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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 41:10-20

The scope of these verses is to silence the fears, and encourage the faith, of the servants of God in their distresses. Perhaps it is intended, in the first place, for the support of God's Israel, in captivity; but all that faithfully serve God through patience and comfort of this scripture may have hope. And it is addressed to Israel as a single person, that it might the more easily and readily be accommodated and applied by every Israelite indeed to himself. That is a word of caution,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 41:14

Fear not, thou worm Jacob ,.... Being like a worm, exposed to danger, and liable to be trampled upon and crushed, mean and despicable in their own eyes, and in the esteem of others; and it may be Jacob, or the true Israelites, are so called, because of their impurity in themselves, of which they are sensible; and chiefly because of their weakness and impotence to defend themselves, and resist their enemies. It is an observation of Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, that the strength of a worm... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 41:14

Fear not, thou worm Jacob - In the rabbinical commentary on the five books of Moses, Yelamedenu, it is asked, Why are the Israelites called a worm? To signify, that as the worm does not smite, that is, gnaw the cedars, but with its mouth, which is very tender, yet it nevertheless destroys the hard wood; so all the strength of the Israelites is in prayer, by which they smite the wicked of this world, though strong like the cedars, to which they are compared, Ezekiel 31:3 . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:8-20

A PROMISE TO ISRAEL OF GOD 'S PROTECTION AND SUPPORT THROUGH THE TROUBLOUS PERIOD THAT IS APPROACHING . Israel is assured The eye of the prophet travels perhaps, in part, beyond the period of the Captivity; but he is mainly bent on giving the people grounds of comfort and trust during that trying time. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:10-14

God our Strength. Israel in captivity, hoping for return from exile, but fearing lest its enemies should prevail and the desire of its heart be defeated, might well delight in such reassuring words as these. In the battle and burden of our life we also gladly welcome them to our hearts. I. SOURCES OF DISQUIETUDE . 1 . The strength of the forces which are against us. "All they that were incensed against thee;" "they that strive with thee;" "they that war against thee." We may... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:13-14

The supreme prayer. "Lord, help me;" responded to by God in the gracious assurance, "I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Likening Israel to a worm, reminds us of its despised and depressed condition in captivity. "However weak and despised and trodden underfoot thou mayest be, in thy captivity and exile, yet fear not, I will help thee." It is a painful suggestion of hopelessness and helplessness that no cry can now rise but the brief, intense, "Lord,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:14

Thou worm Jacob . Though in thyself the weakest of the weak, grovelling in the dust, a mere worm ( Job 25:6 ; Psalms 22:6 ), yet thou hast no cause to fear, since God sustains thee. Ye men of Israel ; rather, ye handful , Israel (Delitzsch). The term used is one of disparagement, corresponding to the "worm" of the parallel clause. Few and weak though they be, God's people need not fear. Thy Redeemer . The word goel , here used for the first time by Isaiah, is frequent... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:14-16

Weakness made strong. "A fine touch is lost in the English here. In the Hebrew, Israel is addressed in the feminine gender, as a weak and suffering woman. It is not so in the preceding verses, and in Isaiah 41:15 the prophet significantly reverts to the masculine" (Cheyne). I. HUMILITY THE CONDITION OF STRENGTH . Jacob is a worm, Israel a "petty folk." This was, we know, a clear historic fact. It was not by armies or by navies, by numerous fortresses and serried ranks, and an... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 41:14-20

God's strength made perfect in weakness. It is when Jacob is brought so low that his only fitting designation is "thou worm," and Israel is so reduced as to be a mere "handful of men," that the promise is made of the triumphant crushing of enemies, and scattering of them "like the chaff of the summer threshing-floor." It is when the nation generally feels itself to be "poor and needy" ( Isaiah 41:17 ), when it is as it were at the last gasp, actually perishing of thirst, that it is raised... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 41:14

Fear not - (See the note at Isaiah 41:10).Thou worm - This word is properly applied as it is with us, to denote a worm, such as is generated in putrid substances Exodus 16:20; Isaiah 14:11; Isaiah 66:24; or such as destroy plants Jonah 4:7; Deuteronomy 28:39. It is used also to describe a person that is poor, afflicted, and an object of insignificance Job 25:5-6 :Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not;Yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.How much less man, that is a worm;And the son of... read more

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