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Christian Standard Bible ®

Isaiah 41:14

Do not fear, you worm Jacob,you men of Israel.I will help you’—

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Blessing;   Faith;   God Continued...;   Jesus Continued;   War;   Worm;   Thompson Chain Reference - Insignificance of Man;   Man;   Names;   Redeemer;   Titles and Names;   Worms;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Titles and Names of Christ;   Warfare of Saints;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Create, Creation;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Kinsman;   Man;   Worm;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Man;   Saviour;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Avenger;   Insects;   Isaiah;   Worm;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Election;   Kin;   Micah, Book of;   Righteousness;   Servant of the Lord;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Jacob ;   Redemption (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Worms;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Christ;   Holiness;   Worm;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Goel;   Help;   Worm;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Captivity;   God;   Go'el;   Holiness;   Worm;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Don't be afraid, you worm Ya`akov, and you men of Yisra'el; I will help you, says the LORD, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Yisra'el.
King James Version
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord , and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
English Standard Version
Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord ; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
New American Standard Bible
"Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you people of Israel; I will help you," declares the LORD, "and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
New Century Version
You few people of Israel who are left, do not be afraid even though you are weak as a worm. I myself will help you," says the Lord . "The one who saves you is the Holy One of Israel.
Amplified Bible
"Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you," declares the LORD, "and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
World English Bible
Don't be afraid, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will help you, says Yahweh, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Feare not, thou worme, Iaakob, and ye men of Israel: I wil helpe thee, sayth the Lord and thy redeemer the holy one of Israel.
Legacy Standard Bible
Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel;I will help you," declares Yahweh, "and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Berean Standard Bible
Do not fear, O worm Jacob, O few men of Israel. I will help you, declares the LORD. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Contemporary English Version
People of Israel, don't worry, though others may say, "Israel is only a worm!" I am the holy God of Israel, who saves and protects you.
Complete Jewish Bible
Have no fear, Ya‘akov, you worm, you men of Isra'el!' I will help you," says Adonai ; "Your redeemer is the Holy One of Isra'el.
Darby Translation
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith Jehovah, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
Easy-to-Read Version
People of Israel, descendants of Jacob, you may be weak and worthless, but do not be afraid. I myself will help you." This is what the Lord himself says. "I am the Holy One of Israel, the one who saves you.
George Lamsa Translation
Fear not, O you helpless men of Jacob, O you remnant of Israel! I am your helper, says the LORD, and your Saviour, the Holy One of Israel.
Good News Translation
The Lord says, "Small and weak as you are, Israel, don't be afraid; I will help you. I, the holy God of Israel, am the one who saves you.
Lexham English Bible
You must not fear, O worm of Jacob; people of Israel, I myself, I will help you," declares Yahweh, "and your redeemer is the holy one of Israel.
Literal Translation
Fear not, worm of Jacob, men of Israel; I will help you, states Jehovah, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Be not afrayde thou litle worme Iacob, and thou despysed Israel: For I will helpe the, saieth the LORDE, & the holyone of Israel thine avenger.
American Standard Version
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith Jehovah, and thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Bible in Basic English
Have no fear, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel; I will be your helper, says the Lord, even he who takes up your cause, the Holy One of Israel.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I help thee, saith the LORD, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
King James Version (1611)
Feare not, thou worme Iacob, and ye men of Israel: I will helpe thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Be not afraide thou litle worme Iacob, and thou despised Israel: for I wil helpe thee saith the Lorde, and the holy one of Israel thy redeemer.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Fear not, Jacob, and thou Israel few in number; I have helped thee, saith thy God, he that redeems thee, O Israel.
English Revised Version
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Nyle thou, worm of Jacob, drede, ye that ben deed of Israel. Y helpide thee, seith the Lord, and thin ayen biere, the hooli of Israel.
Update Bible Version
Don't be afraid, you worm Jacob, and you vermin Israel; I will help you, says Yahweh, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Webster's Bible Translation
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, [and] ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
New English Translation
Don't be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, men of Israel. I am helping you," says the Lord , your protector, the Holy One of Israel.
New King James Version
"Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you," says the LORD And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
New Living Translation
Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don't be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you. I am the Lord , your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.'
New Life Bible
Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel. I will help you," says the Lord. "The One Who bought you and sets you free is the Holy One of Israel.
New Revised Standard
Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you insect Israel! I will help you, says the Lord ; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Do not fear, Thou worm Jacob, Ye men of Israel, - I, have become thy helper, Declareth Yahweh, And thy redeemer The Holy One of Israel.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Fear not, thou worm of Jacob, you that are dead of Israel: I have helped thee, saith the Lord: and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel.
Revised Standard Version
Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you, says the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Young's Literal Translation
Fear not, O worm Jacob, ye men of Israel, I helped thee, an affirmation of Jehovah, Even thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
THE MESSAGE
"Do you feel like a lowly worm, Jacob? Don't be afraid. Feel like a fragile insect, Israel? I'll help you. I, God , want to reassure you. The God who buys you back, The Holy of Israel. I'm transforming you from worm to harrow, from insect to iron. As a sharp-toothed harrow you'll smooth out the mountains, turn those tough old hills into loamy soil. You'll open the rough ground to the weather, to the blasts of sun and wind and rain. But you'll be confident and exuberant, expansive in The Holy of Israel!
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you," declares the LORD, "and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Contextual Overview

