Isaiah 41:5

5 The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward;

Isaiah 41:5 in Other Translations

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

5 The coastlands have seen and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come.

5 The lands beyond the sea watch in fear. Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war.

5 "Far-flung ocean islands see it and panic. The ends of the earth are shaken. Fearfully they huddle together.

5 The islands see and are afraid, the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and arrive.

Isaiah 41:5 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 41:5

The isles saw it, and feared
Not the victory which Abraham got over the kings; nor Cyrus's expedition against Babylon, and other nations, and his deliverance of the Jews; but the progress of the Gospel, through the ministry of the Apostle Paul: the idolatrous inhabitants of the Gentile nations saw great multitudes embracing and professing the Gospel; they saw their idols neglected, and their temples abandoned; they feared what would be the consequence of all this, that their old religion their fathers retained, and they were brought up in, would be abolished; and especially a panic seized the priests on this account, whose livelihood depended upon it: the ends of the earth were afraid;
for the sound of the Gospel by him, and other apostles, went into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world, ( Romans 10:18 ) meaning the inhabitants that dwelt in the furthest parts of the earth, where ignorance and idolatry wholly reigned: they drew near, and came: not to God, nor to Abraham, or Cyrus; rather to their gods, to exert themselves in the defence of their religion; or, which is best, they got together to consult what was proper to be done on such an emergency.

Isaiah 41:5 In-Context

3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before.

4 Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD—with the first of them and with the last—I am he.”

5 The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward;

6 they help each other and say to their companions, “Be strong!”

7 The metalworker encourages the goldsmith, and the one who smooths with the hammer spurs on the one who strikes the anvil. One says of the welding, “It is good.” The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.

Cross References

• 1. S Isaiah 11:11; Ezekiel 26:17-18
• 2. S Deuteronomy 30:4; S Isaiah 11:12