Isaiah 42:23 is a question that asks who among the people will pay attention to what God has said and listen carefully to what is coming. The verse is not asking for information about a stranger; it is pressing the listener to take God’s word seriously before its consequences arrive. The prophet Isaiah speaks these words in God’s name to the people of Israel, the nation he has called his own.
Who is there among you who will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come?
Isaiah 42:23 (WEB)
What Isaiah 42:23 Means
The verse opens with “Who is there among you who will give ear to this?” The phrase “give ear” means to incline the ear toward someone, to make a real effort to hear. Isaiah is noticing that most people are not doing this. They hear sounds, but they do not truly take in the message.
The second question, “Who will listen and hear for the time to come?”, moves from the present to the future. The prophet is asking who will pay attention now so that they are prepared for what is ahead. Listening here is practical. It means paying attention today so that tomorrow’s events do not catch you unready.
The verse does not promise that everyone will listen, and it does not spell out a reward for those who do. It is a challenge and a lament. It shows that God’s people had grown deaf to his voice, and that the warning was meant to stir them awake.
The Context of Isaiah 42:23
Isaiah 42 belongs to the second major section of the book, often called the “Book of Comfort” because it looks ahead to restoration after exile. The prophet is traditionally identified as the author, and his audience is the nation of Judah and Israel. Chapter 42 begins by introducing God’s servant who brings justice gently to the nations, and then turns to a painful description of Israel’s blindness and captivity.
Just before verse 23, the prophet says that the people “see many things, but don’t observe” and have “ears open, but don’t listen” (verses 20). Verse 22 describes them as a robbed and plundered people, trapped and imprisoned with no one to restore them. Verse 23 therefore comes as a direct response to that condition. Read this way, the question is not a casual invitation but an urgent appeal to a people who have ignored the signs around them.
Key Phrases in Isaiah 42:23
Proverbs 4:20
My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.
(WEB)
This verse echoes the call to attend closely to wise words. Solomon urges his son to incline his ear to God’s instruction, the same posture Isaiah describes. Read together, the two verses show that giving ear to God is a recurring theme throughout Scripture.
James 1:19
So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger…
(WEB)
James gives a practical picture of what it looks like to listen well: quick to hear, slow to speak. It helps translate Isaiah’s challenge into everyday relationships, reminding readers that attentive listening is part of living faithfully.
A Short Prayer From Isaiah 42:23
Lord, you have spoken to me through your word and through the people you have placed around me, but I know my ears can be dull and my attention easily scattered. Open my heart so that I truly give ear to what you are saying. Help me to listen today in a way that prepares me for what lies ahead, trusting that your voice is worth my full attention. Teach me to receive your instruction with humility and to act on what I hear. Amen.
