Isaiah 41:20-29 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 41:10-20

The scope of these verses is to silence the fears, and encourage the faith, of the servants of God in their distresses. Perhaps it is intended, in the first place, for the support of God's Israel, in captivity; but all that faithfully serve God through patience and comfort of this scripture may have hope. And it is addressed to Israel as a single person, that it might the more easily and readily be accommodated and applied by every Israelite indeed to himself. That is a word of caution,... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 41:21-29

The Lord, by the prophet, here repeats the challenge to idolaters to make out the pretentions of their idols: ?Produce your cause (Isa. 41:21) and make your best of it; bring forth the strongest reasons you have to prove that your idols are gods, and worthy of your adoration.? Note, There needs no more to show the absurdity of sin than to produce the reasons that are given in defence of it, for they carry with them their own confutation. I. The idols are here challenged to bring proofs of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:20

That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together ,.... Not the nations of the world, as Kimchi; but rather, as Aben Ezra, the poor and needy; who in all this, by subduing kingdoms and states, their enemies, supplying their wants when in the greatest distress, and in a marvellous manner, and converting sinners, might easily perceive, and so frankly own and acknowledge, as well as lay it to heart, and lay it up in their minds, and get understanding from it: that the hand... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:21

Produce your cause, saith the Lord ,.... The Lord having comforted his people under their afflictions and persecutions from their enemies in the first times of Christianity, returns to the controversy between him and the idolatrous Heathens, and challenges them to bring their cause into open court, and let it be publicly tried, that it may be seen on what side truth lies: bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob ; or King of saints, the true Israel of God, who acknowledge... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:22

Let them bring them forth ,.... Not their reasons, as before, but their gods; let them cause them to come nigh, let them appear in court, and speak for themselves, when their worshippers have said all they can in defence of their deity: and show us what shall happen : what shall come to pass hereafter; and by that prove their divinity; for none but God can foretell things to come with certainty; for everything else but what comes from God, by his prophets, is all conjecture, ambiguous,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:23

Show the things that are to come hereafter ,.... From henceforward to the consummation of all things: so the Targum, "show what shall come to the end;' or at the end, the end of all things; or show wonderful things, which shall be hereafter; so Jarchi interprets the word; a word like this having the signification of signs and wonders: that we may know that ye are gods ; as ye are said to be; that we may own and acknowledge you to be such, there being this clear proof of it, if it can... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:24

Behold, ye are of nothing ,.... Not as to the matter of them, for they were made of gold, silver, brass, &c.; but as to the divinity of them: there was none in them, they were of no worth and value; they could do nothing, either good or evil, either help their friends, or hurt their enemies; yea, they were less than nothing; for the words may be rendered by way of comparison, "behold, ye are less than nothing"; F1 א־תאם מאין "vos minus quam nihil estis ", Junius &... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:25

I have raised up one from the north ,.... Either one people, or one person; a mighty king, as the Targum; meaning either Cyrus, who might be said to come from the north, and from the rising of the sun, or the east, as in the next clause; since he was by birth a Medo-Persian, hence called a mule; by his mother a Mede, and the country of Media lay rather to the north of Babylon; and by his father a Persian, and Persia lay to the east of it; and the forces he brought with him against it were... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:26

Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know ?.... Who of the idols, or of their priests, that have declared things future before they came to pass, or ever predicted such an event as this before mentioned; which, if understood of Cyrus, was an hundred and fifty years before it came to pass; and if of Constantine, near a thousand years: and before time, that we may say, he is righteous ? that is, who hath declared things before the time of the accomplishment of them, and they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:27

The first shall say to Zion, behold, behold them ,.... Or, "I the first say to Zion"; I who am the first and the last, Isaiah 41:4 which some ancient Jewish writers F4 T. Bab. Pesach. fol. 5. 1. Bereshit Rabba, sect. 63. fol. 55. 3. and Vajikra Rabba, sect. 30. fol. 171. 2. observe is the name of the Messiah, and apply the passage to him; or, I am the "first" that say these things to Zion F5 ראשון לציון "ego primus sum qui dico haec Sioni", Tigurine version. , behold,... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 41:10-20

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 41:21-29

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:20

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:21

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:22

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:23

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:24

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:25

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:26

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:27

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