Isaiah 41:28 (GNV)

Passage

But when I behelde, there was none, and when I inquired of them, there was no counsellor, and when I demaunded of them, they answered not a woorde.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 41:26 Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may knowe? or before time, that we may say, He is righteous? Surely there is none that sheweth: surely there is none that declareth: surely there is none that heareth your wordes.

Isaiah 41:27 I am the first, that saieth to Zion, Beholde, beholde them: and I will giue to Ierusalem one that shall bring good tidings.

Isaiah 41:28 But when I behelde, there was none, and when I inquired of them, there was no counsellor, and when I demaunded of them, they answered not a woorde.

Isaiah 41:29 Beholde, they are all vanitie: their worke is of nothing, their images are wind and confusion.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behelde", "none", "inquired", "counsellor", "demaunded", "answered", and "woorde". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behelde" and "none", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "I am the first that saieth to..." into verse 29's "Beholde they are all vanitie their worke...", so "behelde" and "none" 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 "behelde" and "none" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.