Isaiah 41:15 (WEB)

Passage

Behold, I have made you into a new sharp threshing instrument with teeth. You will thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and will make the hills like chaff.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 41:13 For I, Yahweh your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I will help you.’

Isaiah 41:14 Don’t be afraid, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel. I will help you,” says Yahweh, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 41:15 Behold, I have made you into a new sharp threshing instrument with teeth. You will thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and will make the hills like chaff.

Isaiah 41:16 You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, and the whirlwind will scatter them. You will rejoice in Yahweh. You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 41:17 The poor and needy seek water, and there is none. Their tongue fails for thirst. I, Yahweh, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "sharp", "threshing", "instrument", "teeth", "mountains", and "beat". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "sharp", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Don t be afraid you worm Jacob..." into verse 16's "You will winnow them and the wind...", so "behold" and "sharp" 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 "behold" and "sharp" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.