Isaiah 41:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

NIV: Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you," declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

NASB: Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you people of Israel; I will help you,' declares the Lord, 'and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

CSB: Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel. I will help you’— this is the Lord’s declaration. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

NLT: Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you. I am the Lord, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.’

KJV: Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

NKJV: “Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the Lord And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 41:1–20 begins with the Lord's call for the nations to come together for judgment. The statement will come in the form of a powerful force from the east, who attacks from the north (Isaiah 41:25), who will trample all the pagan kings. Though this will happen through the instrument of an earthly army, it will be the Lord's power making it happen. Nations will turn even further to idols for protection and find them useless. Israel will not be abandoned, however, and God will prove his power to them.

The Lord calls "the nations," meaning all countries outside of Israel, to gather and answer Him. The passage challenges their use of idols. God dismisses these manmade objects as useless, disgusting delusions. None of these imaginary gods can reveal the past, change the present, or predict the future. To punish these idols, the Lord will use a powerful earthly king from the east who attacks from the north to devastate the nations, even as they continue to build more idols. Through this, the Lord will be with Israel, strengthening them so they can scatter their enemies.

This passage describes events that would not take place for about 150 years. God will raise a powerful force from the east who attacks from the north—Cyrus the Great of Persia—to defeat Israel's enemies and return the people to Jerusalem. Earlier chapters included overlapping warnings against the pagan world, promises about God's power and rescue of Israel, and His use of foreign nations to accomplish His will. The following chapter previews the Messiah and warns Israel about the consequences of disobedience.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 10/15/2026 3:50:56 PM