Christian Standard Bible
Isaiah 41:25
25“I have stirred up one from the north, and he has come, one from the east who invokes my name. He will march over rulers as if they were mud, like a potter who treads the clay.
Isaiah 41:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.
- New International Version (NIV)“I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes— one from the rising sun who calls on my name. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay.
- English Standard Version (ESV)I stirred up one from the north, and he has come, from the rising of the sun, and he shall call upon my name; he shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“I have raised up one from the north, And he shall come; From the rising of the sun he shall call on My name; And he shall come against princes as though mortar, As the potter treads clay.
Context of Isaiah 41:25
23Tell us the coming events, then we will know that you are gods. Indeed, do something good or bad, then we will be in awe when we see it. 24Look, you are nothing and your work is worthless. Anyone who chooses you is detestable. “I have stirred up one from the north, and he has come, one from the east who invokes my name. He will march over rulers as if they were mud, like a potter who treads the clay. 26Who told about this from the beginning, so that we might know, and from times past, so that we might say, ‘He is right’? No one announced it, no one told it, no one heard your words. 27I was the first to say to Zion, ‘Look! Here they are!’ And I gave Jerusalem a herald with good news.
Read all of Isaiah 41Isaiah 41:25 word by word
הַעִיר֤וֹתִי מִצָּפוֹן֙ וַיַּ֔את מִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁ֖מֶשׁ יִקְרָ֣א בִשְׁמִ֑י וְיָבֹ֤א סְגָנִים֙ כְּמוֹ־חֹ֔מֶר וּכְמ֥וֹ יוֹצֵ֖ר יִרְמָס־טִֽיט׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- I have raised upעוּר‛ûr · to rouseH5782
- from the northצָפוֹןtsâphôn tsâphôn · northH6828
- and he shall comeאָתָה'âthâh 'âthâ' · to comeH857
- from the risingמִזְרָחmizrâch · eastH4217
- of the sunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁshemesh · sunH8121
- shall he callקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
- upon my nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- and he shall comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- upon princesסָגָןsâgân · rulerH5461
- morterחֹ֫מֶרchômer · homerH2563
- and as the potterיָצַרyâtsar · to form: potterH3335
- treadethרָמַסrâmas · to trampleH7429
- clayטִיטţîyţ · mudH2916
Cross-references for Isaiah 41:25
- Isaiah 21:2A troubling vision is declared to me: “The treacherous one acts treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Advance, Elam! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all the groaning.”
- Isaiah 44:28who says to Cyrus, “My shepherd, he will fulfill all my pleasure” and says to Jerusalem, “She will be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Its foundation will be laid.”
- Isaiah 45:1The Lord says this to Cyrus, his anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and disarm kings, to open doors before him, and even city gates will not be shut:
- Isaiah 46:10I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will.
- Jeremiah 51:27Raise a signal flag in the land; blow a ram’s horn among the nations; set apart the nations against her. Summon kingdoms against her — Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a marshal against her; bring up horses like a swarm of locusts.
- Ezra 1:2This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah.
- Isaiah 41:2Who has stirred up someone from the east? In righteousness he calls him to serve. The Lord hands nations over to him, and he subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, like wind-driven stubble with his bow.
- Isaiah 10:6I will send him against a godless nation; I will command him to go against a people destined for my rage, to take spoils, to plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.
- 2 Samuel 22:43I pulverize them like dust of the earth; I crush them and trample them like mud in the streets.
- Micah 7:10Then my enemy will see, and she will be covered with shame, the one who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look at her in triumph; at that time she will be trampled like mud in the streets.
- Zechariah 10:5They will be like warriors in battle trampling down the mud of the streets. They will fight because the Lord is with them, and they will put horsemen to shame.
Commentaries on Isaiah 41:25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25I have raised up one from the north - "That is, "says Kimchi, "the Messiah. The king of Assyria placed the ten tribes in Chalach and Chabar by the river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 2 Kings 17:6, which lands lie northerly and easterly." He shall come upon princes "He shall trample on princes" - For יבא yabo, Le Clerc reads יבס yebes, from the Chaldee, who seems to read both words. "Forte legend. ויבס vaiyebes vel וירמס vaiyirmos : sequitur ס ."…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25I have raised up one - In the previous verses God had shown that the idols had no power of predicting future events. He stakes, so to speak, the question of his divinity on that point, and the whole controversy between him and them is to be decided by the inquiry whether they had the power of foretelling what would come to pass. He here urges his claims to divinity on this ground, that he had power to foretell future events. In illustration of this, he…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-29Verses 21-29 There needs no more to show the folly of sin, than to bring to notice the reasons given in defence of it. There is nothing in idols worthy of regard. They are less than nothing, and worse than nothing. Let the advocates of other doctrines than that of salvation through Christ, bring their arguments. Can they tell of a cure for human depravity? Jehovah has power which cannot be withstood; this he will make appear. But the certain knowledge of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25I have raised up on: The God who planned the exile through Babylon also planned Israel’s return from exile through Cyrus (see Isaiah 41:2; see also 13:17). Although Persia is to the east, travelers to Israel and Judah had to enter from the north due to rough terrain. He will march over rulers … treads the clay: Just as Babylon trampled Assyria, Persia would trample Babylon.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2525. raised up--in purpose: not fulfilled till a hundred fifty years afterwards. north--In Is 41:2, "from the East"; both are true: see the note there. call ... my name--acknowledge Me as God, and attribute his success to Me; this he did in the proclamation (Ezr 1:2). This does not necessarily imply that Cyrus renounced idolatry, but hearing of Isaiah's prophecy given a hundred fifty years before, so fully realized in his own acts, he recognized God as the…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 41:25
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 41
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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