Discovery BoxIsaiah 48:3-5 
Context48:3 “I announced events beforehand, 1
I issued the decrees and made the predictions; 2
suddenly I acted and they came to pass.
48:4 I did this 3 because I know how stubborn you are.
Your neck muscles are like iron
and your forehead like bronze. 4
48:5 I announced them to you beforehand;
before they happened, I predicted them for you,
so you could never say,
‘My image did these things,
my idol, my cast image, decreed them.’
1 tn Heb “the former things beforehand I declared.”
2 tn Heb “and from my mouth they came forth and I caused them to be heard.”
3 tn The words “I did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 4 is subordinated to v. 3.
4 sn The image is that of a person who has tensed the muscles of the face and neck as a sign of resolute refusal.
