English Standard Version
Isaiah 41:25
25I 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.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“But I have stirred up a leader who will approach from the north. From the east he will call on my name. I will give him victory over kings and princes. He will trample them as a potter treads on clay.
Context of Isaiah 41:25
23Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified. 24Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing; an abomination is he who chooses you. 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. 26Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know, and beforehand, that we might say, "He is right"? There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your words. 27I was the first to say to Zion, "Behold, here they are!" and I give to Jerusalem a herald of 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 stern vision is told to me; the traitor betrays, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, O Elam; lay siege, O Media; all the sighing she has caused I bring to an end.
- Isaiah 44:28who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose'; saying of Jerusalem, 'She shall be built,' and of the temple, 'Your foundation shall be laid.'"
- Isaiah 45:1Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed:
- Isaiah 46:10declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'
- Jeremiah 51:27"Set up a standard on the earth; blow the trumpet among the nations; prepare the nations for war against her; summon against her the kingdoms, Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; appoint a marshal against her; bring up horses like bristling locusts.
- Ezra 1:2"Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
- Isaiah 41:2Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings underfoot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow.
- Isaiah 10:6Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
- 2 Samuel 22:43I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.
- Micah 7:10Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, "Where is the Lord your God?" My eyes will look upon her; now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets.
- Zechariah 10:5They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses.
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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