Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 41:22

"Let them bring forth, and declare unto us what shall happen: declare ye the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or show us things to come." — Isaiah 41:22 (ASV)

Let them bring them forth - Let the idols, or the worshippers of idols, bring forth the evidence of their divine nature and power. Or more probably it means, ‘let them draw near or approach.’

And show us what shall happen - None but the true God can discern the future and predict what is to occur. To be able to do this is therefore a proof of divinity to which God often appeals as a demonstration of His own divine character (Isaiah 45:3–7; Isaiah 46:9–10).

This idea that none but the true God can know all things and can with certainty foretell future events was one that was admitted even by the pagans (see Xenophon, Cyropaedia, Book 1: ‘The immortal gods know all things, both the past, the present, and those things that will proceed from each thing.’).

It was also on this belief that the worshippers of idols endeavored to uphold the credibility of their idol-gods. Accordingly, nearly all the reputation that the oracle at Delphi and other shrines obtained arose from the remarkable sagacity that was shown in predicting future events, or the skillful ambiguity with which they phrased their responses so as to preserve their influence whatever the result might be.

Let them show the former things what they be - The idea in this passage seems to be: ‘Let them foretell the entire series of events; let them predict in their order the things that will first occur, as well as those that will finally happen. Let them not select merely an isolated and unconnected event in the future, but let them declare those that will have a mutual relation and dependency, and whose causes are now hidden.’

The argument in the passage is that it required far more profound knowledge to predict the series of events as they would actually occur—to foretell their order of occurrence—than it did to foretell one single, isolated occurrence. The latter, pagan false prophets often undertook to do, and undoubtedly they often showed great sagacity in it.

In the Scriptures, it is the common way to foretell the order of events, or a series of transactions often pertaining to many individuals or nations, and stretching far into the future. And it is perfectly clear that none could do this but God .

Or declare us things for to come - Declare any event that is to occur, anything in the future. If they cannot predict the order of things or a series of events, let them clearly foretell any single event in the future.