Isaiah / Chapter 41

Isaiah 41

29 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex 1 tradition available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

We witness God summoning the nations to a courtroom trial. The chapter opens with a dramatic legal challenge: 'Keep silence before Me, O coastlands.' God declares that He has stirred up a conqueror from the east and the north — Cyrus, though unnamed — and challenges the idols to explain it. In the center of this cosmic trial, God turns to Israel with some of the tenderest words in Scripture: 'Fear not, for I am with you.' Israel is named God's servant, chosen and not cast off. The chapter closes with a devastating verdict against the idols: they are nothing, their works are emptiness, and the one who chooses them is an abomination.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Verse 10 — 'Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God' — is among the most quoted comfort passages in the Bible. The courtroom metaphor (rib pattern) structures the entire chapter: God is both plaintiff and judge, the nations are defendants, and the idols are on trial for fraud. The phrase 'I stirred up one from the north' initiates the Cyrus thread that will run through chapters 44-45. Israel is called 'seed of Abraham my friend' (v.8), the only place in the Hebrew Bible where Abraham is explicitly called God's friend (ohavi, literally 'my lover').

Translation Friction

The identity of 'one from the east' and 'one from the north' (vv.2, 25) is debated but contextually refers to Cyrus of Persia, whose campaigns came from both directions. We leave the text as the prophet does — without naming Cyrus until 44:28. The phrase 'you worm Jacob' (v.14) is startling; the Hebrew tola'at is not merely 'worm' but specifically the crimson worm used for making red dye, adding a layer the English cannot fully capture. We retain 'worm' for its visceral force.

Connections

The trial-of-the-nations motif continues in chapters 43 and 44. 'Fear not, for I am with you' echoes Genesis 26:24 (to Isaac) and anticipates Matthew 28:20 ('I am with you always'). Abraham as 'my friend' connects to James 2:23 and 2 Chronicles 20:7. The servant designation for Israel (v.8) begins a thread that will distinguish between the nation-servant and the individual Servant of chapters 42, 49, 50, and 53. The Redeemer title (go'el, v.14) links to Ruth and anticipates its climactic use in Isaiah 43-44. **Tradition comparisons:** The Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaiah-a) preserve this chapter with notable variants: Verse 7: the scroll has a slightly different word order in describing the craftsman. Verse 14: the scroll reads 'men of Israel' (metei yisrael) where the MT has the unusual 'men of Israel' (metei — sometimes read as 'dead ones of' by some). Verse 27: a minor plus in the scroll.. See the [DSS Isaiah comparison](/dss-isaiah/41).

Isaiah 41:1

הַחֲרִ֤ישׁוּ אֵלַי֙ אִיִּ֔ים וּלְאֻמִּ֖ים יַחֲלִ֣יפוּ כֹ֑חַ יִגְּשׁוּ֙ אָ֣ז יְדַבֵּ֔רוּ יַחְדָּ֖ו לַמִּשְׁפָּ֥ט נִקְרָֽבָה

Keep silence before Me, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them come near, then let them speak; let us come together for judgment.

KJV Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

מִשְׁפָּט mishpat
"judgment" — judgment, justice, legal case, court proceeding

Here mishpat is a legal proceeding — God convenes a cosmic trial, summoning the nations as defendants

Translator Notes

  1. The chapter opens as a courtroom drama. God is the plaintiff-judge who summons the coastlands (iyyim, the distant nations) to trial. 'Renew their strength' (yachalifu koach) uses the same phrase as 40:31, but here with legal force: 'gather your best arguments.' The invitation 'let us come together' is a legal summons.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"keep silence"

Identical consonantal text.

Isaiah 41:2

מִ֤י הֵעִיר֙ מִמִּזְרָ֔ח צֶ֖דֶק יִקְרָאֵ֣הוּ לְרַגְל֑וֹ יִתֵּ֨ן לְפָנָ֤יו גּוֹיִם֙ וּמְלָכִ֣ים יַ֔רְדְּ יִתֵּ֤ן כֶּֽעָפָר֙ חַרְבּ֔וֹ כְּקַ֥שׁ נִדָּ֖ף קַשְׁתּֽוֹ

Who stirred up one from the east whom righteousness meets at every step? He gives up nations before him and makes him tread down kings; He makes them like dust before his sword, like driven stubble before his bow.

KJV Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'one from the east' is Cyrus of Persia, unnamed until 44:28. The Hebrew is ambiguous: tsedeq (righteousness/victory) could be the man's character or God's vindication through him. We render it as righteousness meeting him, preserving the ambiguity. God claims credit for Cyrus's conquests — this is the core argument of the trial.
Isaiah 41:3

יִרְדְּפֵ֖ם יַעֲב֣וֹר שָׁל֑וֹם אֹ֥רַח בְּרַגְלָ֖יו לֹ֥א יָבֽוֹא

He pursues them and passes on safely, by a path his feet have not traveled before.

KJV He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The conqueror's advance is so swift and divinely guided that he traverses paths he has never walked — yet passes in shalom (safety/wholeness). The image is of unstoppable, providentially directed conquest.
Isaiah 41:4

מִֽי־פָעַ֣ל וְעָשָׂ֔ה קֹרֵ֥א הַדֹּר֖וֹת מֵרֹ֑אשׁ אֲנִ֤י יְהוָה֙ רִאשׁ֔וֹן וְאֶת־אַחֲרֹנִ֖ים אֲנִי־הֽוּא

Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last — I am He.

KJV Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

רִאשׁוֹן … אַחֲרֹנִים rishon … acharonim
"the first … the last" — first/beginning … last/final ones

This self-designation anticipates 44:6 ('I am the first and the last') and is echoed in Revelation 1:17 and 22:13

Translator Notes

  1. God answers His own question: He is the one directing history. 'I am He' (ani hu) is a divine self-identification formula that will recur throughout Second Isaiah (43:10, 13, 25; 46:4; 48:12). 'The first and with the last' claims sovereignty over the entire span of time.
Isaiah 41:5

רָא֤וּ אִיִּים֙ וַיִּירָ֔אוּ קְצ֥וֹת הָאָ֖רֶץ יֶחֱרָ֑דוּ קָרְב֖וּ וַיֶּאֱתָיֽוּן

The coastlands have seen and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble. They draw near and come.

KJV The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The nations react with terror to Cyrus's advance — but rather than fleeing, they draw near. The next verses reveal why: they huddle together to make idols, seeking security in manufactured gods.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"be strong"

Plene spelling in the scroll. Same word.

Isaiah 41:6

אִ֥ישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵ֖הוּ יַעְזֹ֑רוּ וּלְאָחִ֖יו יֹאמַ֥ר חֲזָֽק

Each one helps his neighbor and says to his brother, 'Be strong!'

KJV They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The mutual encouragement sounds admirable in isolation, but the context reveals it as tragic: they encourage one another in idol-making (vv.7). Their solidarity is misplaced — they strengthen each other in futility.
Isaiah 41:7

וַיְחַזֵּ֤ק חָרָשׁ֙ אֶת־צֹרֵ֔ף מַחֲלִ֥יק פַּטִּ֖ישׁ אֶת־ה֣וֹלֶם פָּ֑עַם אֹמֵ֤ר לַדֶּ֙בֶק֙ ט֣וֹב ה֔וּא וַיְחַזְּקֵ֥הוּ בְמַסְמְרִ֖ים לֹ֥א יִמּֽוֹט

The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer encourages him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, 'It is good.' And they fasten it with nails so that it will not totter.

KJV So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The idol-making process is again described with withering mundane detail (cf. 40:19-20). The god must be nailed down — lo yimmot, 'so it will not totter' — the same phrase used in 40:20. The nations' response to divine power is to manufacture more powerless gods.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)moderate

"and he strengthened it"

The consonantal text is identical but 1QIsaiah-a's orthography suggests a slightly different vocalization. The description of the idol-maker fastening the image with nails is substantively the same in both texts.

Isaiah 41:8

וְאַתָּ֥ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַבְדִּ֑י יַעֲקֹב֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּחַרְתִּ֔יךָ זֶ֖רַע אַבְרָהָ֥ם אֹהֲבִֽי

But you, Israel, are my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, offspring of Abraham my friend —

KJV But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

אֹהֲבִי ohavi
"my friend" — my friend, my beloved, one who loves me

The only place in the Hebrew Bible where Abraham is called God's friend; the root is 'ahav (to love), making this an intensely personal designation

Translator Notes

  1. The dramatic shift from the nations making idols to God addressing Israel is marked by ve'attah (but you). Israel is three things: God's servant ('avdi), God's chosen (becharticha), and Abraham's seed. The designation ohavi (my friend/lover) for Abraham appears only here; James 2:23 and 2 Chronicles 20:7 echo it. The Arabic name Khalil (friend) for Abraham derives from this tradition.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"Israel"

Identical.

Isaiah 41:9

אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶחֱזַקְתִּ֙יךָ֙ מִקְצ֣וֹת הָאָ֔רֶץ וּמֵאֲצִילֶ֖יהָ קְרָאתִ֑יךָ וָאֹ֤מַר לְךָ֙ עַבְדִּי־אַ֔תָּה בְּחַרְתִּ֖יךָ וְלֹ֥א מְאַסְתִּֽיךָ

you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, 'You are my servant; I have chosen you and not cast you off' —

KJV Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'From the ends of the earth' refers to Abraham's call from Ur of the Chaldees (Genesis 12:1) and also to Israel's gathering from exile. 'Not cast you off' (lo me'asticha) directly addresses the exiles' deepest fear: that God has permanently rejected them.
Isaiah 41:10

אַל־תִּירָא֙ כִּ֣י עִמְּךָ־אָ֔נִי אַל־תִּשְׁתָּ֖ע כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ אִמַּצְתִּ֙יךָ֙ אַף־עֲזַרְתִּ֔יךָ אַף־תְּמַכְתִּ֖יךָ בִּימִ֥ין צִדְקִֽי

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

KJV Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

אַל־תִּירָא al-tira'
"fear not" — do not fear, do not be afraid

The divine 'fear not' is one of the most frequent commands in Scripture; here it initiates a salvation oracle — God's direct, personal assurance to His people in crisis

Translator Notes

  1. This verse is one of the most beloved in the Hebrew Bible. The structure is two negative commands ('fear not,' 'be not dismayed') followed by three positive promises ('I will strengthen,' 'I will help,' 'I will uphold'). The phrase bimin tsidqi ('with my righteous right hand') combines power (right hand) with covenant faithfulness (righteousness). This is not generic encouragement but a covenant oath.
Isaiah 41:11

הֵ֤ן יֵבֹ֙שׁוּ֙ וְיִכָּ֣לְמ֔וּ כֹּ֖ל הַנֶּחֱרִ֣ים בָּ֑ךְ יִהְי֥וּ כְאַ֛יִן וְיֹאבְד֖וּ אַנְשֵׁ֥י רִיבֶֽךָ

Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.

KJV Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The oracle shifts from comfort to vindication. Israel's enemies will become 'ayin (nothing) — the same fate as the nations before God (40:17). The vocabulary of shame (bosh, kalam) is legal: they will lose their case in the cosmic trial.
Isaiah 41:12

תְּבַקְשֵׁם֙ וְלֹ֣א תִמְצָאֵ֔ם אַנְשֵׁ֖י מַצֻּתֶ֑ךָ יִהְי֥וּ כְאַ֛יִן וּכְאֶ֖פֶס אַנְשֵׁ֥י מִלְחַמְתֶּֽךָ

You shall seek them, but you will not find them — those who contend with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.

KJV Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The escalation continues: enemies move from shame (v.11) to non-existence (v.12). The threefold designation — those incensed, those who strive, those who war — covers every form of opposition. They will simply vanish.
Isaiah 41:13

כִּ֗י אֲנִ֛י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ מַחֲזִ֣יק יְמִינֶ֑ךָ הָאֹמֵ֥ר לְךָ֛ אַל־תִּירָ֖א אֲנִ֥י עֲזַרְתִּֽיךָ

For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you.'

