Isaiah 41:21
New International Version
“Present your case,” says the LORD. “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.

New Living Translation
“Present the case for your idols,” says the LORD. “Let them show what they can do,” says the King of Israel.

English Standard Version
Set forth your case, says the LORD; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.

Berean Standard Bible
“Present your case,” says the LORD. “Submit your arguments,” says the King of Jacob.

King James Bible
Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

New King James Version
“Present your case,” says the LORD. “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob.

New American Standard Bible
“Present your case,” the LORD says. “Bring forward your evidence,” The King of Jacob says.

NASB 1995
“Present your case,” the LORD says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” The King of Jacob says.

NASB 1977
“Present your case,” the LORD says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” The King of Jacob says.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Bring near your case,” Yahweh says. “Bring forward your mighty arguments,” The King of Jacob says.

Amplified Bible
“Present your case [for idols made by men’s hands],” says the LORD. “Produce your evidence [of divinity],” Says the king of Jacob.

Christian Standard Bible
“Submit your case,” says the LORD. “Present your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Submit your case,” says the LORD.” Present your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.”

American Standard Version
Produce your cause, saith Jehovah; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

Contemporary English Version
I am the LORD, the King of Israel! Come argue your case with me. Present your evidence.

English Revised Version
Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Present your case," says the LORD. "Bring forward your best arguments," says Jacob's king.

Good News Translation
The LORD, the king of Israel, has this to say: "You gods of the nations, present your case. Bring the best arguments you have!

International Standard Version
"Put forward your case!" says the LORD. "Submit your arguments!" says Jacob's King.

Majority Standard Bible
?Present your case,? says the LORD. ?Submit your arguments,? says the King of Jacob.

NET Bible
"Present your argument," says the LORD. "Produce your evidence," says Jacob's king.

New Heart English Bible
Produce your cause," says the LORD. "Bring forth your strong reasons," says the King of Jacob.

Webster's Bible Translation
Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

World English Bible
Produce your cause,” says Yahweh. “Bring out your strong reasons!” says the King of Jacob.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Bring your cause near, says YHWH, "" Bring your mighty ones near, says the King of Jacob.

Young's Literal Translation
Bring near your cause, saith Jehovah, Bring nigh your mighty ones, saith the king of Jacob.

Smith's Literal Translation
Bring near your cause, Will say Jehovah; draw near your strong defences, will the king of Jacob say:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Bring your cause near, saith the Lord: bring hither, if you have any thing to allege, saith the King of Jacob.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Bring your case forward, says the Lord. Bring it here, if you have anything to allege, says the King of Jacob.

New American Bible
Present your case, says the LORD; bring forward your arguments, says the King of Jacob.

New Revised Standard Version
Set forth your case, says the LORD; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Bring near your cause, says the LORD; bring near your counsels, says the King of Jacob.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Bring near your legal case, says LORD JEHOVAH. Bring near your counsels, says The King of Yaqob
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Produce your cause, saith the LORD; Bring forth your reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Your judgement draws nigh, saith the Lord God; your counsel have drawn nigh, saith the King of Jacob.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Meaningless Idols
21“Present your case,” says the LORD. “Submit your arguments,” says the King of Jacob. 22“Let them come and tell us what will happen. Tell the former things, so that we may reflect on them and know the outcome. Or announce to us what is coming.…

Cross References
Isaiah 43:9-10
All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses to vindicate them, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.” / “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, and after Me none will come.

Isaiah 44:7-8
Who then is like Me? Let him say so! Let him declare his case before Me, since I established an ancient people. Let him foretell the things to come, and what is to take place. / Do not tremble or fear. Have I not told you and declared it long ago? You are My witnesses! Is there any God but Me? There is no other Rock; I know not one.”

Isaiah 45:20-21
Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save. / Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.

Isaiah 46:9-10
Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. / I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’

Jeremiah 10:5-7
Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.” / There is none like You, O LORD. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power. / Who would not fear You, O King of nations? This is Your due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.

Jeremiah 10:10-12
But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation. / Thus you are to tell them: “These gods, who have made neither the heavens nor the earth, will perish from this earth and from under these heavens.” / The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.

Jeremiah 23:28-29
Let the prophet who has a dream retell it, but let him who has My word speak it truthfully. For what is straw compared to grain?” declares the LORD. / “Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?”

Deuteronomy 18:20-22
But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.” / You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?” / When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

1 Kings 18:21-24
Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word. / Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. / Get two bulls for us. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. ...

Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; ...

Psalm 135:15-18
The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths. ...

Acts 17:22-31
Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. / For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you. / The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. ...

Acts 14:15-17
“Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. / In past generations, He let all nations go their own way. / Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”

Romans 1:19-23
For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. / For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse. / For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. ...

1 Corinthians 8:4-6
So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one. / For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many so-called gods and lords), / yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.


Treasury of Scripture

Produce your cause, said the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, said the King of Jacob.

produce.

Job 23:3,4
Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! …

Job 31:37
I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.

