Keep 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.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Keep silent before me, islands, and let the peoples renew their strength. Let them come near, then let them speak. Let’s meet together for judgment.
- BSB “Be silent before Me, O islands, and let the peoples renew their strength. Let them come forward and testify; let us together draw near for judgment.
- NKJV “Keep silence before Me, O coastlands, And let the people renew their strength! Let them come near, then let them speak; Let us come near together for judgment.
- NASB “Listen to Me in silence, you coastlands, And let the peoples gain new strength; Let them come forward, then let them speak; Let’s come together for judgment.
- NLT “Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea. Bring your strongest arguments. Come now and speak. The court is ready for your case.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God summons the nations to a courtroom to silently hear His case and meet Him for judgment.
Overview
Chapter 41 opens a legal disputation in which God challenges the nations and their idols. They are called to be silent, gather, and present their case before the Judge of all the earth. The scene displays God's sovereignty over history and prepares for His proof that He alone declares and accomplishes events.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Isa 1:18Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
- Hab 2:20But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
- Zech 2:13Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
- Ps 46:10Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
- Isa 41:6–7They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.
- Isa 11:11And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
- Job 38:3Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
- Joel 3:10–11Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
- Isa 34:1Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.
- Job 40:7–10Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
- Isa 8:9–10Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.
- Isa 41:21–22Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
- Isa 48:16Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
- Isa 49:1Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
- Job 31:35–36Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.
- Isa 50:8He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.
- Job 23:3–7Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!
- Mic 6:1–3Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 41:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.