Isaiah 41:10 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
to fear · verb, qal jussive, 2nd person masculine singular
dismayed
תִּשְׁתָּ֖עtish.Ta'
H8159
to gaze at or about (properly · verb, hithpael jussive, 2nd person masculine singular
God
אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ'e.lo.Hei.kha
H430
gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
strengthen
אִמַּצְתִּ֙יךָ֙'i.matz.Ti.kha
H553
to be alert · verb, piel perfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
help
עֲזַרְתִּ֔יךָ'a.zar.Ti.kha
H5826
to surround · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
uphold
תְּמַכְתִּ֖יךָte.makh.Ti.kha
H8551
to sustain · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
hand
בִּימִ֥יןbi.Min
H3225
the right hand or side (leg · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct
righteousness
צִדְקִֽיtzid.Ki
H6664
the right (natural · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whith…
Isaiah 43:1-2 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called…
Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Deuteronomy 31:6-8 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail th…
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Isaiah 40:29-31 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory…
Isaiah 41:13-14 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 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, counsel, and comfort, which is so often repeated, Fear thou not; and again (Isa 41:13), Fear not; and (Isa 41:14), "Fear not, thou worm Jacob; fear not the threatenings of the enemy, doubt not the promise of…
be not dismayed--literally, anxiously to look at one another in dismay.
right hand of my righteousness--that is, My right hand prepared in accordance with My righteousness (faithfulness to My promises) to uphold thee.
John Gill on Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not, for I am with thee,.... Not merely by his essence or power, who is every where; or by his providence supporting, preserving, observing, ordering, and overruling all things; but in a way of special grace, to guard and protect his people, support and supply them, comfort and strengthen their hearts; wherefore they need not fear any of their enemies, nor whatsoever they may be called to suffer for his name's sake, even though they pass through fire and water, and the valley of the shadow of death:
be not dismayed, I am thy God; through Christ, in a covenant way, as appeared by the effectual calling of them; and therefore might depend on his love, be sure of his power, expect all…
Fear not. The former doctrine having had for its aim that the people should rely on God, the Prophet concludes from the numerous blessings by which the Lord manifested his love, that the people ought not to be afraid. And we ought carefully to observe the reason which he assigns --
For I am with thee. This is a solid foundation of confidence, and if it be fixed in our minds, we shall be able to stand firm and unshaken against temptations of every kind. In like manner, when we think that God is absent, or doubt whether or not he will be willing to assist us, we are agitated by fear, and tossed about amidst many storms of distrust. But if we stand firm on this foundation, we shall not be over…
The Church Fathers
For to none other than to God does it belong to implant courage in the fearful, saying to the faint-hearted, "Fear not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed," as says the Psalmist, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me." Nay, the Lord Himself says to the fearful,—"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid," and, "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?" and, "Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid," and again, "Be of good cheer: I have overcome the world."
He adds that he is to strengthen and sustain those undergoing afflictions at the hands of those [who oppose God] with the vision of the goal that awaits them. He encourages with good news of God speaking to you without deceit: "I am the Lord and God, and I strengthen your right arm," and I say to you, "Do not fear, I will help you." In the Septuagint, "I will help you, do not fear, you worm Jacob," does not appear. This one who was after the former people called "chosen" is now called worm through its worm-like subjection to the cities of the unbelieving nations and all of their polytheistic errors. In addition, what is perfect and special in the apostolic preaching will destroy and remove the demonic energies from the depth of human thinking. Indeed, the Savior called himself a worm, saying "I am a worm and no man," a disgrace among people and an object of their contempt. Since there were only a few who were the Savior's disciples, there being twelve apostles, therefore the Septuagint says, "Israel, the very few."
(Verse 10) So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. LXX: fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Therefore, to you, who are both my servant and my chosen one, who will preach among the Gentiles and endure many persecutions, I say, do not be afraid, for I am with you, to whom I speak in the Gospel: Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Do not wander, nor deviate from the truth, nor deceive yourself with false persuasion, thinking that with your inexperienced and unarmed strength, you can enter the wilderness of the nations and call the fiercest nations to gentleness. I am the one who has strengthened you and helped you; and my right hand, that is, the right hand of the righteous, that is, the Lord Savior, has supported you or protected you, as the Septuagint translates.
Dictionary and topics
Predestination — This word is properly used only with reference to God’s plan or purpose of salvation. The Greek word rendered “predestinate” is found only in these six passages, Acts 4:28; Rom. 8:29, 30; 1 Cor. 2:7;…
Faith · ENJOINE — ENJOINE
Hand · Symbol of power — Symbol of power
Power Of God, The · Saints: Upheld by — Saints: Upheld by
Protection · Of God is: Encouraging — Of God is: Encouraging
Righteousness Of God, The · Saints: Upheld by — Saints: Upheld by
Warfare Of Saints · Saints: Strengthened by God in — Saints: Strengthened by God in
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
The proof adduced by Jehovah of His own deity closes here. But instead of our hearing whether the nations, with which He has entered upon the contest, have any reply to make, the address turns to Israel, upon which deliverance dawns from that very quarter, from which the others are threatened with destruction. "And thou, Israel my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, seed of Abraham my friend, thou whom I have laid hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from the corners thereof, and said to thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen and not despised thee; fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not afraid, for I am thy God: I have chosen thee, I also help thee, I also hold thee with the ri…
I am with you: The promise of God’s presence (see 7:14) is central to the Bible. Because God is present, his people do not need to fear (see also 43:1-2, 5). • I am your God: The Lord used the language of the covenant to affirm that he is their God and that they are his people (see also Jer 7:23; 31:1, 33; Ezek 14:11; 36:28; 37:27; Zech 8:8). • hold you . . . my victorious right hand: The Lord used language reminiscent of the Exodus (cp. Exod 15:6) to encourage Israel (see also Isa 41:13; 63:12).
Rashi on Isaiah 41:10
be not discouraged Heb. אַל תִּשְׁתָּע. Let your heart not melt like wax (שַׁעֲוָה). This is the rule: Every word whose first radical is ‘shin,’ when it is used in the reflexive present, past, or future, the ‘tav’ separates it and enters between the first two radicals. Comp. (infra 49:16) “And He was astounded (וַיַּשְׁתּוֹמֵם)”; (Micah 6:16) “For the statutes of Omri shall be observed (וְיִשְׁתַּמֵּר)”; (I Sam. 1: 14) “will you be drunk (תִּשְׁתַּכָּרִין)?”; (Job 30:16) “My soul is poured out (תִּשְׁתַּפֵּךְ).”
