Declare the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and see it together.
Foreknowledge of things to come is the unmistakable mark of deity; no idol can do it. By good or evil Isaiah means the power to reward worshippers or punish enemies, civil acts that prove sovereignty. When men see this proof, they will be amazed and silenced, with nothing left to object.
AI summary
The idols are challenged to show power in either direction: reward their friends or punish their enemies. Only then can the contest be decided and God's supremacy over the false gods be laid bare for all to see.
AI summary
The suit moves to its second stage: Jehovah challenges the idols themselves to establish their deity by doing what only He can do, foretelling the future. In the first stage He appealed to His control of history; now He rests His case on His alone knowing what shall come to pass. Let the idols predict events, and men will acknowledge them as gods; but they stand mute and powerless.
AI summary
Commenting on Isaiah 41:21-23