Isaiah 41:9

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.'

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶחֱזַקְתִּ֙יךָ֙ מִקְצ֣וֹת הָאָ֔רֶץ וּמֵאֲצִילֶ֖יהָ קְרָאתִ֑יךָ וָאֹ֤מַר לְךָ֙ עַבְדִּי־אַ֔תָּה בְּחַרְתִּ֖יךָ וְלֹ֥א מְאַסְתִּֽיךָ׃

Transliteration

ʾăšer heḥĕzaqtîḵā from-qəṣôt hāʾāreṣ and-from-ʾăṣîleyhā qərāʾtîḵā wāʾōmar ləḵā ʿaḇdî-ʾattâ bəḥartîḵā wəlōʾ məʾastîḵā

Grammar Details

• *ʾăšer*: relative particle - whom
• *heḥĕzaqtîḵā*: verb, hiphil perfect 1st person common singular + 2nd person masculine singular suffix - I took hold of you
• *qəṣôt*: noun, feminine plural construct - ends of
• *hāʾāreṣ*: article + noun, feminine singular - the earth/land
• *ʾăṣîleyhā*: noun, masculine plural + 3rd person feminine singular suffix - its corners/remote parts
• *qərāʾtîḵā*: verb, qal perfect 1st person common singular + 2nd person masculine singular suffix - I called you
• *wāʾōmar*: conjunction + verb, qal imperfect 1st person common singular (with waw consecutive) - and I said
• *ləḵā*: preposition + 2nd person masculine singular suffix - to you
• *ʿaḇdî-ʾattâ*: noun, masculine singular + 1st person common singular suffix + pronoun, 2nd person masculine singular - you are my servant
• *bəḥartîḵā*: verb, qal perfect 1st person common singular + 2nd person masculine singular suffix - I have chosen you
• *wəlōʾ*: conjunction + negative particle - and not
• *məʾastîḵā*: verb, qal perfect 1st person common singular + 2nd person masculine singular suffix - I have rejected you

Word Meanings

• *heḥĕzaqtîḵā*: took hold of you/seized you/took you/grasped you
• *qəṣôt*: ends/extremities/remote parts
• *ʾăṣîleyhā*: its corners/remote parts/nobles
• *qərāʾtîḵā*: called you/summoned you/invited you
• *məʾastîḵā*: rejected you/refused you/despised you

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called you from the chief men thereof, and said to you, You are my servant; I have chosen you, and not cast you away.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from the corners thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away;

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  whom I led from the endes of the earth by the honde: For I called the from farre, & saide vnto the: Thou shalt be my seruaunt: I haue chosen the, & will not cast ye awaye:

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  For I haue taken thee from the endes of the earth, and called thee before the chiefe thereof, and saide vnto thee, Thou art my seruant: I haue chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Thou art he whom I led from the endes of the earth: for I called thee euen from among the glorious men of it, and sayd vnto thee, Thou art my seruaunt, I haue chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  [Thou] whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou [art] my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  you whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from the corners of it, and said to you, You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you away;

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  Whom I have taken hold of, from the ends of the earth, And from its near places I have called thee, And I say to thee, My servant Thou `art', I have chosen thee, and not rejected thee.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from the corners thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from the corners thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away;

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and sent for from its farthest parts, saying to you, You are my servant, whom I have taken for myself, and whom I have not given up:

• World English Bible (2000)

  You whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and called from its corners, and said to you, 'You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you away;'

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  you whom I am bringing back from the earth’s extremities, and have summoned from the remote regions– I told you,“You are my servant.” I have chosen you and not rejected you.

