Isaiah 41:28 (WEB)

Passage

When I look, there is no man; even among them there is no counselor who, when I ask of them, can answer a word.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 41:26 Who has declared it from the beginning, that we may know? And before, that we may say, ‘He is right?’ Surely, there is no one who declares. Surely, there is no one who shows. Surely, there is no one who hears your words.

Isaiah 41:27 I am the first to say to Zion, ‘Behold, look at them;’ and I will give one who brings good news to Jerusalem.

Isaiah 41:28 When I look, there is no man; even among them there is no counselor who, when I ask of them, can answer a word.

Isaiah 41:29 Behold, all of them, their deeds are vanity and nothing. Their molten images are wind and confusion.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "look", "even", "counselor", "answer", and "word". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "look" and "even", 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 to say to..." into verse 29's "Behold all of them their deeds are...", so "look" and "even" 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 "look" and "even" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.