Isaiah 41:1 (DRB)

Passage

Let the islands keep silence before me, and the nations take new strength: let them come near, and then speak, let us come near to judgment together.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 41:1 Let the islands keep silence before me, and the nations take new strength: let them come near, and then speak, let us come near to judgment together.

Isaiah 41:2 Who hath raised up the just one from the east, hath called him to follow him? he shall give the nations in his sight, and he shall rule over kings: he shall give them as the dust to his sword, as stubble driven by the wind, to his bow.

Isaiah 41:3 He shall pursue them, he shall pass in peace, no path shall appear after his feet.

Study Lenses

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

The next verse adds "Who hath raised up the just one...", so "islands" and "keep" 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 "islands" and "keep" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.