Read Isaiah 41 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
41:1-7 {s} YHVH raised up the conqueror from the east/ the coastlands saw it, and fashioned idols
41:8-13 {s} Israel is YHVH’s servant: Fear not, for He has chosen you and will help you
41:14-16 {s} YHVH will help Israel and make him into a tool to thresh his enemies/ he will rejoice in YHVH
41:17-20 {p} The poor and needy thirst; YHVH will not forsake them: He will make pools of water in the wilderness
41:21-24 {p} Present your case: where are the works of the gods? They and their works are nothing
41:25-29 {p} YHVH will bring to Zion One who bears good news/ only He declares what will be
The Strong themes:
40:17-41:20 {sx7+p}The nations are nothing, God gives power and raises up, so Fear not, He has chosen Israel
The Chiastic structure:
Two verbs appearing over and over again – Repetition is a Teaching Tool of Scripture – are “to help” and “to fear not.”
To Help is from Strong’s H5826 עזר azar, a primitive root meaning, “to help, aid, succor.” The ancient pictographs are ayin + zayin + resh.
ayin ע = eye, thus watch, know, shade
zayin ז = mattock, thus tool, food, cut, nourish
resh ר = head of man, thus head, first, top, beginning, man
The parable being told by the Hebrew Root Word, is to watch over (ayin) what is necessary (zayin, as a tool is used to accomplish a needed end) for the man (resh).
To Fear Not is from Strong’s H3372 ירא yare, a primitive root meaning, “to fear.” The ancient pictographs are yud + resh + aleph.
yud י = closed hand, thus work, throw, worship
resh ר = head of man, thus head, first, top, beginning, man
aleph א = ox head, thus strength, power, leader
The parable is that the man fears what he worships (yud) above himself (resh) as the greater (aleph).
This is the same verb used all over the Bible in its positive aspect, for example in, “The fear of YHVH is the beginning of wisdom.” And now we are to fear not?
It simply means, that when we fear YHVH in its positive aspect, of understanding that He is greater, then we have no reason to fear anything else in its negative aspect: other men, lack, instability, humiliation, oppression, or anything else. YHVH is greater than all those things. Fear, properly placed, precludes any and every other fear.
If there are questions, these are good resources:
God will help me – Christine Miller
I need not fear – Christine Miller
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