Isaiah 41:5 (KJV)

Passage

The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 41:3 He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.

Isaiah 41:4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

Isaiah 41:5 The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

Isaiah 41:6 They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.

Isaiah 41:7 So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "isles", "feared", "ends", "earth", "afraid", "drew", "near", and "came". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "isles" and "feared", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Who hath wrought and done it calling..." into verse 6's "They helped every one his neighbour and...", so "isles" and "feared" 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 "isles" and "feared" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.