Isaiah 41:1 (ASV)

Passage

Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the peoples renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak; let us come near together to judgment.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 41:1 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the peoples renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak; let us come near together to judgment.

Isaiah 41:2 Who hath raised up one from the east, whom he calleth in righteousness to his foot? he giveth nations before him, and maketh him rule over kings; he giveth them as the dust to his sword, as the driven stubble to his bow.

Isaiah 41:3 He pursueth them, and passeth on safely, even by a way that he had not gone with his feet.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "keep", "silence", "before", "islands", "peoples", "renew", "strength", and "come". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "keep" and "silence", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "Who hath raised up one from the...", so "keep" and "silence" should be read forward into that movement. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "keep" and "silence" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.