Referenced Verses

• 1 Cor 1:26-29 : 26 Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 So that no one may boast before him.
• Jas 2:5 : 5 Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
• Rev 5:9 : 9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain, and with your blood, you purchased for God people from every tribe, language, people, and nation."
• Deut 7:6-7 : 6 For you are a holy people to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be His treasured possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.
• Josh 24:2-4 : 2 Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Long ago, your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your ancestor Abraham from beyond the Euphrates River, led him throughout the land of Canaan, and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac. 4 And to Isaac, I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave the hill country of Seir to Esau to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
• 1 Sam 12:22 : 22 For the LORD will not abandon His people for the sake of His great name, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people.
• Neh 9:7-9 : 7 You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful before You, and You made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites to his descendants. And You have kept Your promise because You are righteous. 9 You saw the oppression of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea. 10 You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for You knew how arrogantly they treated them. And You made a name for Yourself that endures to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them, and they passed through it on dry ground. But You cast their pursuers into the depths like a stone into mighty waters. 12 By day, You led them with a pillar of cloud and by night with a pillar of fire, to give them light for the path they should follow. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them upright judgments, true laws, good statutes, and commandments. 14 You made Your holy Sabbath known to them, and You gave them commandments, statutes, and laws through Your servant Moses. 15 You provided bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water out of a rock for their thirst. You told them to go in and take possession of the land You had sworn to give them. 16 But they, our ancestors, acted arrogantly. They stiffened their necks and did not obey Your commandments. 17 They refused to listen and did not remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in faithful love, and You did not abandon them. 18 Even when they made a molten calf for themselves and said, 'This is your god who brought you out of Egypt,' and they committed terrible blasphemies, 19 You, in Your great mercy, did not abandon them in the wilderness. During the day, the pillar of cloud did not depart to guide them on their way, nor did the pillar of fire by night to give them light for the path they should take. 20 You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold manna from their mouths, and You provided water for their thirst. 21 For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell. 22 You gave them kingdoms and nations, dividing them into regions. They took possession of the land of Sihon, the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of heaven and brought them to the land You had promised their ancestors they would enter and take possession of. 24 Their descendants went in and took possession of the land. You subdued the inhabitants of the land—the Canaanites—before them and handed their kings and the peoples of the land over to them, to do with as they desired. 25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land. They took possession of houses filled with every good thing, hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. They ate, were satisfied, grew fat, and delighted themselves in Your great goodness. 26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against You. They cast Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets who warned them to turn back to You. They committed terrible blasphemies. 27 So You handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But in their time of distress, they cried out to You, and You heard from heaven. In Your great mercy, You gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies. 28 But as soon as they had rest, they returned to doing evil in Your sight. So You abandoned them to their enemies, who ruled over them. Yet when they again cried out to You, You heard from heaven and rescued them many times in Your abundant mercy. 29 You warned them to return to Your law, but they acted arrogantly and did not obey Your commandments. They sinned against Your judgments, which, if a person does, they will live by them. Stubbornly, they turned their backs, stiffened their necks, and would not listen. 30 For many years, You were patient with them. You warned them by Your Spirit through Your prophets, yet they would not listen. So You gave them into the hands of the peoples of the lands. 31 Still, in Your great mercies, You did not utterly destroy them or abandon them, for You are a gracious and merciful God. 32 Now therefore, our God, the great, mighty, and awesome God who keeps His covenant and steadfast love, do not let the hardship that has come upon us—on our kings, leaders, priests, prophets, ancestors, and on all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today—seem insignificant to You. 33 You are righteous in all that has happened to us, because You have acted faithfully while we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not obey Your law or pay attention to Your commandments and warnings You gave them. 35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying Your abundant goodness and the spacious, fertile land You gave them, they did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds. 36 Here we are today, slaves in the land You gave to our ancestors so they could enjoy its fruit and its goodness—here we are, slaves in it! 37 Its abundant harvest goes to the kings You have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.
• Ps 94:14 : 14 For the LORD will not reject His people; He will never forsake His inheritance.
• Ps 107:2-3 : 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary. 3 He gathered them from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
• Isa 41:2 : 2 Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service? He delivers nations before him and subdues kings. He turns them to dust with his sword, and like scattered straw with his bow.
• Isa 41:8 : 8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend,
• Isa 43:5-6 : 5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up,' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth—
• Jer 33:25-26 : 25 This is what the Lord says: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed laws of heaven and earth, 26 then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and my servant David and will not choose one of his descendants to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.
• Luke 13:29 : 29 People will come from the east, west, north, and south, and they will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.
• Rom 11:1-2 : 1 So I ask, did God reject His people? Certainly not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected His people, whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the story of Elijah, how he pleaded with God against Israel?