Isaiah 44:2, 21-24
2 Thus saith the LORD that made thee,
and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee;
Fear not, O Jacob, my servant;
and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.
. . .
21 Remember these, O Jacob
and Israel; for thou art my servant:
I have formed thee; thou art my servant:
O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.
22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions,
and, as a cloud, thy sins:
return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.
23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it:
shout, ye lower parts of the earth:
break forth into singing, ye mountains,
O forest, and every tree therein:
for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob,
and glorified himself in Israel.
24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer,
and he that formed thee from the womb,
I am the LORD that maketh all things;
that stretcheth forth the heavens alone;
that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
Literal Reading
| Singular: thou, thee, thy |
| Plural: ye, you, your |
A literal understanding of verse 24 is likely to be rejected in favour of a less literal understanding — especially when we note the singular pronouns, e.g. "thee" in KJV English!
See at Isaiah 43:7 for contrasting interpretations of these passages and their implications for reading Passages said to imply literal Genesis.
Earth and Heaven as a Tent
The apparent metaphor of stretching forth the heavens and spreading out the earth, in verse 24, is the Bible's usual language for it. See other references at Unfurling the Heavens. The present tense in this and other passages, suggesting God's daily unfurling of the sky above us, contrasts with the past tense of ch. 42:5. Here "makes", "stretches" and "spreads" contrasts with "formed", which is in past tense because it refers to the birth of "Jacob".
Bible language for creation
See at Created, Formed and Made. This passage uses two of these "creation" words. Note the present tense in verse 24: the image is of God unfurling the sky each day, and tending the earth.
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he that formed thee from the womb
(Verse 2 and verse 24, ". . . the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb . . . ")
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