41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!
Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! 8
I strengthen you –
yes, I help you –
yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! 9
41:11 Look, all who were angry at you will be ashamed and humiliated;
your adversaries 10 will be reduced to nothing 11 and perish.
41:12 When you will look for your opponents, 12 you will not find them;
your enemies 13 will be reduced to absolutely nothing.
41:13 For I am the Lord your God,
the one who takes hold of your right hand,
who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.’
41:14 Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, 14
men of 15 Israel.
I am helping you,” says the Lord,
your protector, 16 the Holy One of Israel. 17
1 tn Grk “grass of the field.”
2 tn Grk “into the oven.” The expanded translation “into the fire to heat the oven” has been used to avoid misunderstanding; most items put into modern ovens are put there to be baked, not burned.
3 sn The phrase even more is a typical form of rabbinic argumentation, from the lesser to the greater. If God cares for the little things, surely he will care for the more important things.
4 tn Grk “he cried out, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
5 tn Or “becoming aware of it.”
6 tn Grk “Those of little faith.”
7 tn Or “discussing.”
8 tn According to BDB (1043 s.v. שָׁעָה), the verb תִּשְׁתָּע (tishta’) in the second line of the poetic couplet is a Hitpael form from the root שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “gaze,” with metathesis of the stem prefix and the first root letter). Taking the Hitpael as iterative, one may then translate “do not anxiously look about.” However, the alleged Hitpael form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah) only occurs here and in verse 23. HALOT 1671 s.v. שׁתע proposes that the verb is instead a Qal form from the root שׁתע (“fear”) which is attested in cognate Semitic languages, including Ugaritic (discovered after the publishing of BDB), suggests the existence of this root. The poetic structure of v. 10 also supports the proposal, for the form in question is in synonymous parallelism to יָרֵא (yare’, “fear”).
9 tn The “right hand” is a symbol of the Lord’s power to deliver (Exod 15:6, 12) and protect (Ps 63:9 HT [63:8 ET]). Here צֶדֶק (tsedeq) has its well-attested nuance of “vindicated righteousness,” i.e., “victory, deliverance” (see 45:8; 51:5, and BDB 841-42 s.v.).
10 tn Heb “the men of your strife”; NASB “those who contend with you.”
11 tn Heb “like nothing”; NAB “come to nought.”
12 tn Heb “the men of your struggle”; NASB “those who quarrel with you.”
13 tn Heb “the men of your battle”; NAB “who do battle with you.”
14 tn Heb “O worm Jacob” (NAB, NIV). The worm metaphor suggests that Jacob is insignificant and despised.
15 tn On the basis of the parallelism (note “worm”) and an alleged Akkadian cognate, some read “louse” or “weevil.” Cf. NAB “O maggot Israel”; NRSV “you insect Israel.”
16 tn Heb “your kinsman redeemer.” A גָּאַל (ga’al, “kinsman redeemer”) was a protector of the extended family’s interests.
17 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
18 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
19 sn “Where is your faith?” The call is to trust God and realize that those who exercise faith can trust in his care.
20 sn The combination of fear and respect (afraid and amazed) shows that the disciples are becoming impressed with the great power at work in Jesus, a realization that fuels their question. For a similar reaction, see Luke 5:9.
21 sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (“Who then is this?”). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.
22 tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here.