◄ Isaiah 44:5 ►
One will say, 'I belong to the LORD,' another will call himself by the name of Jacob, and still another will write on his hand, 'The LORD's,' and will take the name of Israel."
Study Bible
One will say, ‘I belong to the LORD,’

The outpouring of God’s Spirit promised in the preceding verses will produce open and personal allegiance to Yahweh. In a land repeatedly drawn toward idols, people will publicly renounce rival loyalties and confess that they belong to the covenant God of Israel. Such devotion fulfills Israel’s calling to be the LORD’s treasured possession (Deuteronomy 26:17–18) and anticipates the saving work by which believers become new in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Rom 14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die…
1Co 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple…
Deu 26:17-18 Today you have proclaimed that the LORD is your God…

another will call himself by the name of Jacob,

Jacob’s name recalls the patriarch to whom God confirmed the promises of land, offspring, and blessing for the nations (Genesis 28:13–15). Those who identify themselves with Jacob embrace the heritage of faith and the covenant promises given to Israel. God’s restoration will renew not merely national strength but covenant identity among the descendants of Jacob.

Gen 35:10 And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob.…
Gen 32:28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob,…
Isa 41:8 But you, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen,…

and still another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’

A visible inscription on the hand portrays settled, public dedication to God. Rather than concealing allegiance in a culture shaped by idolatry, God’s people will bear the testimony that they are His. The image accords with Israel’s command to keep God’s words as a sign upon the hand (Deuteronomy 6:8) and points forward to believers being sealed as God’s possession by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).

Isa 49:16 Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;…
Deu 6:8 Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them…
Sng 8:6 Set me as a seal over your heart, as a seal upon your arm.…

and will take the name of Israel.”

Israel’s name, meaning “God prevails,” unites the people with the one whom God renamed after preserving and blessing him (Genesis 32:28). The LORD will gather and restore His people so that bearing the name Israel becomes a confession of belonging to the God who prevails. God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel also prepares the way for Gentiles to share in the blessings promised through Abraham’s offspring (Genesis 12:3; Romans 11:17–24).

Ezk 47:22 You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves…
Isa 56:6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD…
Eph 2:19 Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners,…

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal, self-existent nature and His relationship with Israel.

2. Jacob
The patriarch whose name was changed to Israel, representing the nation of Israel and God's chosen people.

3. Israel
The nation descended from Jacob, chosen by God to be His people and to bear His name.

4. The Prophet Isaiah
The author of the book, a major prophet in the Old Testament who conveyed God's messages to the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

5. The People of God
Those who identify themselves as belonging to the LORD, whether by birthright or by faith.
Teaching Points
Identity in God
Belonging to the LORD is a profound declaration of identity. As believers, we are called to publicly and privately affirm our allegiance to God.

Spiritual Heritage
Identifying with Jacob and Israel signifies embracing the spiritual heritage and promises given to God's people. This includes living out the values and mission of God's kingdom.

Public Declaration of Faith
Writing "The LORD’s" on one's hand symbolizes a visible and permanent commitment to God. Believers are encouraged to live out their faith boldly and visibly in their daily lives.

Unity in Diversity
The passage highlights the diversity within the people of God, as individuals express their belonging in different ways. This diversity should be celebrated within the unity of the body of Christ.

Covenant Relationship
The act of taking the name of Israel signifies entering into a covenant relationship with God, which involves both privileges and responsibilities.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does identifying as belonging to the LORD influence your daily decisions and interactions with others?

2. In what ways can you publicly declare your faith in God in your community or workplace?

3. How does understanding your spiritual heritage as part of God's people impact your sense of purpose and mission?

4. What are some practical ways to celebrate the diversity within the body of Christ while maintaining unity?

5. Reflect on the covenant relationship you have with God. What are some specific responsibilities and privileges that come with this relationship?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 19:5-6
This passage speaks of Israel as God's treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation, which aligns with the identity and calling described in Isaiah 44:5.

Romans 11:17-24
Paul discusses the inclusion of Gentiles into the people of God, akin to the adoption and identification with Israel mentioned in Isaiah 44:5.

Galatians 3:29
This verse highlights that those who belong to Christ are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise, reflecting the spiritual identity in Isaiah 44:5.

