Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 41:11
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.
11 13. Humanly speaking Israel has cause for fear, being surrounded by opponents; but they shall be put to utter confusion.
11f. incensed ] lit. “inflamed,” as in ch. Isa 45:24; Son 1:6. The precise form occurs only in these passages.
they that strive them that contend they that war ] Lit. men of thy contention strife warfare; a climax which Delitzsch renders by adversarii, inimici, hostes. These expressions are emphatic and stand at the end of their respective clauses, and to each are attached two (logical) predicates; hence in Isa 41:11 we should read (as R.V. nearly): they shall be as nothing, and shall perish the men etc.
thou shalt seek and not find them that &c.] Cf. ch. Isa 33:18.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
All they that were incensed against thee – They who were enraged against thee, that is, the Chaldeans who made war upon you, and reduced you to bondage.
Shall be ashamed and confounded – To be ashamed and confounded is often used as synonymous with being overcome and destroyed.
They that strive with thee – Margin, as Hebrew, The men of thy strife. The expression refers to their enemies, the Babylonians.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Shall be ashamed and confounded, both because their hopes and designs shall be utterly disappointed, and because the mischief which they contrived against thee shall fall upon themselves.
Shall be as nothing; shall come to nothing, or perish, as the next clause explains it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. ashamedput to the shameof defeat (compare Isa 54:17;Rom 9:33).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Behold, all they that were incensed against thee,…. For rejecting their idols, and idol worship; for receiving the Gospel, and professing it:
shall be ashamed and confounded; their idols not being able to help them, nor they to defend the worship of them: the same is said with respect to Christ, Isa 45:24:
they shall be as nothing, and they that strive with thee shall perish; or, “the men of thy strife” o; all shall come to nothing, and utterly perish, as to their persons, substance, power, and dignity; as did the Roman emperors, the persecutors of God’s people.
o “viri litis tuae”, Montanus; “rixae tuae”, Vatablus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
With the exclamation hen (behold) the eyes of Israel are now directed to the saving interposition of Jehovah in the immediate future. “Behold, all they that were incensed against thee must be ashamed and confounded; the men of thy conflict become as nothing, and perish. Thou wilt seek them, and not find them, the men of thy feuds; the men of thy warfare become as nothing, and nonentity. For I, Jehovah thy God, lay hold of thy right hand, He who saith to thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” The comprehensive expression omnes inflammati in te ( niphal, as in Isa 45:24) stands at the head; and then, in order that every kind may be included, the enemies are called by a different name every time. The three substantives bear much the same relation to one another as lis , rixa , bellum ( m ilchamah , lit., throng = war-tumult, like the epic ), hence adversarii , inimici , hostes . The suffixes have the force of objective genitives. We have founded our translation upon the reading . The three names of the enemies are placed emphatically at the close of the sentences, and these are long drawn out, whilst the indignation gives vent to itself; whereas in Isa 41:13 there follows nothing but short sentences, in which the persecuted church is encouraged and affectionately embraced. Two clauses, which are made to rhyme with em , announce the utter destruction of their foes; then the inflective rhyme ekha is repeated five times; and the sixth time it passes over into kha .
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
11. Lo, all shall be ashamed and blush. Here the Prophet expressly promises assistance to the Jews against their enemies; for if he had merely promised safety, without making any mention of enemies, various thoughts and anxieties might have arisen in their minds. God indeed promises that we shall be saved, but yet our adversaries prevail, and treat us with the utmost scorn and cruelty; where then is that salvation which was so freely and abundantly promised? To the general promise, therefore, there is likewise added this circumstance: “Though the enemies flourish, yet they shall at length be driven back, covered with shame and disgrace.” Salvation is therefore promised on this condition, that we must, in the meantime, encounter enemies and maintain various contests with them, that we may not promise to ourselves external peace, for we must incessantly carry on war.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(11, 12) Behold . . .The choice of the Servant has, as its complement, the indignation of Jehovah against those who attack him, and this thought is emphasised by a four-fold iteration. They that strive with thee, &c, represents the Hebrew idiom, the men of thy conflict, which stands emphatically at the end of each clause.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. The tables shall turn. Israel’s persecutors hitherto shall come to mortification, and, like their idols, to nothingness. The usual conversive Hebrew past tenses here contemplate things yet future as already past.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Read the gospel, and behold the confirmation of these promises, for there needs no more; Joh 18:4-6 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 41:11 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.
Ver. 11. Behold, all that were incensed against thee. ] These and the following precious promises the Jews misapply to the coming and kingdom of their Messiah, the Papists to their hierarchy. Let every true servant of God take them home as spoken to himself; every promise droppeth myrrh and mercy.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. .
Behold, all they, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Exo 23:22). App-92.
they that strive = the men (Hebrew. ‘ish, App-14) of thy strife: i.e. thine accusers.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
all they: Isa 45:24, Isa 49:26, Isa 54:17, Isa 60:12-14, Exo 11:8, Exo 23:22, Zec 12:3, Act 13:8-11, Act 16:39, Rev 3:9
as nothing: Isa 41:24, Isa 41:29, Isa 40:17, Dan 4:35
they that strive with thee: Heb. the men of thy strife
Reciprocal: Psa 27:3 – war Psa 31:17 – wicked Psa 35:26 – ashamed Psa 40:14 – Let them be ashamed Psa 49:5 – Wherefore Psa 70:2 – Let Psa 71:13 – Let them be Isa 29:7 – the multitude Isa 49:25 – I will contend Jer 2:3 – all that Jer 10:24 – lest Jer 30:16 – General Zep 3:19 – I will undo Joh 8:10 – where Act 28:21 – We 1Pe 2:6 – shall
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 41:11-16. All the Enemies of Israel shall Perish.This section is eschatological, and probably later, perhaps much later, than its context. All Israels foes shall perish. Yahwehs people shall destroy their enemies as a threshing-sledge so powerful that it tears in pieces the threshing-floor itself, and even the hill upon whichto catch the breezesthe floor is situated.
Isa 41:14. ye men of: read, thou worm, thus restoring the same pair of synonyms as in Isa 14:11 and Job 25:6.redeemer: goel, Rth 2:20*.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
"Behold" urges continued attention to more promises. The anger of Israel’s enemies against her would prove to shame them. Their claims against Israel would come to nothing, their opponents would vanish, and their enemies would cease to exist. Increasing opposition would become increasingly ineffective. Those nations that would meddle with this servant would have to contend with an all-powerful Master.