Isaiah 41:8 (ASV)

Passage

But thou, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend,

Nearby Context

Isaiah 41:6 They help every one his neighbor; and [every one] saith to his brother, Be of good courage.

Isaiah 41:7 So the carpenter encourageth the goldsmith, [and] he that smootheth with the hammer him that smiteth the anvil, saying of the soldering, It is good; and he fasteneth it with nails, that is should not be moved.

Isaiah 41:8 But thou, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend,

Isaiah 41:9 thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from the corners thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away;

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "israel", "servant", "jacob", "chosen", "seed", "abraham", and "friend". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "israel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "So the carpenter encourageth the goldsmith and..." into verse 9's "thou whom I have taken hold of...", so "thou" and "israel" belong inside that flow. 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 "thou" and "israel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.