You have never heard, you have never known: God repeats the claim that the people have never heard (see verse 7b) and never known (see verse 6d) the new things he is about to do. These negative statements are expressed forcefully with a threefold repetition of the Hebrew particle gam (“also/indeed”) twice in this line and once in the next one. Although the people had heard what God had declared about his past actions (verses 3-5), the new things are so new that they could not possibly have heard or known about them. In languages where heard and known need objects, this line may be rendered “You have never heard about these [new] things, you have never known about them.”
From of old your ear has not been opened emphasizes the previous line. The Hebrew expression rendered from of old occurred earlier in the first lines of verses 3, 5, and 7 (see the introductory comments on this subsection [48.3-8]). Your ear has not been opened means the people were not ready or willing to listen to what God had to say. Refusal to listen to God was a constant feature of Israel’s past life. In languages where the expression your ear has not been opened is not an idiom and where there is a risk it could be taken literally, Good News Translation provides an alternative model for the whole line with “no word of it ever came to your ears.” Bible en français courant renders the first two lines without referring to ears: “Moreover you have not listened, you have never wanted to know, you have never given any attention.”
For renders the Hebrew particle ki. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation understand this particle to be a logical connector here. But it is more likely an emphatic marker, which may be rendered “Indeed” or “Truly.” New American Bible treats it this way with “Yes,” and so does New International Version with “Well.” Revised English Bible and Bible en français courant omit it.
I knew that you would deal very treacherously: This is the first reason why the people of Israel did not listen to God. There is contrast between what the people could have never known and what God knew. Deal very treacherously is an emphatic expression in Hebrew, which is expressed in English by the addition of the adverb very (see the comments on 24.6 and 31.1). It describes those who are unfaithful and not to be trusted because they act against the interests of others. They deliberately set out to harm others. For this whole line Good News Translation says “I knew that you couldn’t be trusted,” but this rendering is rather weak. Bible en français courant is better with “I know you as traitors.” Other possible models are “I knew you would betray me” and “I knew that you would be full of treachery [or, be traitors] to me.”
And that from birth you were called a rebel is parallel to the previous line. It is the second reason why Israel did not listen to God. A rebel is a person who refuses to obey someone to whom obedience is due (see the comments on 1.2, where the Hebrew root here is rendered “rebelled”). God asserts that from the very beginning of the nation’s history, that is from birth, the people were rebels. The Hebrew expression rendered from birth is literally “from the womb,” as in 44.2 and 24. You were called a rebel does not mean that some people called Israel a rebel, but that Israel was known by everyone to rebel against God. So Good News Translation renders the whole line as “that you have always been known as a rebel.” Another possibility is “that you have always been known to rebel against me.”
Revised Standard Version follows the order of the Hebrew text for this verse by placing the result before the explanation. However, Good News Translation begins with the explanation of the last two lines. There may be a slight change in emphasis resulting from this reordering, but the meaning is the same. Some languages will require that the explanation be given first, while others first state the result, then offer the explanation.
Translation suggestions for this verse are:
• Never have you heard or known,
long ago you have refused to listen.
Truly, I knew that you would be utterly untrustworthy,
that from the start you would be a rebel.
• You have never heard, nor have you ever known,
from of old your ear has not been open.
Yes, I knew your utter treachery,
and that from the beginning you were known as a rebel.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .