Isaiah 41:14 Study Bible: Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, and you men of Israel. I will help you," says the LORD, "and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

◄ Isaiah 41:14 ►

Do not fear, O worm of Jacob, O few men of Israel. I will help you," declares the LORD. "Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Study Bible

Do not fear
This phrase is a recurring divine assurance found throughout Scripture, emphasizing God's desire for His people to trust in Him rather than succumb to anxiety. The Hebrew root for "fear" is "yare," which conveys a sense of awe or reverence, but in this context, it is a command against being afraid. Historically, Israel faced numerous threats from surrounding nations, and this command is a reminder of God's sovereignty and protection.

O worm Jacob
The term "worm" here is a metaphor for humility and insignificance. In Hebrew, "worm" is "tola‘ath," which can also refer to a crimson worm used for dye, symbolizing both lowliness and transformation. Jacob, representing the nation of Israel, is reminded of their humble state without God. This imagery underscores the contrast between human frailty and divine strength.

O few men of Israel
This phrase highlights the smallness and vulnerability of Israel. The Hebrew word "mĕthim" (men) suggests a remnant or a small group. Historically, Israel was often outnumbered by its enemies, yet God frequently used a faithful remnant to accomplish His purposes, demonstrating that victory does not depend on numbers but on divine intervention.

I will help you
God's promise of assistance is central to His covenant relationship with Israel. The Hebrew root "azar" means to surround, protect, or aid. This assurance of divine help is a cornerstone of faith, encouraging believers to rely on God's strength rather than their own. Throughout biblical history, God's help is evident in the deliverance and preservation of His people.

declares the LORD
This phrase affirms the authority and certainty of the message. "LORD" in Hebrew is "YHWH," the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. When God declares something, it is a guarantee, underscoring His faithfulness and the reliability of His promises.

Your Redeemer
The term "Redeemer" is "go'el" in Hebrew, referring to a kinsman-redeemer who restores or avenges. This concept is deeply rooted in the cultural and legal practices of ancient Israel, where a family member would redeem a relative in distress. Spiritually, it points to God's role in delivering Israel from bondage and ultimately foreshadows Christ's redemptive work.

the Holy One of Israel
This title for God emphasizes His uniqueness, purity, and covenant relationship with Israel. "Holy" in Hebrew is "qadosh," meaning set apart or sacred. The phrase "Holy One of Israel" is a reminder of God's distinctiveness and His special bond with His chosen people. It calls believers to a life of holiness in response to God's character and actions.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Jacob
Represents the nation of Israel, often used to signify the collective people of God. The term "worm" here symbolizes humility and weakness.

2. Israel
The chosen people of God, descendants of Jacob, often facing trials and needing divine intervention.

3. The LORD
Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God of Israel, who promises His help and redemption.

4. Redeemer
A title for God, indicating His role as the one who rescues and delivers His people from bondage and adversity.

5. The Holy One of Israel
A title emphasizing God's holiness and His unique relationship with Israel.

Teaching Points

Understanding Our Weakness
Recognize that like "worm Jacob," we are often weak and vulnerable, but this is where God's strength is made perfect.

God's Assurance of Help
Trust in God's promise to be our helper, especially in times of fear and uncertainty.

The Role of the Redeemer
Reflect on how God, as our Redeemer, has delivered us from sin through Jesus Christ, the ultimate fulfillment of this promise.

Holiness and Relationship
Embrace the call to holiness, knowing that the Holy One of Israel desires a personal relationship with us.

Fear Not
Apply the command to "fear not" in daily life, relying on God's presence and promises.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the imagery of a "worm" in Isaiah 41:14 help us understand our position before God and His power?

2. In what ways can we see God's role as a Redeemer in our personal lives today?

3. How does the promise of God's help in Isaiah 41:14 encourage you in a current situation where you feel weak or afraid?

4. What are some practical steps you can take to live out the command to "fear not" in your daily life?

5. How does understanding God as the "Holy One of Israel" influence your relationship with Him and your pursuit of holiness?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Exodus 3:7-8
God's promise to deliver Israel from Egypt parallels His assurance of help in Isaiah 41:14.

Psalm 22:6
David refers to himself as a "worm," highlighting human frailty and dependence on God.

Isaiah 43:1
Reinforces God's promise of redemption and His personal relationship with Israel.

Romans 8:31
Echoes the assurance that if God is for us, no one can be against us, similar to the promise of help in Isaiah 41:14.

Sermons

Biblical Illustrations from the Animal Kingdom	A. Whyte, D. D.	Isaiah 41:14
Fear Not		Isaiah 41:14
Fear Not	Charles Haddon Spurgeon	Isaiah 41:14
Fears Dispelled	Homilist	Isaiah 41:14
The Holy One Thy Redeemer	F. Sessions.	Isaiah 41:14
Thou Worm Jacob	A. Whyte, D. D.	Isaiah 41:14
Thou Worm Jacob	F. Jarratt.	Isaiah 41:14
Thy Redeemer		Isaiah 41:14
Thy Redeemer	J. A. Alexander.	Isaiah 41:14
Thy Redeemer	Charles Haddon Spurgeon	Isaiah 41:14
God Our Strength	W. Clarkson	Isaiah 41:10-14
The Supreme Prayer	R. Tuck	Isaiah 41:13, 14
Weakness Made Strong	E. Johnson	Isaiah 41:14-16

People

Isaiah, Jacob

Places

Jerusalem, Zion

Topics

Affirmation, Afraid, Cause, Declares, Fear, Helped, Helper, Holy, Jacob, Myself, O, Redeemer, Says, Takes, Worm

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Isaiah 41:14

     1065   God, holiness of
     1205   God, titles of
     1315   God, as redeemer
     1680   types
     5888   inferiority
     6722   redemption, OT
     8754   fear

Library

February 20. "Fear Thou Not, for I am with Thee" (Isa. Xli. 10).
"Fear thou not, for I am with thee" (Isa. xli. 10). Satan is always trying to weaken our faith by fear. He is a great metaphysician and knows the paralyzing effect of fear, that it is the great enemy of faith, and that faith is the great secret of help. If he can get us fearing he will stop our trusting and hinder the very blessing we need. Job found the peril of fear and gives us the sorrowful testimony, "I feared a fear and it came upon me." Fear is born of Satan, and if we would only take time …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

February 21. "Be not Dismayed, for I am Thy God" (Isa. Xli. 10).
"Be not dismayed, for I am thy God" (Isa. xli. 10). How tenderly God is always comforting our fears! How sweetly He says in Isaiah xli. 10, "Fear not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness." And yet again with still tenderer thoughtfulness, "I, the Lord thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee." Not only does He say it once, but He keeps holding our right hand and repeating such promises. …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

November 7. "I Will Strengthen Thee; Yea, I Will Help Thee; Yea, I Will Uphold Thee" (Isa. Xli. 10).
"I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee" (Isa. xli. 10). God has three ways of helping us: First, He says, "I will strengthen thee"; that is, I will make you a little stronger yourself. And secondly, "I will help thee"; that is, I will add My strength to your strength, but you shall lead and I will help you. But thirdly, when you are ready, "I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness"; that is, I will lift you up bodily and carry you altogether, and …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

August 22. "I the Lord, the First and with the Last" (Isa. Xli. 4).
"I the Lord, the first and with the last" (Isa. xli. 4). Thousands of people get stranded after they have embarked on the great voyage of holiness, because they have depended upon the experience rather than on the Author of it. They had supposed that they were thoroughly and permanently delivered from all sin, and in the ecstacy of their first experience they imagine that they shall never again be tried and tempted as before, and when they step out into the actual facts of Christian life and find …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

February the Seventh Leaving Its Mark
"Fear not, thou worm Jacob, I will make thee a threshing instrument with teeth." --ISAIAH xli. 8-14. Could any two things be in greater contrast than a worm and an instrument with teeth? The worm is delicate, bruised by a stone, crushed beneath a passing wheel; an instrument with teeth can break and not be broken, it can grave its mark upon the rock. And the mighty God can convert the one into the other. He can take a man or a nation, who has all the impotence of the worm, and by the invigoration …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

November the Twentieth the Real Aristocracy
"Abraham, my friend." --ISAIAH xli. 8-16. I think that is the noblest title ever given to mortal man. It is the speech of the Lord God concerning one of His children. It is something to be coveted even to enjoy the friendship of a noble man; but to have the friendship of God, and to have the holy God name us as His friends, is surely the brightest jewel that can ever shine in a mortal's crown. And such recognition and such glory may be the wonderful lot of thee and me. "Abraham, my friend." The …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Fear Not
What a precious promise to the young Christian, or to the old Christian attacked by lowness of spirits and distress of mind! "Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer the Holy One of Israel. Christian brethren, there are some in this congregation, I hope many, who have solemnly devoted themselves to the cause and service of the Lord Jesus Christ: let them hear, then, the preparation which is necessary for this service set forth in the word …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

Thy Redeemer
You will please to notice that it looks as if this were a repetition by three different persons. Israel was cast down, and Jehovah, for that is the first word--(you will notice that the word "Lord" is in capitals, and should be translated "Jehovah")--says to his poor, tried, desponding servant, "I will help thee." No sooner is that uttered than we think we shall not be straining the text if we surmise that God the Holy Spirit, the Holy One of Israel, adds his solemn affidavit also; and declares by …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

The Chase
Heinrich Suso Is. xli. 17 O Lord, the most fair, the most tender, My heart is adrift and alone; My heart is aweary and thirsty-- Athirst for a joy unknown. From a child I have followed it--chased it, By wilderness, wold, and hill-- I never have reached it or seen it, yet must I follow it still. In those olden years did I seek it In the sweet fair things around, But the more I sought and I thirsted, The less, O my Lord, I found. When nearest it seemed to my grasping, It fled like a wandering thought; …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

The Fulfilled Prophecies of the Bible Bespeak the Omniscience of Its Author
In Isaiah 41:21-23 we have what is probably the most remarkable challenge to be found in the Bible. "Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen; let them show the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods." This Scripture has both a negative …
Arthur W. Pink—The Divine Inspiration of the Bible

The Millennium in Relation to Creation.
The blessings which will be brought to the world upon the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom will not be confined to the human family but will be extended to all creation. As we have shown in earlier chapters, the Curse which was pronounced by God upon the ground in the day of Adam's fall, and which resulted in a creation that has groaned and travailed ever since, is yet to be revoked. Creation is not to remain in bondage for ever. God has set a hope before it, a hope, which like ours, centers …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

The Servant's Triumph
'He is near that justifieth Me; who will contend with Me? let us stand together: who is Mine adversary? let him come near to Me. 9. Behold, the Lord God will help Me; who is he that shall condemn Me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.'--ISAIAH l. 8, 9. We have reached the final words of this prophecy, and we hear in them a tone of lofty confidence and triumph. While the former ones sounded plaintive like soft flute music, this rings out clear like the note of a …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

How to Make Use of Christ for Steadfastness, in a Time when Truth is Oppressed and Borne Down.
When enemies are prevailing, and the way of truth is evil spoken of, many faint, and many turn aside, and do not plead for truth, nor stand up for the interest of Christ, in their hour and power of darkness: many are overcome with base fear, and either side with the workers of iniquity, or are not valiant for the truth, but being faint-hearted, turn back. Now the thoughts of this may put some who desire to stand fast, and to own him and his cause in a day of trial, to enquire how they shall make …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Church Before and after Christ.
"All these having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise."Heb. xi. 39. Clearness requires to distinguish two operations of the Holy Spirit in the work of re-creation before the Advent, viz., (1) preparing redemption for the whole Church, and (2) regenerating and sanctifying the saints then living. If there had been no elect before Christ, so that He had no church until Pentecost; and if, like Balaam and Saul, the bearers of the Old Testament revelation had been without personal …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Election Confirmed by the Calling of God. The Reprobate Bring Upon Themselves the Righteous Destruction to which they are Doomed.
1. The election of God is secret, but is manifested by effectual calling. The nature of this effectual calling. How election and effectual calling are founded on the free mercy of God. A cavil of certain expositors refuted by the words of Augustine. An exception disposed of. 2. Calling proved to be free, 1. By its nature and the mode in which it is dispensed. 2. By the word of God. 3. By the calling of Abraham, the father of the faithful. 4. By the testimony of John. 5. By the example of those who …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Apostles Chosen
As soon as he returned victorious from the temptation in the wilderness, Jesus entered on the work of his public ministry. We find him, at once, preaching to the people, healing the sick, and doing many wonderful works. The commencement of his ministry is thus described by St. Matt. iv: 23-25. "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout …
Richard Newton—The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young

Never! Never! Never! Never! Never!
Hence, let us learn, my brethren, the extreme value of searching the Scriptures. There may be a promise in the Word which would exactly fit your case, but you may not know of it, and therefore miss its comfort. You are like prisoners in a dungeon, and there may be one key in the bunch which would unlock the door, and you might be free; but if you will not look for it you may remain a prisoner still, though liberty is near at hand. There may be a potent medicine in the great pharmacopia of Scripture, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 8: 1863

The Water of Life;
OR, A DISCOURSE SHOWING THE RICHNESS AND GLORY OF THE GRACE AND SPIRIT OF THE GOSPEL, AS SET FORTH IN SCRIPTURE BY THIS TERM, THE WATER OF LIFE. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.'--Revelation 22:17 London: Printed for Nathanael Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1688. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Often, and in every age, the children of God have dared to doubt the sufficiency of divine grace; whether it was vast enough to reach their condition--to cleanse …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

How to Make Use of Christ as the Life when the Soul is Dead as to Duty.
Sometimes the believer will be under such a distemper, as that he will be as unfit and unable for discharging of any commanded duty, as dead men, or one in a swoon, is to work or go a journey. And it were good to know how Christ should be made use of as the Life, to the end the diseased soul may be delivered from this. For this cause we shall consider those four things: 1. See what are the several steps and degrees of this distemper. 2. Consider whence it cometh, or what are the causes or occasions …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Knowledge of God
'The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.' I Sam 2:2. Glorious things are spoken of God; he transcends our thoughts, and the praises of angels. God's glory lies chiefly in his attributes, which are the several beams by which the divine nature shines forth. Among other of his orient excellencies, this is not the least, The Lord is a God of knowledge; or as the Hebrew word is, A God of knowledges.' Through the bright mirror of his own essence, he has a full idea and cognisance …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Being of God
Q-III: WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES PRINCIPALLY TEACH? A: The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. Q-IV: WHAT IS GOD? A: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Here is, 1: Something implied. That there is a God. 2: Expressed. That he is a Spirit. 3: What kind of Spirit? I. Implied. That there is a God. The question, What is God? takes for granted that there …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Eternity and Unchangeableness of God.
Exod. iii. 14.--"I AM THAT I AM."--Psal. xc. 2.--"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God."--Job xi. 7-9.--"Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea." This is the chief point of saving knowledge, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Christ all and in All.
(Colossians iii. 11.) Christ is all to us that we make Him to be. I want to emphasize that word "all." Some men make Him to be "a root out of a dry ground," "without form or comeliness." He is nothing to them; they do not want Him. Some Christians have a very small Saviour, for they are not willing to receive Him fully, and let Him do great and mighty things for them. Others have a mighty Saviour, because they make Him to be great and mighty. If we would know what Christ wants to be to us, we …
Dwight L. Moody—The Way to God and How to Find It

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