which means:
1) face
1a) face, faces
1b) presence, person
1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)
1d) face (of animals)
1e) face, surface (of ground)
1f) as adverb of loc/temp
1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before
1g) with preposition
1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

The original Hebrew sentence from was “you witnesses-of·me averment-of Yahweh and·servant-of·me whom I-chose so-that you(p)-shall-know and·you(p)-shall-believe to·me and·you(p)-shall-understand that I he to·faces-of·(panyim)me not he-was-formed El and·after·me not he-shall-become”

Our modern Bible is “Ye [are] my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I [am] he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.”

So lets try this: Ye [are] my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I [am] he: in my presence ( or in my face or maybe to face me) there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.”

 

[Stephaniex3]

Thanks all you for helping comprehend this verse.

 

[biscuit]

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[TD="width: 593, align: left"][h=1]What does it mean that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega?[/h]

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Question: "What does it mean that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega?"

Answer: Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the “Alpha and Omega” in Revelation 1:8, 11;21:6; and 22:13. Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Among the Jewish rabbis, it was common to use the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet to denote the whole of anything, from beginning to end. Jesus as the beginning and end of all things is a reference to no one but the true God. This statement of eternality could apply only to God. It is seen especially in Revelation 22:13, where Jesus proclaims that He is “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

One of the meanings of Jesus being the “Alpha and Omega” is that He was at the beginning of all things and will be at the close. It is equivalent to saying He always existed and always will exist. It was Christ, as second Person of the Trinity, who brought about the creation: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3), and His Second Coming will be the beginning of the end of creation as we know it (2 Peter 3:10). As God incarnate, He has no beginning, nor will He have any end with respect to time, being from everlasting to everlasting.

A second meaning of Jesus as the “Alpha and Omega” is that the phrase identifies Him as the God of the Old Testament. Isaiah ascribes this aspect of Jesus’ nature as part of the triune God in several places. “I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last I am He” (41:4). “I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). “I am he; I am the first, I also am the last” (Isaiah 48:12). These are clear indications of the eternal nature of the Godhead.

Christ, as the Alpha and Omega, is the first and last in so many ways. He is the “author and finisher” of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), signifying that He begins it and carries it through to completion. He is the totality, the sum and substance of the Scriptures, both of the Law and of the Gospel (John 1:1, 14). He is the fulfilling end of the Law (Matthew 5:17), and He is the beginning subject matter of the gospel of grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9). He is found in the first verse of Genesis and in the last verse of Revelation. He is the first and last, the all in all of salvation, from the justification before God to the final sanctification of His people.

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and last, the beginning and the end. Only God incarnate could make such a statement. Only Jesus Christ is God incarnate.

Recommended Resources: Jesus: The Greatest Life of All by Charles Swindoll andLogos Bible Software.

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Related Topics:

What does it mean that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords?

Is Jesus the Creator?

Why is Jesus often referred to as Jesus of Nazareth?

Did Jesus really exist? Is there any historical evidence of Jesus Christ?

What are the different names and titles of Jesus Christ?

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[p_rehbein]

I'm a bit confused because the bible says that god is eternal but in isaiah 43:10 it says "BEFORE ME there was no god formed, and neither shall there be AFTER ME.". how could there be a before him or after him if he is eternal?

To me it simply says.........Before God there was nothing for there is no "before" God, and there is no "after" God........God IS, WAS, AND ALWAYS WILL BE.............(but, now, that's just me)

 

[sveinen]

"you saw you read the verse and you're SAVED!"
HE MADE ALL THINGS NEW.