KJV For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The image of God holding Israel's right hand is extraordinarily intimate — a parent holding a child's hand, guiding and steadying. The second 'fear not' (al-tira') reinforces v.10. 'I am the one who helps you' (ani azarticha) uses the prophetic perfect — so certain is the help that it is spoken of as already accomplished.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"your God"

1QIsaiah-a uses plene spelling with vav in 'elohekha' and a different suffix form. Same meaning.

Isaiah 41:14

אַל־תִּֽירְאִי֙ תּוֹלַ֣עַת יַעֲקֹ֔ב מְתֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲנִ֤י עֲזַרְתִּיךְ֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וְגֹאֲלֵ֖ךְ קְד֥וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל

Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

KJV Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

גֹּאֲלֵךְ go'alekh
"your Redeemer" — redeemer, kinsman-redeemer, one who buys back, avenger

When applied to God, go'el is always capitalized as 'Redeemer' — God acts as Israel's kinsman who reclaims them from bondage

Translator Notes

  1. This is the third 'fear not' in four verses (vv.10, 13, 14). 'Worm' (tola'at) is the crimson/scarlet worm (coccus ilicis) used for making red dye — tiny and easily crushed, yet the source of royal color. 'Declares the LORD' renders ne'um YHWH, the prophetic oracle formula. Go'alekh (your Redeemer) introduces the kinsman-redeemer concept applied to God — the same institution that drives the book of Ruth. The Holy One of Israel is Isaiah's signature divine title.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)moderate

"men of Israel"

The MT's metei is an unusual form that could theoretically be parsed as 'dead ones of Israel,' though all ancient translations understood it as 'men of.' 1QIsaiah-a's spelling confirms the reading 'men of Israel,' removing any ambiguity.

Isaiah 41:15

הִנֵּ֨ה שַׂמְתִּ֜יךְ לְמוֹרַ֤ג חָרוּץ֙ חָדָ֔שׁ בַּ֖עַל פִּיפִיּ֑וֹת תָּד֤וּשׁ הָרִים֙ וְתָדֹ֔ק וּגְבָע֖וֹת כְּמֹ֥ץ תָּשִֽׂים

Behold, I will make you a threshing sledge, new, sharp, and double-edged; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them, and you shall make the hills like chaff.

KJV Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The transformation is astonishing: the 'worm' of v.14 becomes a threshing sledge that crushes mountains. The morag charuts was a heavy wooden board studded with sharp stones or iron teeth, dragged over grain. Mountains and hills represent the great empires that oppressed Israel.
Isaiah 41:16

תִּזְרֵם֙ וְר֣וּחַ תִּשָּׂאֵ֔ם וּסְעָרָ֖ה תָּפִ֣יץ אוֹתָ֑ם וְאַתָּה֙ תָּגִ֣יל בַּיהוָ֔ה בִּקְד֥וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל תִּתְהַלָּֽל

You shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the storm shall scatter them. And you shall rejoice in the LORD; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.

KJV Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. After threshing comes winnowing — the wind (ruach) carries away the chaff of the nations. The result is not military pride but worship: Israel will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel. Victory leads to doxology, not triumphalism.
Isaiah 41:17

הָעֲנִיִּ֣ים וְהָאֶבְיוֹנִ֗ים מְבַקְשִׁ֥ים מַ֙יִם֙ וָאַ֔יִן לְשׁוֹנָ֖ם בַּצָּמָ֣א נָשָׁ֑תָּה אֲנִ֤י יְהוָה֙ אֶעֱנֵ֔ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֹ֥א אֶעֶזְבֵֽם

When the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

KJV When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The imagery shifts to the physical suffering of the exiles. Their thirst is both literal (desert journey) and spiritual (longing for God's presence). 'I will answer them' (e'enem) — the God who summons nations to trial also hears the cry of the thirsty poor.
Isaiah 41:18

אֶפְתַּ֤ח עַל־שְׁפָיִים֙ נְהָר֔וֹת וּבְת֥וֹךְ בְּקָע֖וֹת מַעְיָנ֑וֹת אָשִׂ֤ים מִדְבָּר֙ לַאֲגַם־מַ֔יִם וְאֶ֥רֶץ צִיָּ֖ה לְמוֹצָ֥אֵי מָֽיִם

I will open rivers on the bare heights and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water.

