The Church Fathers on this verse
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Isaiah 43:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

You are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that you may know, and believe me, and understand that I myself am. Before me there was no God formed, and after me there shall be none.

Douay-Rheims

אַתֶּ֤ם עֵדַי֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וְעַבְדִּ֖י אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּחָ֑רְתִּי לְמַ֣עַן תֵּ֠דְעוּ וְתַאֲמִ֨ינוּ לִ֤י וְתָבִ֙ינוּ֙ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י ה֔וּא לְפָנַי֙ לֹא־נ֣וֹצַר אֵ֔ל וְאַחֲרַ֖י לֹ֥א יִהְיֶֽה׃

Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

5 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 6 commentaries

John Chrysostom

4th centuryChurch Father

The Son is not less than the Father. I wish to pose a question to those who oppose this view regarding the words of the prophet, "Before Me there was no God, and after Me there will be no God" (Is 43:10). If the Son were to exist after the Father, how could it be stated, "And after Me there will be none"? Would you then deny the very existence of the Only Begotten? It is essential to confront this issue directly: either one must take the bold step of rejecting this truth or acknowledge the singular Godhead revealed in the distinct persons of the Father and the Son.

You are, says the Lord, My witnesses. Have I not indeed fulfilled the prophecies I declared? While I, declares God, stand as a worthy and faithful witness in My own right, you are also to be My witnesses. Observe how wisely God demonstrates His righteousness: He repeatedly affirms in the Gospel, I Myself bear witness of Myself (John 8:18); My testimony is true (John 8:14); and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me. Here, too, He proclaims, My servant whom I have chosen, identifying the prophet as a witness. This declaration, He states, is for your salvation, that you may know and believe in Me, and gain understanding. Does He not consistently value faith over wisdom? Before Me, there was no deity, and after Me, there will be none. What then can we say about the Son?

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Do not assume that He who is begotten is any less God, nor that He who is created can be God. You see, He consistently reveals His eternal nature and creative power; just as He showcased the Godhead through that which has no beginning, He now demonstrates foresight alongside His creative authority. Through these signs and examples, He provides revelation of God to us.

Cyrill of Alexandria

5th centuryChurch Father

Declaring that no unclean spirits or human inventions can provide insight into the future, He spoke with His prophets, saying, "Be my witnesses; for I have conveyed knowledge of what is to come through you, and my Spirit has illuminated within you. Thus, I will present you as testifiers to my glory and divine magnificence. Additionally, I will bear witness of myself, and of my chosen Son." Our Savior also said to the Jews, "But if I bear witness of myself, I testify the truth, for I know from where I came and where I am going" (John 8:14). He further affirmed, "I am he that bears witness of myself, and the Father that sent me bears witness of me" (John 8:18).

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The voice of God indeed reigns supreme to declare all that He wishes to reveal about His glory and magnificence; alongside it, the voices of the Saints resonate, affirming all that is fitting to His nature, which transcends all. Therefore, addressing the holy prophets as witnesses, He directs His words to the ultimate and true source—Himself and His Son. For the sound-minded, as I have stated, the voice of God provides complete assurance. "These things," He says, "I have spoken not in vain, but so that you may believe and understand that I am He; for knowledge leads to faith, and faith yields understanding: but if you do not believe, you cannot comprehend" (Isaiah 7:9). You must hold fast to the truth that there was no God before me, nor will there be one after me. Truly, there was no other God before Him; He is the origin of all that exists and is beyond all comprehension—and afterward, there shall be none; He remains eternal (1 Cor. 12:5, 6, 11; Heb. 13:8) with an unchanging essence and unyielding dominion over everything, possessing an everlasting reign. For He who has no commencement of existence cannot reach an endpoint.

John Damascene

8th centuryChurch Father

The belief in the oneness of God is a fundamental truth for those who hold fast to the Holy Scriptures. For it is written, 'Before Me there was no God, and after Me there shall not be... And there is none but Me' (Is. 43:10-11). To those who do not accept the authority of Divine Scripture, we can reason as follows: God is entirely perfect and unblemished in goodness, wisdom, and power—eternal, boundless, pre-existent, and, in essence, flawless in every aspect. Thus, if we were to entertain the idea of multiple gods, we would have to differentiate between them. If there is no differentiation, then this implies the existence of a singular deity. Conversely, if a distinction is made, where then is the perfection?

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Any deficiency in goodness, power, wisdom, time, or space negates the very concept of God. Uniformity in all qualities suggests the existence of one God rather than many. Furthermore, the very concept of multiple gods calls into question their inability to be adequately described, for if one exists, the presence of another becomes contradictory. How could the governance of the world be shared among many without leading to chaos, especially if conflicts arise among these rulers? Disparity breeds discord. If one were to argue that each god presides over a specific domain, then what force established that order and separation? Only God Himself could be responsible for such an arrangement. Therefore, we affirm that there is but one God—perfect, ineffable, the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Sovereign above all that is perfect. We must further acknowledge that it is inherently necessary for the singular to precede the multiple.

Marius Victorinus

4th centuryChurch Father

The Son is inherently different from the Father. As the Son of God, Christ exists subsequent to the Father. However, beyond God, there is nothing that can be likened to Him. Therefore, Christ does not resemble God; neither does He exist after God. It is clear that He is united with God, for He cannot exist prior to Him, meaning He is of the same substance. Additionally, David proclaims, “There is none among the gods like Thee, O Lord” (Ps 85:8). An essence, by its very nature, especially when shared by two or more, is recognized as an identical essence, rather than a similar essence.

Hesychius of Jerusalem

5th centuryChurch Father

Who is this witness? It is undoubtedly Christ, as He dwelled in heaven advising the Father. Concerning Him, Isaiah declared, “But My witnesses, says the Lord, you and My servant whom I have chosen.”

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Passages read together with this verse.