Job 38:3
Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

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Isaiah 41
1. God expostulates with his people, about his mercies to the church.
10. About his promises
21. And about the vanity of idols.














Present your case
The phrase "Present your case" is a divine challenge issued by the LORD, inviting the idols and false gods to demonstrate their power and legitimacy. The Hebrew word for "case" (רִיב, "riv") often refers to a legal dispute or controversy. This reflects the courtroom imagery frequently used in prophetic literature, where God is depicted as the ultimate judge. Historically, this is set against the backdrop of Israel's temptation to rely on idols and foreign deities. The LORD, as the one true God, calls for a demonstration of their supposed power, highlighting the futility of idolatry.

says the LORD
The term "LORD" here is the English representation of the Tetragrammaton, YHWH, the sacred and personal name of God revealed to Moses. This name signifies God's eternal, self-existent nature and His covenant relationship with Israel. In this context, it underscores the authority and sovereignty of God over all creation, including the false gods of the nations. The use of "says" (אָמַר, "amar") indicates a direct and authoritative declaration, emphasizing that this is not merely a suggestion but a command from the Almighty.

Submit your arguments
"Submit your arguments" continues the legal metaphor, where the false gods are challenged to provide evidence or reasoning for their divinity. The Hebrew word for "arguments" (עֲצוּמוֹת, "atzumot") can also mean "strong reasons" or "proofs." This is a call for the idols to demonstrate their ability to predict the future or control events, which they cannot do. The historical context here is the pervasive idol worship in the ancient Near East, where nations often attributed their successes to their gods. The LORD is exposing the impotence of these idols compared to His omnipotence.

says the King of Jacob
The title "King of Jacob" is a profound reminder of God's covenantal relationship with the descendants of Jacob, also known as Israel. "King" (מֶלֶךְ, "melek") denotes God's sovereign rule and authority over His chosen people. By using "Jacob," the text recalls the patriarchal promises and the unique identity of Israel as God's people. This title reinforces the idea that God is not only the universal ruler but also the personal and national God of Israel. It serves as a reassurance to the Israelites of God's faithfulness and His ultimate power over all nations and their gods.

(21) Produce your cause.--The scene of Isaiah 41:1 is reproduced. The worshippers of idols, as the prophet sees them in his vision hurrying hither and thither to consult their oracles, are challenged, on the ground not only of the great things God hath done, but of His knowledge of those things. The history of Herodotus supplies some striking illustrations. Cr?us and the Cum?ans, and the Phocaeans, and the Athenians are all sending to Delphi, or consulting their seers, as to this startling apparition of a new conqueror.

Your strong reasons.--Literally, bulwarks, or strongholds. So we speak of impregnable proofs.

Verses 21-29. - JEHOVAH'S CONTROVERSY WITH THE NATIONS AND THEIR IDOL-GODS. The argument is now taken up from vers. 1-4. Jehovah and his worshippers are on the one side; the idol-gods and their votaries on the other. The direct challenge, however, is given by Jehovah himself to the idols:

1. What predictions of their own can they bring forward as proofs of supernatural knowledge?

2. What indications can they give of power either to do good or to do evil (vers. 22, 23)? If they can do neither, they are vanity (ver. 24). Jehovah has both reared up Cyrus he and he only - and has announced the good tidings to his people (vers. 25-27). No such announcement has been made by the idol-gods; they are therefore mere "wind and confusion" (vers. 28, 29). Verse 21. - Produce your cause. The nations had been told to "draw near" - to "keep silence" while God spoke - and "then to speak" (ver. 1). Now the time for them to speak is come, and they are challenged to "produce" and plead "their cause." Your strong reasons; literally, your bulwarks, or defences. Saith the King of Jacob. The king and tutelary god of the nation, Israel, really holding the position that the idol-gods were regarded as holding towards the peoples that worshipped them. The "kingly" character of the idol-gods was indicated in such names as Moloch (equivalent to "king"), Melkarth (equivalent to "king of the city"), Adrammelech (equivalent to "glorious king"), Baal (equivalent to "lord"), Adonis (equivalent to "my lord"), etc.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Present
קָרְב֥וּ (qā·rə·ḇū)
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7126: To come near, approach

your case,”
רִֽיבְכֶ֖ם (rî·ḇə·ḵem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 7379: Strife, dispute

says
יֹאמַ֣ר (yō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

the LORD.
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

“Submit
הַגִּ֙ישׁוּ֙ (hag·gî·šū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5066: To draw near, approach

your arguments,”
עֲצֻמ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם (‘ă·ṣu·mō·w·ṯê·ḵem)
Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 6110: A bulwark, argument

says
יֹאמַ֖ר (yō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

the King
מֶ֥לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of Jacob.
יַעֲקֹֽב׃ (ya·‘ă·qōḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3290: Jacob -- a son of Isaac, also his desc


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 41:21 Produce your cause says Yahweh (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 41:20
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