Discovery BoxIsaiah 41:11-16 
Context41:11 Look, all who were angry at you will be ashamed and humiliated;
your adversaries 1 will be reduced to nothing 2 and perish.
41:12 When you will look for your opponents, 3 you will not find them;
your enemies 4 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, 5
men of 6 Israel.
I am helping you,” says the Lord,
your protector, 7 the Holy One of Israel. 8
41:15 “Look, I am making you like 9 a sharp threshing sledge,
new and double-edged. 10
You will thresh the mountains and crush them;
you will make the hills like straw. 11
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.
1 tn Heb “the men of your strife”; NASB “those who contend with you.”
2 tn Heb “like nothing”; NAB “come to nought.”
3 tn Heb “the men of your struggle”; NASB “those who quarrel with you.”
4 tn Heb “the men of your battle”; NAB “who do battle with you.”
5 tn Heb “O worm Jacob” (NAB, NIV). The worm metaphor suggests that Jacob is insignificant and despised.
6 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.”
7 tn Heb “your kinsman redeemer.” A גָּאַל (ga’al, “kinsman redeemer”) was a protector of the extended family’s interests.
8 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
9 tn Heb “into” (so NIV); ASV “have made thee to be.”
10 tn Heb “owner of two-mouths,” i.e., double-edged.
11 sn The mountains and hills symbolize hostile nations that are obstacles to Israel’s restoration.