KJV I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God's response to thirst is extravagant: rivers on hilltops where water cannot naturally flow, springs in the desert. This reverses the natural order — a new creation that anticipates the new exodus theme (cf. 43:19-20). The imagery echoes the wilderness provision of Exodus 17.
Isaiah 41:19

אֶתֵּ֤ן בַּמִּדְבָּר֙ אֶ֣רֶז שִׁטָּ֔ה וַהֲדַ֖ס וְעֵ֣ץ שָׁ֑מֶן אָשִׂ֣ים בָּעֲרָבָ֗ה בְּר֛וֹשׁ תִּדְהָ֥ר וּתְאַשּׁ֖וּר יַחְדָּֽו

I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane tree, and the pine together,

KJV I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Seven trees — a number of completeness — will grow in the desert. These include both common and noble species: cedars and cypresses from Lebanon's mountains growing in the wasteland. The desert becoming a forest is a creation-reversal miracle.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"in the desert"

Identical consonantal text.

Isaiah 41:20

לְמַ֧עַן יִרְא֣וּ וְיֵדְע֗וּ וְיָשִׂ֤ימוּ וְיַשְׂכִּ֙ילוּ֙ יַחְדָּ֔ו כִּ֥י יַד־יְהוָ֖ה עָ֣שְׂתָה זֹּ֑את וּקְד֥וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּרָאָֽהּ

that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.

KJV That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Four verbs of perception — see, know, consider, understand — emphasize that the miracle's purpose is revelation. The desert transformation is not merely provision but testimony: the Holy One of Israel has created (bara') it, using the same verb reserved for divine creation in Genesis 1.
Isaiah 41:21

קָרְב֥וּ רִיבְכֶ֖ם יֹאמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה הַגִּ֙ישׁוּ֙ עֲצֻמ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם יֹאמַ֖ר מֶ֥לֶךְ יַעֲקֹֽב

Set forth your case, says the LORD; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.

KJV Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

רִיב riv
"case" — legal case, dispute, controversy, lawsuit

The courtroom trial resumes; the idols are now directly challenged to present evidence

Translator Notes

  1. The trial resumes after the comfort oracle (vv.8-20). God now addresses the idols directly: 'Bring your case!' The title 'King of Jacob' (Melekh Ya'aqov) is rare and powerful — God is not merely Israel's God but their sovereign. The idols must now prove their divinity or stand condemned.
Isaiah 41:22

יַגִּ֙ישׁוּ֙ וְיַגִּ֣ידוּ לָ֔נוּ אֵ֖ת אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּקְרֶ֑ינָה הָרִאשֹׁנוֹת֩ מָ֨ה הֵ֜נָּה הַגִּ֗ידוּ וְנָשִׂ֤ימָה לִבֵּ֙נוּ֙ וְנֵדְעָ֣ה אַחֲרִיתָ֔ן א֖וֹ הַבָּא֥וֹת הַשְׁמִיעֻֽנוּ

Let them bring them forward and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them and know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come.

KJV Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The test for true divinity is simple: can you explain the past or predict the future? The idols are challenged to do either. This predictive criterion — only the true God can foretell history — is the cornerstone of Isaiah's argument against idolatry.
Isaiah 41:23

הַגִּ֙ידוּ֙ הָאֹתִיּ֣וֹת לְאָח֔וֹר וְנֵדְעָ֖ה כִּ֣י אֱלֹהִ֣ים אַתֶּ֑ם אַף־תֵּיטִ֣יבוּ וְתָרֵ֔עוּ וְנִשְׁתָּ֖עָה וְנִרְאֶ֥ה יַחְדָּֽו

Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods. Do good or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified together.

