Isaiah 41:20 Explained in Context

Read It With

• Isaiah 41:10–20

Read Isaiah 41:20 with 41:10–20. By itself, “That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, historical horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: Divine presence, upheld weakness, defeated accusers, a threshing image, answered poor people, desert rivers, and planted trees promise help.

Why This Verse Appears Here

Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “The Nations Face the One Who Raises a Victor from the East” into “The Servant Need Not Fear because Help and Water Are Coming.” Its non-interchangeable movement is: Divine presence, upheld weakness, defeated accusers, a threshing image, answered poor people, desert rivers, and planted trees promise help. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah states or reports “That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath…” at Isaiah 41:20 as a specific part of “The Servant Need Not Fear because Help and Water Are Coming.”