Isaiah 41:16 (LSB)

Passage

You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, And the storm will scatter them; But you will rejoice in Yahweh; You will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 41:14 Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,” declares Yahweh, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 41:15 Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges; You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them, And will make the hills like chaff.

Isaiah 41:16 You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, And the storm will scatter them; But you will rejoice in Yahweh; You will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 41:17 “The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst; I, Yahweh, will answer them Myself, As the God of Israel I will not forsake them.

Isaiah 41:18 I will open rivers on the bare heights And springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water And the dry land fountains of water.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "winnow", "wind", "carry", "away", "storm", "scatter", "rejoice", and "yahweh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "winnow" and "wind", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Behold I have made you a new..." into verse 17's "The afflicted and needy are seeking water...", so "winnow" and "wind" 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 "winnow" and "wind" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.