Isaiah 41:5
New International Version
The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward;

New Living Translation
The lands beyond the sea watch in fear. Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war.

English Standard Version
The coastlands have seen and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come.

Berean Standard Bible
The islands see and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward.

King James Bible
The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

New King James Version
The coastlands saw it and feared, The ends of the earth were afraid; They drew near and came.

New American Standard Bible
The coastlands have seen and are afraid; The ends of the earth tremble; They have approached and have come.

NASB 1995
The coastlands have seen and are afraid; The ends of the earth tremble; They have drawn near and have come.

NASB 1977
The coastlands have seen and are afraid; The ends of the earth tremble; They have drawn near and have come.

Legacy Standard Bible
The coastlands have seen and are afraid; The ends of the earth tremble; They have drawn near and have come.

Amplified Bible
The islands and coastlands have seen and they fear; The ends of the earth tremble; They have drawn near and have come.

Christian Standard Bible
The coasts and islands see and are afraid, the whole earth trembles. They approach and arrive.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The islands see and are afraid, the whole earth trembles. They approach and arrive.

American Standard Version
The isles have seen, and fear; the ends of the earth tremble; they draw near, and come.

Contemporary English Version
Islands and foreign nations saw what I did and trembled as they came near.

English Revised Version
The isles saw, and feared; the ends of the earth trembled: they drew near, and came.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The coastlands have seen him and are afraid. The ends of the earth tremble. They have come near and gathered together.

Good News Translation
"The people of distant lands have seen what I have done; they are frightened and tremble with fear. So they all assemble and come.

International Standard Version
"The coastlands have looked and are afraid; the ends of the earth have drawn near together and come forward.

Majority Standard Bible
The islands see and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward.

NET Bible
The coastlands see and are afraid; the whole earth trembles; they approach and come.

New Heart English Bible
The coastlands have seen, and fear. The farthest parts of the earth tremble. They approach, and come.

Webster's Bible Translation
The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

World English Bible
The islands have seen, and fear. The ends of the earth tremble. They approach, and come.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Islands have seen and fear, "" The ends of the earth tremble, "" They have drawn near, indeed, they come.

Young's Literal Translation
Seen have isles and fear, ends of the earth tremble, They have drawn near, yea, they come.

Smith's Literal Translation
The isles saw, and they will be afraid; the extremities of the earth will tremble; they drew near and they will come.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The islands saw it, and feared, the ends of the earth were astonished, they drew near, and came.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The islands saw it and were afraid. The ends of the earth were stupefied. They drew near and arrived.

New American Bible
The coastlands see, and fear; the ends of the earth tremble: they approach, they come on.

New Revised Standard Version
The coastlands have seen and are afraid, the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The islands saw it, and were afraid; and the ends of the earth were afraid, and they drew near and came.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The islands saw and the ends of the Earth stood in awe. They stood in awe and they approached and they came
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The isles saw, and feared; The ends of the earth trembled; They drew near, and came.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The nations saw, and feared; the ends of the earth drew nigh, and came together,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Help to Israel
4Who has performed this and carried it out, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD—the first and the last—I am He.” 5The islands see and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward. 6Each one helps the other and says to his brother, “Be strong!”…

Cross References
Psalm 65:8
Those who live far away fear Your wonders; You make the dawn and sunset shout for joy.

Jeremiah 33:9
So this city will bring Me renown, joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, who will hear of all the good I do for it. They will tremble in awe because of all the goodness and prosperity that I will provide for it.

Zechariah 9:5
Ashkelon will see and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, as will Ekron, for her hope will wither. There will cease to be a king in Gaza, and Ashkelon will be uninhabited.

Ezekiel 26:16
All the princes of the sea will descend from their thrones, remove their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled over you.

Habakkuk 3:10
The mountains saw You and quaked; torrents of water swept by. The deep roared with its voice and lifted its hands on high.

Isaiah 42:10
Sing to the LORD a new song—His praise from the ends of the earth—you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who dwell in them.

Isaiah 24:14-16
They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they proclaim the majesty of the LORD. / Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea. / From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray; the treacherous deal in treachery.

Isaiah 60:9
Surely the islands will wait for Me, with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, to bring your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.

Isaiah 66:19
I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands far away who have not heard of My fame or seen My glory. So they will proclaim My glory among the nations.

Zephaniah 2:11
The LORD will be terrifying to them when He starves all the gods of the earth. Then the nations of every shore will bow in worship to Him, each in its own place.

Matthew 12:21
In His name the nations will put their hope.”

Luke 21:25-26
There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves. / Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Acts 17:6
But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here,

Revelation 15:4
Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Revelation 18:9-10
Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. / In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”


Treasury of Scripture

The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

isles

Genesis 10:5
By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

Ezekiel 26:15,16
Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee? …

the ends

Exodus 15:14
The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.

