The Meaning of Isaiah 45:9 Explained

Isaiah 45:9

KJV: Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

YLT: Woe to him who is striving with his Former, (A potsherd with potsherds of the ground!) Doth clay say to its Framer, 'What dost thou?' And thy work, 'He hath no hands?'

Darby: Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let a potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that formeth it, What makest thou? Or thy work, He hath no hands?

ASV: Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! a potsherd among the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

Discover Isaiah 45:9

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Isaiah 45:9?

MEANING: What does Isaiah 45:9 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Isaiah 45:9 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Isaiah 45:9?

What is the context of Isaiah 45:9?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! [Let] the potsherd [strive] with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

What does Isaiah 45:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

"Woe" is a funeral cry that, in this context, indicates the extreme folly of dictating to the Creator how He may work (cf. chs5; 28-33). The Israelites, and we, must let God be God. People are clay vessels that God has made for His own purposes (cf. Isaiah 29:16; Jeremiah 18:6; Romans 9:20-21). We have no right to dictate to our Maker how He should behave, any more than the works of our hands have a right to question how we make them.

Context Summary

Isaiah 45:1-13 - Jehovah's Chosen Instrument

Cyrus is one of the noblest figures in ancient history. His character became a model for the Greek youth in strength, simplicity, humanity, purity, and self-restraint. We have seen that Jehovah had assured His people that Jerusalem would be restored, Isaiah 44:26. They probably expected a repetition of the Red Sea and the Exodus. But God does not repeat Himself; and their deliverance from captivity was to be achieved through the victories that made Cyrus master of Babylon. See Ezra 1:1-4.

God's plans are achieved through individuals, whom He equips and raises up for their specific work. There is much in all our lives that we cannot account for, and which is due to the girding of the Almighty. We do not always recognize the real sources of our lives. They are hidden in God. He girds us though we do not know Him. Let us not gird ourselves in our own strength, but stretch forth our hands unto Him, sure that He will neither fail nor forsake. See John 21:18. They who thus utterly yield to God are bidden in the exercise of a daring faith to command, that is, to claim, His saving power. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 45

¹ God calls Cyrus for his church's sake
⁵ By his omnipotence he challenges obedience
²⁰ He convinces the idols of vanity by his saving power

What do the individual words in Isaiah 45:9 mean?

Woe to him who strives with his Maker [let] the potsherd [strive] the potsherds of the earth Shall say the clay to him who forms it what are you making Or shall your handiwork [say] no hands He has -

ה֗וֹי רָ֚ב אֶת־ ! יֹ֣צְר֔וֹ חֶ֖רֶשׂ חַרְשֵׂ֣י אֲדָמָ֑ה הֲיֹאמַ֨ר חֹ֤מֶר לְיֹֽצְרוֹ֙ מַֽה־ תַּעֲשֶׂ֔ה וּפָעָלְךָ֖ אֵין־ ؟ יָדַ֥יִם לֽוֹ ס

ה֗וֹי	Woe
Parse: Interjection Root: הֹוי Sense: ah!, alas!, ha!, ho!, O!, woe!.
רָ֚ב	to him who strives
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular Root: רִיב Sense: to strive, contend.
! יֹ֣צְר֔וֹ	his Maker
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular Root: יׄוצֵר Sense: to form, fashion, frame.
חֶ֖רֶשׂ	[let] the potsherd [strive]
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: חֶרֶשׂ Sense: earthenware, clay pottery, shard, potsherd, earthen vessel.
חַרְשֵׂ֣י	the potsherds
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct Root: חֶרֶשׂ Sense: earthenware, clay pottery, shard, potsherd, earthen vessel.
אֲדָמָ֑ה	of the earth
Parse: Noun, feminine singular Root: אֲדָמָה Sense: ground, land.
הֲיֹאמַ֨ר	Shall say
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: אָמַר Sense: to say, speak, utter.
חֹ֤מֶר	the clay
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: חֹמֶר Sense: cement, mortar, clay.
לְיֹֽצְרוֹ֙	to him who forms it
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular Root: יׄוצֵר Sense: to form, fashion, frame.
תַּעֲשֶׂ֔ה	are you making
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular Root: עָשָׂה Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
וּפָעָלְךָ֖	Or shall your handiwork [say]
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular Root: פֹּעַל Sense: work, deed, doing.
אֵין־	no
Parse: Adverb Root: אַיִן Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
؟ יָדַ֥יִם	hands
Parse: Noun, fd Root: יָד Sense: hand.
לֽוֹ	He has
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
ס	-
Parse: Punctuation

What are the major concepts related to Isaiah 45:9?

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Similar Scriptures for Isaiah 45:9

		Isaiah 64:8 [7]
		Romans 9:20-21 [7]
		Jeremiah 18:6 [4]
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		Proverbs 21:30 [3]
		Exodus 9:16-17 [3]
		Jeremiah 50:24 [3]
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