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.
Read it in contextGod’s Help to Israel
Start reading at Isaiah 41:1 (Isaiah 41:1 to Isaiah 41:20).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The movement announces comfort, challenges idols, and develops the servant passages and invitations to receive the LORD's provision.
41:1Keep 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.
41:2Who 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.
41:3He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.
41:4Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.
41:5The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
41:6They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.
41:7So 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.
41:8But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
41:9Thou 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.
41:10Fear 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.
41:11Behold, 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.
41:12Thou 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.
41:13For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
41:14Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
41:15Behold, 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.
41:16Thou 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.
41:17When 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.
41:18I 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.
41:19I 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:
41:20That 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.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? Isaiah son of Amoz is the named prophet and the traditional author. The New Testament attributes passages from both earlier and later portions to Isaiah; scholars differ about the book's later composition and collection. Biblical references: Isaiah 1:1; John 12:38; John 12:39. stated in the text
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Isaiah 40:1–48:22): The LORD's people, called Jacob and Israel, are addressed with comfort, correction, and the assurance of His power over idols and empires. Babylon and its rulers are also addressed in judgment. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? Judah and Jerusalem are the principal named audience, with messages also concerning Israel and other nations. Later portions address God's people in the horizon of exile, return, and restoration. Biblical references: Isaiah 1:1; Isaiah 40:1; Isaiah 48:20. stated in the text
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? God’s Help to Israel. Read Isaiah 41:1 through Isaiah 41:20 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The movement announces comfort, challenges idols, and develops the servant passages and invitations to receive the LORD's provision. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The opening names the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Some passages speak toward later restoration; the time pictured in an oracle is not necessarily its composition date. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? Judah and Jerusalem are central, but the oracles address surrounding nations and distant powers as well. The named audience and location vary by oracle. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in God’s Help to Israel (Isaiah 41:1 to Isaiah 41:20).
Start reading at Isaiah 41:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? The New Testament explicitly applies passages of Isaiah to Jesus, including the servant passage discussed in Acts 8. Use those links while preserving each oracle's immediate wording and audience. See Isaiah 53:7, Acts 8:32, Acts 8:35, Matthew 12:17. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Reject empty worship that coexists with injustice, and respond to the calls to trust and return. Preserve the named recipients and conditions of particular promises. interpretation
What Scripture saysThe book opens with the vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz and names him throughout. The New Testament quotes both the earlier and later chapters as Isaiah's words. Isaiah 1:1Isaiah 6:1John 12:38John 12:39
Early traditionJewish and Christian tradition holds the whole book to be Isaiah's.
What is debatedMany critical scholars propose a second and third author for chapters 40 and following, based on setting and style. John 12 quoting both sections as Isaiah is a significant argument against that view.
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Isaiah 41
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Isaiah's opening locates his vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem in named royal reigns. The book includes warnings, narratives, and promises addressed to different settings. Identify the immediate audience before extending a promise or judgment to later readers. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The movement announces comfort, challenges idols, and develops the servant passages and invitations to receive the LORD's provision.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The movement announces comfort, challenges idols, and develops the servant passages and invitations to receive the LORD's provision.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Isaiah
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Isaiah's opening locates his vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem in named royal reigns. The book includes warnings, narratives, and promises addressed to different settings. Identify the immediate audience before extending a promise or judgment to later readers.
Connection to the wholeThe opening visions confront Judah's rebellion while joining judgment with promises concerning the remnant and the Davidic ruler.
Connection to the wholeThe narratives connect trust and deliverance with an announcement concerning Babylon, bridging earlier warnings and later words of comfort.
Connection to the wholeThe movement announces comfort, challenges idols, and develops the servant passages and invitations to receive the LORD's provision.