Isaiah 41:1-20

Fear Not, For I Am with You

1 ¹Listen to me in silence, ²O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment.

2 ³Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every ⁴step?^{[a] 5}He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings underfoot; he makes them like dust with his sword, ⁶like driven stubble with his bow.

3 He pursues them and passes on safely, by paths his feet have not trod.

4 ⁷Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? ⁸I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

5 ⁹The coastlands have seen and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come.

6 Everyone helps his neighbor and says to his brother, "Be strong!"

7 ¹⁰The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, "It is good"; and they strengthen it with nails ¹¹so that it cannot be moved.

8 But you, Israel, ¹²my servant, Jacob, ¹³whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, ¹⁴my friend;

9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called ¹⁵from its farthest corners, saying to you, "You are ¹⁶my servant, ¹⁷I have chosen you and not cast you off";

10 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 ¹⁸my righteous right hand.

11 ¹⁹Behold, 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.

12 ²⁰You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; ²¹those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.

13 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."

14 Fear not, you ²²worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your ²³Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

15 ²⁴Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge, new, sharp, and having teeth; you shall thresh ²⁵the mountains and crush them, and you shall make the hills like chaff;

16 ²⁶you shall winnow them, and ²⁷the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest shall scatter them. ²⁸And you shall rejoice in the LORD; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.

17 ²⁹When 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.

18 ³⁰I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. ³¹I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

19 ³²I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert ³³the cypress, the plane and the pine together,

20 that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that ³⁴the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Isaiah 41:1-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 41

This chapter contains a summons to the enemies of Christ to come and try the cause between God and them before him; words of comfort to true believers, promising them help, protection, and provision; full conviction of idolaters, and their practices; and is closed with a promise of some great person, and what he will do unto them, and for the people of God. The summons is in Isa 41:1, expressed according to the forms used in courts of judicature. The issue of the controversy is put upon this foot, the raising up a certain person from the east, who it was that did it, which appearing to be the work of the Lord, proves the point contended about, Isa 41:2-4, the obstinate persistence of idolaters in their idolatry, notwithstanding this is observed, Isa 41:5-7, the people of God, under the names of Jacob and Israel, the objects of God's choice and affection, Isa 41:8,9 are encouraged against the fear of men, with promises of help and strength from the Lord, Isa 41:10,13,14 of confusion to their enemies, and victory over them, Isa 41:11,12,15,16, and of spiritual provisions, and great prosperity in their wilderness state, in which they should manifestly see the hand of the Lord, Isa 41:17-20 when the idolatrous nations are challenged to produce their strong reasons for their idolatry, and are put upon proving that their idols can foretell things to come, or do good or evil to men, or own they are nothing but an abomination, Isa 41:21-24,26 and then one is spoken of that should come as a mighty warrior, and tread down the Pagan princes, and a set of Gospel ministers should be sent, bringing good tidings to Zion, to the silencing of idolaters, and the cessation of idolatrous worship, Isa 41:25,27,28.

Cross References

• 1. [Habakkuk 2:20; Zechariah 2:13]
• 2. See Isaiah 11:11
• 3. Isaiah 46:11; [Isaiah 45:1]
• 4. [Judges 4:10]
• 5. 2 Chronicles 36:23
• 6. Isaiah 40:24
• 7. [ver. 26]
• 8. Isaiah 43:10, 11; Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 48:12; Revelation 1:8, 17; Revelation 22:13
• 9. See Isaiah 11:11
• 10. Isaiah 40:19
• 11. [Isaiah 40:20]
• 12. Isaiah 44:1, 2
• 13. Deuteronomy 7:6; Deuteronomy 10:15; Deuteronomy 14:2; Psalms 135:4; [1 Peter 2:9]
• 14. 2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23
• 15. Isaiah 43:5, 6
• 16. [See ver. 8 above]
• 17. [See ver. 8 above]
• 18. Psalms 48:10
• 19. [Isaiah 45:24]
• 20. Psalms 37:10
• 21. Isaiah 40:17
• 22. [Psalms 22:6]
• 23. Isaiah 54:5; [Psalms 78:35]; See Isaiah 43:14
• 24. Micah 4:13
• 25. [Isaiah 2:14]
• 26. [Jeremiah 51:2]
• 27. [ver. 2]
• 28. Isaiah 45:25
• 29. [Isaiah 44:3]
• 30. Isaiah 35:6, 7
• 31. Psalms 107:35
• 32. Isaiah 35:1, 2; Isaiah 55:12, 13
• 33. Isaiah 60:13
• 34. Job 12:9

Footnotes

• [a]. Or whom righteousness calls to follow?