Isaiah 41 11

Isaiah 41:11 kjv

Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

Isaiah 41:11 nkjv

"Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish.

Isaiah 41:11 niv

"All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.

Isaiah 41:11 esv

Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.

Isaiah 41:11 nlt

"See, all your angry enemies lie there,
confused and humiliated.
Anyone who opposes you will die
and come to nothing.

Isaiah 41 verses

Isaiah 41 11 Meaning

Isaiah 41:11 delivers a powerful promise of divine protection and ultimate vindication for God's chosen people, Israel. It declares with absolute certainty that all individuals or entities who harbor intense hostility, are incensed, and actively contend against them, will face profound public humiliation, utter insignificance, and complete annihilation. This is a divine assurance that God Himself will decisively intervene to defeat their adversaries.

Isaiah 41 11 Context

Isaiah chapters 40-55, known as the "Book of Comfort" or "Deutero-Isaiah," primarily addresses the prophet's audience in Babylonian exile. These chapters are filled with messages of hope, restoration, and reassurance that God has not abandoned His covenant people. In chapter 41, God has been calling the nations to a "divine lawsuit," challenging their idols and demonstrating His singular sovereignty and ability to declare future events. Immediately preceding verse 11, God provides powerful personal comfort to His servant Jacob/Israel in verses 9-10: "You are my servant, I have chosen you... Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Verse 11 details how that "help" will manifest—specifically by neutralizing and eliminating Israel's adversaries. The historical backdrop is one of national despair, physical displacement, and the perceived dominance of pagan empires and their gods, making the promise of divine vindication all the more potent and crucial for bolstering faith.

Isaiah 41 11 Word analysis

• "Behold" (הֵן, hen): This is a Hebrew interjection used to draw attention to a weighty or significant statement. It emphasizes the certainty and importance of the pronouncement that follows, functioning as a "truly" or "indeed."
• "all" (כָּל־, kol): Denotes comprehensiveness; not a single one of the adversaries will escape the predicted judgment. It applies universally to all who fit the description.
• "incensed" (יֶחֱרוּ, yekheru from the root חָרָה ḥarah): This term literally means "to be hot" or "to burn," conveying fierce, burning anger, rage, or indignation. It describes a deep-seated, passionate, and destructive hostility directed towards God's people.
• "against you" (בָּךְ, bakh): Directly identifies Israel as the specific target of the adversaries' burning wrath and antagonism.
• "shame" (יֵבֹשׁוּ, yevoshu from the root בּוּשׁ bush): Signifies to be put to public disgrace, disappointed, or confounded. It implies a visible, public humiliation where their malicious plans are utterly frustrated and they are revealed as failures.
• "confounded" (יִכָּלְמוּ, yikallemu from the root כָּלָם kalam): Often used alongside bush, this term intensifies the meaning of humiliation and disgrace. It means to be shamed, disgraced, or brought to overwhelming confusion. It speaks of a mental and emotional state of dismay resulting from total defeat.
• "those who strive" (מְרִיבֶךָ, merivekha from the root רִיב riv): Refers to those who contend, quarrel, enter into litigation, or actively wage war. This describes individuals or groups engaging in aggressive, active opposition or conflict against Israel.
• "against you" (בָּךְ, bakh): Reiterates that Israel is the direct recipient of this active contention and aggression.
• "as nothing" (כְּאַיִן, ke'ayin): A powerful image signifying utter non-existence, complete insignificance, or total nullification. Their power, influence, and very capacity to harm will be reduced to nothing.
• "perish" (יֹאבֵדוּ, yo'vedu from the root אָבַד avad): Means to be lost, destroyed, ruined, or annihilated. It indicates a complete and irreversible end to their existence as a threat, removing any future capacity to cause harm.
• "all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded;": This phrase describes the public and psychological downfall of adversaries motivated by deep, fiery hatred. Their hostile emotions and destructive plots will boomerang, resulting in public disgrace and utter mental confusion as their schemes unravel before their eyes.
• "those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.": This parallel phrase emphasizes the physical and existential annihilation of the active opposition. Those who physically or legally contend with God's people will have their power, identity, and very ability to function as a threat utterly extinguished and completely removed. The paired phrases convey a total and comprehensive defeat covering both reputation/morale and physical/existential being.

Isaiah 41 11 Bonus section

This verse functions as a powerful assurance of divine negative protection – God actively intervenes to dismantle and destroy threats to His people, complementing the positive protection of strengthening and upholding them (as seen in verse 10). It demonstrates Yahweh's unparalleled sovereignty and judicial power in stark contrast to the impotence of the false gods and the fleeting strength of worldly empires, a core theme in Isaiah 40-48. The chiastic structure in the Hebrew and the robust parallelism throughout the verse reinforce the inevitability and comprehensiveness of the promised outcome. The phrase "incensed against you" captures the deep-seated, emotional hostility, while "strive against you" addresses overt, active aggression, indicating that God deals with both the malicious intent and the manifest actions of enemies. This dual judgment—humiliation in plans/reputation and existential annihilation of power—ensures Israel's complete security from external threats.

Isaiah 41 11 Commentary

Isaiah 41:11 provides a bedrock promise for those who belong to God, contrasting sharply with the despair faced by Israel in exile. It reassures them that their adversaries, driven by both intense animosity and active aggression, are not merely to be resisted by human effort but will be divinely overthrown. God commits to reversing their fortunes dramatically: those who wished harm upon Israel will find themselves subject to profound public shame and utter bewilderment as their efforts collapse. Furthermore, any power they wielded will be stripped away, reducing them to nothingness, culminating in their complete destruction. The repeated pairs—"shame and confounded," "as nothing and shall perish"—underscore the absolute certainty, comprehensiveness, and finality of God's judgment against all forms of opposition. This verse transcends its original historical context to offer enduring assurance to all believers that opposition to God's chosen, especially in their service to Him, ultimately equates to opposition against God Himself, and such a battle cannot be won.

• Example 1: When believers are mocked or ostracized for their faith, this verse reminds them that the persecutors' efforts to "shame" them will ultimately result in the persecutors' own moral and public discredit in God's eyes.
• Example 2: For Christian organizations facing legal battles or campaigns designed to undermine their work, the promise that those "who strive" against them will "be as nothing and shall perish" provides courage that divine intervention will negate hostile efforts.