The Meaning of Isaiah 41:21 Explained

Isaiah 41:21

KJV: Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

YLT: Bring near your cause, saith Jehovah, Bring nigh your mighty ones, saith the king of Jacob.

Darby: Produce your cause, saith Jehovah; bring forward your arguments, saith the King of Jacob.

ASV: Produce your cause, saith Jehovah; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Produce  your cause,  saith  the LORD;  bring forth  your strong  [reasons], saith  the King  of Jacob. 

What does Isaiah 41:21 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord, through Isaiah , challenged the idolaters to prove that their gods were truly deity. The Lord presented Himself as the King of Jacob, from the nations" perspective no more than one national god among many, but He is really the King of Kings.
How is it clear that Yahweh, and not the idols, directs world history? Yahweh alone can predict the future and then bring it to pass ( Isaiah 41:21-29). Since Yahweh is the God of Israel, does He have any regard for the Gentile nations? Yes, a servant of the Lord will bring forth justice to the nations ( Isaiah 42:1-9). The court case with the nations-begun in Isaiah 41:1, but interrupted with comfort for the Lord"s servant Israel in Isaiah 41:8-20 -now resumes. Before it ends, however, the Lord will explain the ministry of His Servant, Messiah ( Isaiah 42:1-9).

Context Summary

Isaiah 41:17-29 - What The Lord's Hand Does For The Needy
Life is not easy for any of us, if we regard external conditions only; but directly we learn the divine secret, rivers flow from bare heights, fountains arise in sterile valleys, and the desert blooms like the forest-glade. To the ordinary eye there might appear no outward change in the forbidding circumstance; but faith's eye always beholds a very paradise of beauty where other eyes see only straitened circumstances and a trying lot.
Once again our minds are brought back to the great convocation announced in the opening verses of the chapter. The idols are asked to say or do something to prove that they are divine. See Isaiah 41:21-23. There is no response; with the result that a crushing verdict is passed on them as recorded in Isaiah 41:24. On the other hand, the prophet of the Lord is prepared with His predictions of Cyrus "the one from the East," (see Isaiah 41:2 and Isaiah 44:28) which would be fulfilled before that generation had passed away. Let us give heed to the sure word of prophecy, "as unto a light that shineth in a dark place," 2 Peter 1:19. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 41

1  God expostulates with his people, about his mercies to the church
10  About his promises
21  And about the vanity of idols

What do the individual words in Isaiah 41:21 mean?

Present your case says Yahweh bring forth your strong [reasons] the King of Jacob
קָרְב֥וּ רִֽיבְכֶ֖ם יֹאמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה הַגִּ֙ישׁוּ֙ עֲצֻמ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם מֶ֥לֶךְ יַעֲקֹֽב

קָרְב֥וּ  Present 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: קָרַב  
Sense: to come near, approach, enter into, draw near.
רִֽיבְכֶ֖ם  your  case 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine plural
Root: רִיב 
Sense: strife, controversy, dispute.
יֹאמַ֣ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֑ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הַגִּ֙ישׁוּ֙  bring  forth 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: נָגַשׁ  
Sense: to draw near, approach.
עֲצֻמ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם  your  strong  [reasons] 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: עֲצֻמֹות  
Sense: defence, argument, strong.
מֶ֥לֶךְ  the  King 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יַעֲקֹֽב  of  Jacob 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַעֲקֹב  
Sense: son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the 2 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel.

What are the major concepts related to Isaiah 41:21?

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