Isaiah 41:4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
4 Who has performed these deeds?
Who has called forth the generations from the beginning?(A)
I, the Lord, am the first,
and at the last[a] I am he.
Isaiah 44:6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
The True God and False Gods
6 [a]Thus says the Lord, Israel’s king,
its redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the first, I am the last;
there is no God but me.[b](A)
Footnotes
- 44:6–8 Prediction and fulfillment are here seen as the hallmarks of true divinity. See note on 43:9.
- 44:6 No god but me: with Second Isaiah, Israel’s faith is declared to be explicitly monotheistic. However implicit it may have been, earlier formulas did not exclude the existence of other gods, not even that of the first commandment: “You shall not have other gods besides me” (Ex 20:3). Cf. also note on 41:21–29.
Isaiah 48:12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
12 Listen to me, Jacob,
Israel, whom I called!
I, it is I who am the first,
and am I the last.(A)
Revelation 1:8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,”[a] says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.”(A)
The First Vision.[b]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1:8 The Alpha and the Omega: the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Rev 22:13 the same words occur together with the expressions “the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End”; cf. Rev 1:17; 2:8; 21:6; Is 41:4; 44:6.
- 1:9–20 In this first vision, the seer is commanded to write what he sees to the seven churches (Rev 1:9–11). He sees Christ in glory, whom he depicts in stock apocalyptic imagery (Rev 1:12–16), and hears him describe himself in terms meant to encourage Christians by emphasizing his victory over death (Rev 1:17–20).
Revelation 1:17
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
17 When I caught sight of him, I fell down at his feet as though dead.[a] He touched me with his right hand and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last,(A)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1:17 It was an Old Testament belief that for sinful human beings to see God was to die; cf. Ex 19:21; 33:20; Jgs 6:22–23; Is 6:5.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.