Revelation 3:12
The promise of a new name written on those who overcome, symbolizing belonging to God, parallels the act of writing "The LORD’s" on one's hand in Isaiah 44:5.
Sermons
A Public Profession of ReligionN. Emmons, D. D.Isaiah 44:5
Converts, and Their Confession of FaithIsaiah 44:5
God's Kingdom Entered One by OneR. Tuck Isaiah 44:5
I am the Lord'sIsaiah 44:5
SubscribersW. Birch.Isaiah 44:5
Subscribing with the HandW. Birch.Isaiah 44:5
TattooingIsaiah 44:5
A Promise for Us, and for Our ChildrenIsaiah 44:1-5
Biography in Three WordsJ. Stalker, D. D.Isaiah 44:1-5
Jacob, Israel, JeshurunA. Maclaren, D. D.Isaiah 44:1-5
JesurunJ. R. Macduff, D. D.Isaiah 44:1-5
The Church Comforted and RevivedAnon.Isaiah 44:1-5
The Offspring of IsraelE. Johnson Isaiah 44:1-5
The Spirit Promised to the Seed of JacobD. Rees.Isaiah 44:1-5
Why are the People of God Called by the Name of JacobJ. Stalker, D. D.Isaiah 44:1-5
Revival Promised in the Power of the SpiritR. Tuck Isaiah 44:2-5
A Christian ChildhoodIsaiah 44:3-5
A Revival PromiseIsaiah 44:3-5
Child-PietyT. Champness.Isaiah 44:3-5
Christian Home EnvironmentJ. Stalker, D. D.Isaiah 44:3-5
Encouragement for Parents and ChildrenEssex RemembrancerIsaiah 44:3-5
God's Blessing on the Offspring of His PeoplePresbyterianIsaiah 44:3-5
God's Covenant with Christian ParentsEvangelical Advocate.Isaiah 44:3-5
God's Spirit as Water and FloodsJ. R. Macduff, D. D.Isaiah 44:3-5
Overflowing in Usefulness to OtherT. Waugh.Isaiah 44:3-5
RevivalR. M. M'Cheyne.Isaiah 44:3-5
RevivalDickerson Davies, M. A.Isaiah 44:3-5
Revived ChurchesIsaiah 44:3-5
The Church and the ChildrenA. Tucker.Isaiah 44:3-5
The Essential Diffusiveness of Spiritual ReligionT. G. Selby.Isaiah 44:3-5
The Holy Spirit for Both Jews and GentilesR. Macculloch.Isaiah 44:3-5
The Indispensable BlessingW. Clarkson Isaiah 44:3-5
The Influences of the Holy SpiritL. Forster.Isaiah 44:3-5
The Spirit Acts Through BelieversT. G. Selby.Isaiah 44:3-5
The Value of Young LifeScientific Illustrations and SymbolsIsaiah 44:3-5
Vitalising Power in Spirit. Filled MenT. G. Selby.Isaiah 44:3-5
Water an Emblem of the Holy SpiritD. Rees.Isaiah 44:3-5
People
Cyrus, Isaiah, Jacob
Places
Israel, Jerusalem
Topics
Belonging, Calleth, Hand'to, Honor, Israel's, Jacob, Lord's, Mark, Subscribe, Surname, Surnameth, Writeth
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 44:5

     5044   names, giving of
     7410   phylactery

Isaiah 44:1-5

     6640   election, privileges

Library
Feeding on Ashes
'He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?'--ISAIAH xliv. 20. The prophet has been pouring fierce scorn on idolaters. They make, he says, the gods they worship. They take a tree and saw it up: one log serves for a fire to cook their food, and with compass and pencil and plane they carve the figure of a man, and then they bow down to it and say, 'Deliver me, for thou art my god!' He sums up the whole …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Writing Blotted Out and Mist Melted
'I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins.'--ISAIAH xliv. 22. Isaiah has often and well been called the Evangelical Prophet. Many parts of this second half of his prophecies referring to the Messiah read like history rather than prediction. But it is not only from the clearness with which the great figure of the future king of Israel stands out on his page that he deserves that title. Other thoughts belonging to the very substance of the gospel appear in …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Jacob --Israel --Jeshurun
'Yet now hear, O Jacob My servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen.... Fear not, O Jacob, My servant; and thou, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. --ISAIAH xliv. 1, 2. You observe that there are here three different names applied to the Jewish nation. Two of them, namely Jacob and Israel, were borne by their great ancestor, and by him transmitted to his descendants. The third was never borne by him, and is applied to the people only here and in the Book of Deuteronomy. The occurrence of all three here …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Source of My Spirit's Deep Desire
"I will pour water on him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground." -- Isaiah 44:8. Source of my spirit's deep desire For living joys that shall not perish, The patient hope Thy words inspire, Still let Thy tender mercy cherish. On Thee my humbled soul would wait, Her utmost weakness calmly learning, And see Thy grace its way create, Through thorns and briers which Thou art burning. Gladly my inmost heart would know The love that now it faintly traces, And see the streams from Zion flow …
Miss A. L. Waring—Hymns and Meditations