10Do not fear, for I am with you;do not be afraid, for I am your God.I will strengthen you; I will help you;I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand. 11Be sure that all who are enraged against youwill be ashamed and disgraced;those who contend with youwill become as nothing and will perish. 12You will look for those who contend with you,but you will not find them.Those who war against youwill become absolutely nothing. 13For I am the Lord your God,who holds your right hand,who says to you, ‘Do not fear,I will help you. 14Do not fear, you worm Jacob,you men of Israel.I will help you’—15See, I will make you into a sharp threshing board,new, with many teeth.You will thresh mountains and pulverize themand make hills into chaff. 16You will winnow themand a wind will carry them away,a whirlwind will scatter them.But you will rejoice in the Lord;you will boast in the Holy One of Israel. 17The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none;their tongues are parched with thirst.I will answer them.I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I will not abandon them. 18I will open rivers on the barren heights,and springs in the middle of the plains.I will turn the desert into a pooland dry land into springs. 19I will plant cedars,acacias, myrtles, and olive trees in the wilderness.I will put juniper trees,elms, and cypress trees together in the desert,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thou worm: Job 25:6, Psalms 22:6

men: or, few men, Deuteronomy 7:7, Matthew 7:14, Luke 12:32, Romans 9:27

saith: Isaiah 43:14, Isaiah 44:6, Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 47:4, Isaiah 48:17, Isaiah 49:7, Isaiah 49:26, Isaiah 54:5, Isaiah 54:8, Isaiah 59:20, Isaiah 60:16, Isaiah 63:16, Job 19:25, Psalms 19:14, Jeremiah 50:34, Galatians 3:13, Titus 2:14, Revelation 5:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 15:1 - Fear Genesis 21:17 - fear Genesis 32:25 - that he Genesis 42:36 - all these things are against me Numbers 14:9 - fear them not Judges 1:19 - the Lord Judges 6:16 - General Judges 7:7 - General Judges 7:13 - a cake 1 Samuel 23:17 - Fear not 1 Chronicles 11:9 - for Ezra 3:12 - when the foundation Psalms 44:5 - Through thee Psalms 78:35 - their redeemer Psalms 105:6 - ye seed Isaiah 1:4 - the Holy Isaiah 7:4 - fear not Isaiah 12:6 - great Isaiah 29:22 - who redeemed Isaiah 37:23 - the Holy One Isaiah 41:10 - Fear Isaiah 43:2 - I will be Isaiah 43:3 - the Holy One Isaiah 43:5 - Fear not Isaiah 43:15 - the Lord Isaiah 54:4 - Fear not Jeremiah 20:11 - the Lord Jeremiah 46:27 - fear Lamentations 3:57 - thou saidst Ezekiel 3:9 - fear Daniel 10:12 - Fear not Daniel 10:19 - fear not Hosea 7:13 - though Zephaniah 3:16 - be said Zechariah 10:4 - of him came forth Matthew 10:26 - Fear Matthew 14:27 - it Matthew 28:5 - Fear Luke 1:30 - General John 6:20 - It is John 12:15 - Fear John 14:27 - afraid Acts 2:22 - men Acts 23:11 - the Lord 2 Corinthians 10:4 - mighty 2 Timothy 3:11 - but 2 Timothy 4:17 - strengthened Hebrews 11:23 - and they Hebrews 13:6 - The Lord Revelation 3:7 - he that is holy