Joshua 2:10
For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

Joshua 5:1
And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

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Afraid Approach Coastlands Draw Drawn Drew Earth Ends Fear Feared Forward Islands Isles Sea-Lands Shaking Tremble Trembled
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Afraid Approach Coastlands Draw Drawn Drew Earth Ends Fear Feared Forward Islands Isles Sea-Lands Shaking Tremble Trembled
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.














The islands see
The term "islands" in Hebrew is "אִיִּים" (iyim), which can also be translated as "coastlands" or "distant lands." This word often signifies remote or far-off places, indicating the reach of God's influence and power beyond the immediate geographical context of Israel. In a historical sense, this reflects the expansive nature of God's sovereignty, which extends to all nations and peoples, even those perceived as distant or isolated. The "seeing" implies an acknowledgment or recognition of God's mighty acts, suggesting that His works are evident and undeniable even to those far removed from the epicenter of His direct interventions.

and fear
The Hebrew word for "fear" is "יָרֵא" (yare), which encompasses a range of meanings from terror to reverence. In this context, it likely denotes a profound awe and respect for God's power and majesty. This fear is not merely about being afraid but is a recognition of God's supreme authority and the realization of His active presence in the world. Historically, this reflects the reaction of nations when confronted with the undeniable acts of God, as seen in the deliverance of Israel and other miraculous events recorded in the Scriptures.

the ends of the earth tremble
The phrase "ends of the earth" (קְצוֹת הָאָרֶץ, qetsot ha'aretz) signifies the furthest reaches of the known world. This expression underscores the universal scope of God's dominion. The "trembling" (חָרַד, charad) suggests a physical and emotional response to the overwhelming presence of God. It conveys the idea that no part of creation is beyond the reach of God's influence and that His power elicits a response of reverence and awe from all corners of the earth. This trembling is a testament to the pervasive impact of God's actions and the recognition of His ultimate authority.

They approach
The verb "approach" (קָרַב, qarab) indicates movement towards something significant. In this context, it suggests that the nations, having witnessed God's power, are drawn towards Him. This movement can be seen as a metaphor for seeking understanding, reconciliation, or alignment with God's will. Historically, this reflects the times when nations or individuals, after witnessing God's mighty works, sought to align themselves with His people or His purposes.

and come forward
The phrase "come forward" (יָבוֹא, yavo) implies a deliberate action of stepping into a new position or role. It suggests a response to God's call or an acknowledgment of His sovereignty. This movement is not passive but an active engagement with the reality of God's presence and power. In a broader theological sense, it can be seen as an invitation to all nations to recognize and submit to God's authority, aligning themselves with His divine plan.

(5) The isles saw it, and feared . . .--The words paint the terror caused by the rapid conquests of Cyrus, but the terror led, as the following verses show, to something very different from the acknowledgment of the Eternal. As the sailors in the ship of Tarshish called each man on his God (Jonah 1:5), so each nation turned to its oracles and its shrines. The gods had to be propitiated by new statues, and a fresh impetus was given to the manufacture of idols, probably for the purpose of being carried forth to battle as a protection. (Comp. 1Samuel 4:5-7; Herod. i. 26.)

Verse 5. - The isles saw it, and feared. A general terror seized the nations on the conquest of the Medes by Cyrus. Croesus of Lydia, Nabonidus of Babylon, and Amasis of Egypt, were at once drawn together by the common danger, and made alliance offensive and defensive (Herod., 1:77). The weaker tribes and peoples gave themselves up for lost. Scarcely any resistance seems to have been offered to the Persian arms by the tribes between the Halys and Indus, the Jaxartes and the Indian Ocean. Lydia and Babylon alone made a stout fight; but even these were conquered without very much difficulty. The ends of the earth... drew near; i.e. distant nations held (will hold) consultation together on the danger which threatens them. The league of Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt is the only known instance of such "drawing near" (see the preceding note). Isaiah anticipates marked consultations and exhortations with respect to the idol-gods, in which trust should be put; but perhaps he is scarcely serious in vers. 6, 7. Rather he is indulging his sarcastic humour at the expense of the idols and of those who put their trust in them. (For instances, however, of actual trust in particular idols, see 'Records of the Past,' vol. 4. p. 58; Herod., 5:67; 8:64,)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The islands
אִיִּים֙ (’î·yîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 339: A habitable spot, dry land, a coast, an island

see
רָא֤וּ (rā·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7200: To see

and fear,
וְיִירָ֔אוּ (wə·yî·rā·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3372: To fear, to revere, caus, to frighten

the ends
קְצ֥וֹת (qə·ṣō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 7098: A termination

of the earth
הָאָ֖רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

tremble.
יֶחֱרָ֑דוּ (ye·ḥĕ·rā·ḏū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2729: To shudder with terror, to fear, to hasten

They approach
קָרְב֖וּ (qā·rə·ḇū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7126: To come near, approach

and come forward.
וַיֶּאֱתָיֽוּן׃ (way·ye·’ĕ·ṯā·yūn)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 857: To arrive


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 41:5 The islands have seen and fear (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 41:4
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