KJV Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The challenge intensifies: 'Do anything — good or evil — just do something!' The idols are challenged not merely to predict but to act. The taunt is devastating: even a harmful act would prove they exist as agents. They cannot manage even that.
Isaiah 41:24

הֵ֤ן אַתֶּם֙ מֵאַ֔יִן וּפָעָלְכֶ֖ם מֵאָ֑פַע תּוֹעֵבָ֖ה יִבְחַ֥ר בָּכֶֽם

Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you.

KJV Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verdict is delivered: the idols are me'ayin (from nothing) and their work is me'afa' (from nothingness/a viper's breath). The one who chooses to worship them is to'evah (abomination) — a term of covenant revulsion. The case is closed.
Isaiah 41:25

הַעִיר֤וֹתִי מִצָּפוֹן֙ וַיַּ֔את מִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁ֖מֶשׁ יִקְרָ֣א בִשְׁמִ֑י וְיָבֹ֤א סְגָנִים֙ כְּמוֹ־חֹ֔מֶר וּכְמ֥וֹ יוֹצֵ֖ר יִרְמָס־טִֽיט

I stirred up one from the north, and he has come, from the rising of the sun one who calls on my name. He shall trample rulers like mortar, as the potter treads clay.

KJV I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'one from the north' and 'from the rising of the sun' (east) is Cyrus, whose empire spanned both directions. 'Calls on my name' is remarkable — a pagan king unknowingly serving God's purposes. The trampling imagery shows Cyrus as God's instrument of judgment against the nations.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"from the north"

Identical consonantal text.

Isaiah 41:26

מִ֣י הִגִּ֤יד מֵרֹאשׁ֙ וְנֵדָ֔עָה וּמִלְּפָנִ֖ים וְנֹאמַ֣ר צַדִּ֑יק אַ֣ף אֵין־מַגִּ֗יד אַ֚ף אֵ֣ין מַשְׁמִ֔יעַ אַ֥ף אֵין־שֹׁמֵ֖עַ אִמְרֵיכֶֽם

Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know, and beforehand, that we might say, 'He is right'? There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed it, none who heard your words.

KJV Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The triple 'none' (ein) is the final condemnation of the idols. They declared nothing, proclaimed nothing, and no one ever heard them speak. The silence of the idols is their self-condemnation. Only the LORD announced Cyrus in advance.
Isaiah 41:27

רִאשׁ֥וֹן לְצִיּ֖וֹן הִנֵּ֣ה הִנָּ֑ם וְלִירוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם מְבַשֵּׂ֥ר אֶתֵּֽן

I was the first to say to Zion, 'Behold, here they are!' and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news.

KJV The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God alone foretold these events to Zion. The mevasser (herald of good news) echoes 40:9, where Zion was the herald. The root b-s-r (good news) continues its journey toward the NT concept of gospel.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)moderate

"First to Zion — behold, behold them!"

1QIsaiah-a appears to have a slightly expanded reading with a doubled hinneh ('behold, behold') where the MT has a single hinneh hinnam. The duplication may reflect emphasis in the scroll tradition or a scribal expansion for rhetorical effect.

Isaiah 41:28

וְאֵ֙רֶא֙ וְאֵ֣ין אִ֔ישׁ וּמֵאֵ֖לֶּה וְאֵ֣ין יוֹעֵ֑ץ וְאֶשְׁאָלֵ֖ם וְיָשִׁ֥יבוּ דָבָֽר

But when I look, there is no one; among these there is no counselor who, when I ask, gives an answer.

KJV For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God looks among the idols and their worshipers for anyone who can respond — and finds no one. The silence is deafening. This sets up the devastating conclusion in v.29.
Isaiah 41:29

הֵ֣ן כֻּלָּ֔ם אָ֥וֶן אֶ֖פֶס מַעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם ר֥וּחַ וָתֹ֖הוּ נִסְכֵּיהֶֽם

Behold, they are all a delusion; their works are nothing; their metal images are empty wind.

KJV Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The chapter closes with a sweeping verdict: all the idols are 'aven (delusion/wickedness), their works are efes (nothing/zero), and their cast images are ruach vatohu (wind and chaos — tohu echoing the primordial formlessness of Genesis 1:2). The trial is over. The idols are condemned to non-existence.
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