Cross-References

Genesis 41:1
At the end of two years Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile,
Genesis 41:4
The sickly, thin cows ate the healthy, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
Genesis 41:7
The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, full ones. Then Pharaoh woke up, and it was only a dream.
Genesis 41:8
When morning came, he was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
Genesis 41:19
After them, seven other cows—weak, very sickly, and thin—came up. I’ve never seen such sickly ones as these in all the land of Egypt.
Genesis 41:22
In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, coming up on one stalk.
Genesis 41:32
Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and he will carry it out soon.
Genesis 41:33
“So now, let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt.
Exodus 10:16
Pharaoh urgently sent for Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.
2 Samuel 19:24
Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet, trimmed his mustache, or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 lies in its mouth, which, though tender, can strike the strongest cedar, and penetrate into it; and the latter observes, that the strength of Israel lies in their prayers, as Jacob's did, when, wrestling with the angel, and making supplication, he had power with God, and prevailed. Now, though the saints are such poor, weak, and contemptible things, yet the Lord bids them not fear any of their enemies, he would take their part, and protect them:

and ye men of Israel; the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "ye dead men of Israel" s; such as were accounted as dead men, and had no more respect shown them than the dead, that are remembered no more; or were exposed to death daily, for the sake of Christ and his Gospel; or that reckoned themselves dead to sin, and did die daily to it, and lived unto righteousness: or, "ye few men of Israel", as others t render it; Christ's flock is a little flock, his church is a little city, and few men in it, in comparison of the men of the world:

I will help thee, saith, the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; which is repeated for the confirmation of it, and is the more strongly assured by these characters of a Redeemer of his people out of the hands of all their enemies, and the holy and just God, and sanctifier of them, which he here takes to himself, and makes himself known by.

s מתי ישראל "mortales Israeliae", Castalio. t ολιγοστος ισραηλ, Sept. "viri pauci Israel", Munster, Montanus; "Israel, qui pauco es numero", Tigurine version.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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 man which is a worm?

And in Psalms 22:6 :

But I am a worm, and no man;

A reproach of men, and despised of the people.

In the passage before us, it is applied to the Jews in Babylon as poor and afflicted, and as objects of contempt in view of their enemies. It implies that in themselves they were unable to defend or deliver themselves, and in this state of helplessness, God offers to aid them and assures them that they have nothing to fear.

And ye men of Israel - (מתי ישׂראל yı̂s'erâ'ēl methēy). Margin, ‘Few men.’ There has been a great variety in the explanation of this phrase. Aquila renders it, Τεθνεῶτες Tethneōtes, and Theodotion, Νεκροὶ Nekroi, ‘dead.’ So the Vulgate, Qui mortui estis ex Israel. The Septuagint renders it, ‘Fear not, Jacob, O diminutive Israel’ (ὀλιγοστὸς Ἰσραὴλ oligostos Israēl). Chaldee, ‘Fear not, O tribe of the house of Jacob, ye seed of Israel.’ Lowth renders it, ‘Ye mortals of Israel.’ The Hebrew denotes properly, as in our translation, ‘men of Israel;’ but there is evidently included the idea of fewness or feebleness. The parallelism requires us so to understand it; and the word men, or mortal men, may well express the idea of feebleness.

And thy Redeemer - On the meaning of this word, see the notes at Isaiah 35:9; Isaiah 43:1, Isaiah 43:3. It is applied here to the rescue from the captivity of Babylon, and is used in the general sense of deliverer. God would deliver, or rescue them as be had done in times past. He had done it so often, that this might be regarded as his appropriate appellation, that he was the redeemer of his people.

The Holy One of Israel - The Holy Being whom the Israelites adored, and who was their protector, and their friend (see the note at Isaiah 2:4). This appellation is often given to God (see Isaiah 5:19, Isaiah 5:24; Isaiah 10:20; Isaiah 12:6; Isaiah 17:7; Isaiah 29:19; Isaiah 30:11-12). We may remark in view of these verses:

1. That the people of God are in themselves feeble and defenseless. They have no strength on which they can rely. They are often so encompassed with difficulties which they feel they have no strength to overcome, that they are disposed to apply to themselves the appellation of ‘worm,’ and by ethers they are looked on as objects of contempt, and are despised.

2. They have nothing to fear. Though they are feeble, their God and Redeemer is strong. He is their Redeemer, and their friend, and they may put their trust in him. Their enemies cannot ultimately triumph over them, but they will be scattered and become as nothing.

3. In times of trial, want, and persecution, the friends of God should put their trust alone in him. It is often the plan of God so to afflict and humble his people, that they shall feel their utter helplessness and dependence, and be led to him as the only source of strength.



Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 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.


 
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