To the Afflicted, Tossed with Tempests and not Comforted. Isa 44:5-11
To the afflicted, tossed with tempests and not comforted. Isa 44:5-11 Pensive, doubting, fearful heart, Hear what CHRIST the Savior says; Every word should joy impart, Change thy mourning into praise: Yes, he speaks, and speaks to thee, May he help thee to believe! Then thou presently wilt see, Thou hast little cause to grieve. "Fear thou not, nor be ashamed, All thy sorrows soon shall end I who heav'n and earth have framed, Am thy husband and thy friend I the High and Holy One, Israel's GOD by …
John Newton—Olney Hymns

Fourteenth Day for the Church of the Future
WHAT TO PRAY.--For the Church of the Future "That the children might not be as their fathers, a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God."--PS. lxxviii. 8. "I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thy offspring."--ISA. xliv. 3. Pray for the rising generation, who are to come after us. Think of the young men and young women and children of this age, and pray for all the agencies at work among them; that in association and societies …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

The Nature of Justification
Justification in the active sense (iustificatio, {GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH OXIA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA}) is defined by the Tridentine Council as "a translation from that state wherein man is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace and of the adoption of the sons of God through the second Adam, …
Joseph Pohle—Grace, Actual and Habitual

Catalogue of his Works.
There is no absolutely complete edition of Eusebius' extant works. The only one which can lay claim even to relative completeness is that of Migne: Eusebii Pamphili, Cæsareæ Palestinæ Episcopi, Opera omnia quæ extant, curis variorum, nempe: Henrici Valesii, Francisci Vigeri, Bernardi Montfauconii, Card. Angelo Maii edita; collegit et denuo recognovit J. P. Migne. Par. 1857. 6 vols. (tom. XIX.-XXIV. of Migne's Patrologia Græca). This edition omits the works which are …
Eusebius Pamphilius—Church History

Moses' Prayer to be Blotted Out of God's Book.
"And Moses returned unto the Lord and said. Oh! this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou--wilt, forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray they, out of thy book which than hast written." In the preceding discourse we endeavored to show that the idea of being willing to be damned for the glory of God is not found in the text--that the sentiment is erroneous and absurd--then adduced the constructions which have been put on the text by sundry expositors, …
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

Centenary Commemoration
OF THE RETURN OF BISHOP SEABURY. 1885 THE RT. REV. SAMUEL SEABURY, D.D. FIRST BISHOP OF CONNECTICUT, HELD HIS FIRST ORDINATION AT MIDDLETOWN, AUGUST 3, 1785. On the ninth day of June, 1885, the Diocesan Convention met in Hartford. Morning Prayer was read in Christ Church at 9 o'clock by the Rev. W. E. Vibbert, D.D., Rector of St. James's Church, Fair Haven, and the Rev. J. E. Heald, Rector of Trinity Church, Tariffville. The Holy Communion was celebrated in St. John's Church, the service beginning …
Various—The Sermons And Addresses At The Seabury Centenary

"But if Ye have Bitter Envying and Strife in Your Hearts, Glory Not," &C.
James iii. 14.--"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not," &c. It is a common evil of those who hear the gospel, that they are not delivered up to the mould and frame of religion that is holden out in it, but rather bring religion into a mould of their own invention. It was the special commendation of the Romans, that they obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine into which they were delivered, (Rom. vi. 17) that they who were once servants, or slaves of sin, had now …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Impiety of Attributing a visible Form to God. --The Setting up of Idols a Defection from the True God.
1. God is opposed to idols, that all may know he is the only fit witness to himself. He expressly forbids any attempt to represent him by a bodily shape. 2. Reasons for this prohibition from Moses, Isaiah, and Paul. The complaint of a heathen. It should put the worshipers of idols to shame. 3. Consideration of an objection taken from various passages in Moses. The Cherubim and Seraphim show that images are not fit to represent divine mysteries. The Cherubim belonged to the tutelage of the Law. 4. …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Unity of God
Q-5: ARE THERE MORE GODS THAN ONE? A: There is but one only, the living and true God. That there is a God has been proved; and those that will not believe the verity of his essence, shall feel the severity of his wrath. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.' Deut 6:6. He is the only God.' Deut 4:49. Know therefore this day, and consider it in thy heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath, there is none else.' A just God and a Saviour; there is none beside …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Hiram, the Inspired Artificer
BY REV. W. J. TOWNSEND, D.D. The Temple of Solomon was the crown of art in the old world. There were temples on a larger scale, and of more massive construction, but the enormous masses of masonry of the oldest nations were not comparable with the artistic grace, the luxurious adornments, and the harmonious proportions of this glorious House of God. David had laid up money and material for the great work, but he was not permitted to carry it out. He was a man of war, and blood-stained hands were …
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known

A Few Sighs from Hell;
or, The Groans of the Damned Soul: or, An Exposition of those Words in the Sixteenth of Luke, Concerning the Rich Man and the Beggar WHEREIN IS DISCOVERED THE LAMENTABLE STATE OF THE DAMNED; THEIR CRIES, THEIR DESIRES IN THEIR DISTRESSES, WITH THE DETERMINATION OF GOD UPON THEM. A GOOD WARNING WORD TO SINNERS, BOTH OLD AND YOUNG, TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION BETIMES, AND TO SEEK, BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, TO AVOID, LEST THEY COME INTO THE SAME PLACE OF TORMENT. Also, a Brief Discourse touching the …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

In the Last, the Great Day of the Feast'
IT was the last, the great day of the Feast,' and Jesus was once more in the Temple. We can scarcely doubt that it was the concluding day of the Feast, and not, as most modern writers suppose, its Octave, which, in Rabbinic language, was regarded as a festival by itself.' [3987] [3988] But such solemn interest attaches to the Feast, and this occurrence on its last day, that we must try to realise the scene. We have here the only Old Testament type yet unfilfilled; the only Jewish festival which has …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Song of the Redeemed
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou ... hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ... T he extent, variety, and order of the creation, proclaim the glory of God. He is likewise, ^* Maximus in Minimis . The smallest of the works, that we are capable of examining, such for instance as the eye or the wing of a little insect, the creature of a day, are stamped with an inimitable impression of His wisdom and power. Thus in His written Word, there …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Of the Decrees of God.
Eph. i. 11.--"Who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."--Job xxiii. 13. "He is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth." Having spoken something before of God, in his nature and being and properties, we come, in the next place, to consider his glorious majesty, as he stands in some nearer relation to his creatures, the work of his hands. For we must conceive the first rise of all things in the world to be in this self-being, the first conception …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Third Stage of the Roman Trial. Pilate Reluctantly Sentences Him to Crucifixion.
(Friday. Toward Sunrise.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 15-30; ^B Mark XV. 6-19; ^C Luke XXIII. 13-25; ^D John XVIII. 39-XIX 16. ^a 15 Now at the feast [the passover and unleavened bread] the governor was wont { ^b used to} release unto them ^a the multitude one prisoner, whom they would. { ^b whom they asked of him.} [No one knows when or by whom this custom was introduced, but similar customs were not unknown elsewhere, both the Greeks and Romans being wont to bestow special honor upon certain occasions by releasing …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Water of Life;
OR, A DISCOURSE SHOWING THE RICHNESS AND GLORY OF THE GRACE AND SPIRIT OF THE GOSPEL, AS SET FORTH IN SCRIPTURE BY THIS TERM, THE WATER OF LIFE. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.'--Revelation 22:17 London: Printed for Nathanael Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1688. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Often, and in every age, the children of God have dared to doubt the sufficiency of divine grace; whether it was vast enough to reach their condition--to cleanse …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Being of God
Q-III: WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES PRINCIPALLY TEACH? A: The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. Q-IV: WHAT IS GOD? A: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Here is, 1: Something implied. That there is a God. 2: Expressed. That he is a Spirit. 3: What kind of Spirit? I. Implied. That there is a God. The question, What is God? takes for granted that there …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

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