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Text -- Isaiah 41:16-29 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away ; the wind will scatter them. You will rejoice in the Lord ; you will boast in the Holy One of Israel .
41:17 The oppressed and the poor look for water , but there is none ; their tongues are parched from thirst . I , the Lord , will respond to their prayers; I, the God of Israel , will not abandon them.
41:18 I will make streams flow down the slopes and produce springs in the middle of the valleys . I will turn the desert into a pool of water and the arid land into springs .
41:19 I will make cedars , acacias , myrtles , and olive trees grow in the wilderness ; I will make evergreens , firs , and cypresses grow together in the desert .
41:20 I will do this so people will observe and recognize , so they will pay attention and understand that the Lord’s power has accomplished this , and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.”
The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods
41:21 “Present your argument ,” says the Lord . “Produce your evidence ,” says Jacob’s king .
41:22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen ! Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles, so we may examine them and see how they were fulfilled . Or decree for us some future events!
41:23 Predict how future events will turn out , so we might know you are gods . Yes , do something good or bad , so we might be frightened and in awe .
41:24 Look , you are nothing , and your accomplishments are nonexistent ; the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting .
41:25 I have stirred up one out of the north and he advances , one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name . He steps on rulers as if they were clay , like a potter treading the clay .
41:26 Who decreed this from the beginning , so we could know ? Who announced it ahead of time, so we could say , ‘He’s correct ’? Indeed , none of them decreed it! Indeed , none of them announced it! Indeed , no one heard you say anything !
41:27 I first decreed to Zion , ‘Look , here’s what will happen!’ I sent a herald to Jerusalem .
41:28 I look , but there is no one , among them there is no one who serves as an adviser , that I might ask questions and receive answers .
41:29 Look , all of them are nothing , their accomplishments are nonexistent ; their metal images lack any real substance .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
ISAIAH, 1-7 |
GODS |
Isaiah, The Book of |
Idolatry |
OMNISCIENCE |
ISAIAH, 8-9 |
Church |
Clay |
Condescension of God |
GOD, 2 |
Myrtle |
DIVINATION |
Mortar |
PINE TREE |
FORETELL; FORETOLD |
BOX-TREE |
Blessing |
Pottery |
BRING |
Poor |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
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NET Notes: Isa 41:23 Heb “so we might be frightened and afraid together.” On the meaning of the verb שָׁתָע (shata’),...
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NET Notes: Isa 41:25 The Hebrew text has וְיָבֹא (vÿyavo’, “and he comes”), but this is likely a corruptio...
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NET Notes: Isa 41:26 The words “who announced it” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The interrogative particle and verb are understood by elli...
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NET Notes: Isa 41:27 For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
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