Isaiah 41:6 kjv
They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.
Isaiah 41:6 nkjv
Everyone helped his neighbor, And said to his brother, "Be of good courage!"
Isaiah 41:6 niv
they help each other and say to their companions, "Be strong!"
Isaiah 41:6 esv
Everyone helps his neighbor and says to his brother, "Be strong!"
Isaiah 41:6 nlt
The idol makers encourage one another,
saying to each other, "Be strong!"
Isaiah 41 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 41:6 | "Everyone helped his neighbor; and everyone said to his brother, “Be strong!”" | Focuses on human mutual support |
| Psalm 115:4-8 | "But their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands... ...They are like them, Those who make them And everyone who trusts in them." | Idols as man's creation, powerless |
| Jeremiah 10:3-5 | "For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman, with the axe... They are upright as a palm tree, but they cannot speak... They do not fear, nor do they move from their place." | Idols described as lifeless objects |
| 1 Corinthians 12:2 | "You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led." | Past state of believers, no spiritual power in idols |
| Acts 17:29 | "Therefore since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, like an image carved by art and man’s device." | God's nature is not like idols |
| Isaiah 40:19-20 | "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand... ...so is the Lord. ...a goldsmith stretches over it, And fusses it with a hammer to set it in place. He cannot move it." | God's power contrasts with idols' immobility |
| Romans 1:21-23 | "Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things." | Humanity's foolishness in idolatry |
| Joshua 24:14 | "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!" | Exhortation to reject idolatry |
| Psalm 96:5 | "For all the gods of the nations are idols; But the Lord made the heavens." | Superiority of the Lord |
| Isaiah 44:12-17 | Detailed description of making an idol from a tree | Illustration of man's idolatry |
| Isaiah 45:16 | "They shall be ashamed and also disgraced, all of them; They shall go to confusion together, who are makers of idols." | Shame of idol makers |
| Philippians 3:18-19 | "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ! Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things." | Enemies of the cross focused on earthly/shameful things, a form of idolatry |
| Jeremiah 51:17-18 | "Babel is a gold mine, the work of craftsmen and goldsmiths; Their clothing is blue and purple, the work of skillful artisans. But the people are like those who have no breath in them." | Description of Babylonian idols as creations of skilled labor, yet lifeless |
| Leviticus 26:1 | "You shall not make idols for yourselves, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place any figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I, the Lord, am your God." | Prohibition of idols |
| Matthew 6:24 | "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." | Warning against divided loyalty, implicitly to idols |
| John 10:34-35 | "Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, “You are gods”'? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken)," | Reference to Ps 82:6 regarding "gods" and "children of the Most High" |
| Acts 19:25-26 | "...'Men, you do not know that this business by which we have our wealth, since Demetrius the silversmith, whose craft makes silver shrines for Artemis, has no small reputation, causing the whole province of Asia and all the world to worship..." | Economic motive in idol worship |
| 1 Kings 18:27 | "And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is preoccupied, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping, and must be awakened." | Elijah mocking the prophets of Baal, pointing to their idol's inactivity |
| Habakkuk 2:18-19 | "“What profit is the idol that its maker fashioned it, the molded image, a teacher of lies? For the maker trusts in his own handiwork Not to produce dumb idols!" | The futility of trusting in idols |
| Ephesians 5:11 | "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." | Command to reject and expose false worship |
Isaiah 41 verses
Isaiah 41 6 Meaning
The verse describes how the various artisans, craftsmen, and goldsmiths are all encouraging each other, saying "Be strong!" This action is prompted by their perception of the idol as something that cannot be moved or aided by them. They offer words of encouragement to the image they are making, implying a shared effort and perhaps a moment of doubt or anxiety in their idolatrous task.
Isaiah 41 6 Context
This verse is part of Isaiah's prophecy addressed to Israel, speaking about God's power over the nations and His mightier interventions. Chapters 40-41 vividly contrast the helplessness of idols, the work of human hands, with the omnipotence of the one true God who created all things and is the sustainer of His people. The preceding verses describe the futile efforts of idolaters to create and prop up their lifeless gods. This verse captures a moment during the construction or establishment of an idol, where the artisans are encouraging each other in their endeavor, seemingly driven by the limitations they themselves have imposed on the image. The overall context is a powerful polemic against idolatry, asserting that the Lord alone is God, sovereign and able to deliver His people.
Isaiah 41 6 Word Analysis
וְאִישׁ (və'îysh): "And man" or "And each man". Emphasizes individual participation in the communal act.
רֵעֵהוּ (rē‘êhû): "his neighbor" or "his companion". Highlights the fellowship and shared effort of those involved in idolatry. This word carries a sense of closeness and solidarity.
יְחַזֵּק (yəḥazzēq): "strengthens" or "makes strong". This is a Hiphil verb, indicating that one person is causing another to be strong. It is a causative form.
וְאִישׁ (və'îysh): "and man" or "and each". Repetition of "man" here reinforces the universality of the action among the artisans.
לְאָחִיו (lə'âḥîw): "to his brother". Further emphasizes the camaraderie and kinship, though misplaced, within the group working on the idol. This suggests a brotherhood in a common, albeit misguided, purpose.
חֲזַק (ḥəzaq): "Be strong!" This is the imperative form of the verb "to be strong". It is a direct command, an exhortation.
Group analysis: The repetition of "and man" (וְאִישׁ) at the beginning of each clause emphasizes the collective human effort and participation. The words "his neighbor" (רֵעֵהוּ) and "his brother" (לְאָחִיו) paint a picture of a close-knit community, working together with a shared purpose. The central action is mutual encouragement (יְחַזֵּק ... חֲזַק), where individuals exhort one another to "Be strong!". This highlights the psychological aspect of idolatry; people are not just making objects, but they are also investing their hopes and emotions, attempting to bolster their faith and the perceived efficacy of their creation through communal encouragement. The fact that they are encouraging each other, rather than the idol itself, underscores the idol's inherent inability to offer strength.
Isaiah 41 6 Bonus Section
The sentiment of mutual encouragement, though used here to highlight the futility of idolatry, echoes the biblical imperative for believers to encourage one another in faith and good works. This is a striking parallel where a positive human action is contrasted by its object. The phrase "Be strong" is found elsewhere in Scripture as divine counsel or encouragement from God or His servants. The scene described here has been compared to the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18, where Elijah mocks them for their cries and attempts to incite their god to act. The artisans' efforts here are a futile mirroring of genuine faith that relies on a God who hears and answers, rather than on the collective efforts of men to prop up something that cannot help itself.
Isaiah 41 6 Commentary
This verse powerfully illustrates the self-reliance and mutual bolstering characteristic of idolatry. Faced with the stark reality of a crafted, inanimate object that cannot act or provide any genuine power, the makers turn to each other for reassurance. Their encouragement, "Be strong!", is directed towards fellow humans, not the impotent idol. It reveals the underlying anxiety and human effort invested in what they know, deep down, is incapable of supporting them. This communal affirmation of strength among themselves contrasts sharply with the true source of strength found in the living God, who empowers His faithful. The mutual encouragement is a testimony to their shared dependency on their own limited resources and their created objects, a far cry from dependence on the Creator. It highlights a poignant spiritual deficiency, where humanity's capacity for support is channeled into an endeavor that ultimately yields no true or lasting strength.