They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.
Parallel translations
- WEB Everyone helps his neighbor. They say to their brothers, “Be strong!”
- BSB Each one helps the other and says to his brother, “Be strong!”
- NKJV Everyone helped his neighbor, And said to his brother, “Be of good courage!”
- NASB Each one helps his neighbor And says to his brother, “Be strong!”
- NLT The idol makers encourage one another, saying to each other, “Be strong!”
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
In fear, the nations encourage one another to keep making idols.
Overview
Faced with God's unsettling acts in history, the peoples respond not by repentance but by mutual encouragement to produce more idols. The verse satirizes their misplaced confidence. Human solidarity in false worship is no defense against the living God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Isa 44:12The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.
- 1 Sam 4:7–9And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.
- Isa 35:4Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
- Isa 40:19The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
- Dan 3:1–7Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
- Acts 19:24–28For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;
- Joel 3:9–11Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
- 1 Sam 5:3–5And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 41:6 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.