Isaiah 41:15

Translation
King James Version
Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
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KJV (with Strong's)
Behold, I will make H7760 thee a new H2319 sharp H2742 threshing H4173 instrument having H1167 teeth H6374: thou shalt thresh H1758 the mountains H2022, and beat them small H1854, and shalt make H7760 the hills H1389 as chaff H4671.
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Complete Jewish Bible
"I will make you into a threshing-sledge, new, with sharp, pointed teeth, to thresh the mountains and crush them to dust, to reduce the hills to chaff.
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Berean Standard Bible
Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff.
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American Standard Version
Behold, I have made thee to be a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
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World English Bible Messianic
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.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Behold, I wil make thee a roller, and a newe threshing instrument hauing teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountaines, and bring them to pouder, and shalt make the hilles as chaffe.
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Young's Literal Translation
Lo, I have set thee for a new sharp threshing instrument, Possessing teeth, thou threshest mountains, And beatest small, and hills as chaff thou makest.
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See also
Micah 4:132 Corinthians 10:42 Corinthians 10:5Zechariah 4:7Habakkuk 3:12Isaiah 21:10Isaiah 28:27
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In the KJVVerse 18,467 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Isaiah 41:15 delivers a profound divine promise to the nation of Israel, portraying them as a seemingly weak and vulnerable people. God declares His sovereign intent to transform them into a formidable, "new sharp threshing instrument having teeth," thereby empowering them to utterly overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, symbolized by "mountains" and "hills." This verse serves as a powerful reassurance to God's chosen people that their strength and ultimate success against adversaries will not originate from their own limited might, but entirely from His omnipotent power working through them, leading to the complete dispersal and decisive defeat of their foes, much like worthless chaff scattered by the wind.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is strategically placed within a significant section of the book of Isaiah, specifically chapters 40-48, often referred to as the "Book of Comfort" or "Second Isaiah." This portion of the prophecy primarily addresses the exilic or post-exilic community of Israel, offering profound consolation, hope, and promises of restoration amidst their despair and perceived abandonment. The verses immediately preceding Isaiah 41:8-14 lay the theological groundwork by reaffirming God's covenant faithfulness to Jacob/Israel, His chosen servant. God emphatically declares their election, assures them of His constant presence and unwavering help, and repeatedly commands them to "fear not." Verse 15 directly follows these declarations, providing a vivid, concrete illustration of how God will empower them to overcome the very fears and challenges He has just addressed. The powerful agricultural imagery of threshing serves as a tangible manifestation of God's promised intervention and victory, seamlessly transitioning into further promises of miraculous provision and transformation of the desolate land in subsequent verses Isaiah 41:17-20.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Ancient Israel was fundamentally an agrarian society, deeply reliant on agricultural cycles for its sustenance. Consequently, agricultural metaphors, such as threshing, were profoundly resonant and immediately comprehensible to its audience. Threshing was a vital post-harvest process, meticulously separating the valuable grain from the worthless straw and husks. A "threshing instrument" (Hebrew: môwrag) was typically a heavy wooden sledge or board, often fitted with sharp stones or iron teeth on its underside, pulled by oxen over harvested grain spread on a threshing floor. This process effectively broke apart the stalks and heads, releasing the grain. In this prophetic context, the "mountains" and "hills" are not literal geological features to be flattened but powerful symbolic representations of formidable enemies, oppressive empires (like Babylon), or seemingly insurmountable national challenges that Israel faced. The transformation of these imposing obstacles into "chaff" (Hebrew: môts) signifies their complete destruction, dispersal, and utter insignificance before God's power, a common biblical metaphor for the transient nature and ultimate judgment of the wicked or human power in opposition to God Psalm 1:4.
  • Key Themes: Isaiah 41:15 articulates several central theological and narrative themes. Foremost is Divine Sovereignty and Omnipotence, powerfully demonstrating God's absolute control over all nations, circumstances, and the course of history. It profoundly illustrates God's Election and Unwavering Faithfulness to His covenant people, Israel, whom He chose and promises never to abandon or forsake Isaiah 41:8-10. A prominent theme is Transformation and Empowerment, where God takes a weak, fear-filled, and seemingly insignificant people (referred to as a "worm" in the preceding verse) and supernaturally equips them with unprecedented strength and capacity to accomplish His mighty purposes. The imagery also conveys the theme of Overcoming Insurmountable Obstacles, assuring Israel that no enemy or challenge, however great or imposing, is too formidable when God is actively on their side. Finally, it touches upon Judgment and Vindication, as the "threshing" of mountains and hills represents the decisive defeat, humiliation, and ultimate dispersal of those who oppose God's people, leading to Israel's ultimate triumph, restoration, and vindication before the nations.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • threshing instrument (Hebrew, môwrag', H4173): This noun refers to a "threshing sledge," an agricultural tool used to triturate or separate grain from stalks. Its specific mention here emphasizes the practical, effective, and often destructive nature of the tool in its intended purpose. Metaphorically, it signifies a divinely empowered agent capable of breaking down, processing, and utterly destroying formidable opposition.
  • having (Hebrew, baʻal' H1167) teeth (Hebrew, pîyphîyâh', H1167): The word baʻal literally means "owner" or "master," and pîyphîyâh signifies "an edge" or "tooth," often implying a "two-edged" or sharp quality. When combined as ba'al pipiyyot, it describes an instrument that is "owner of double edges" or "having sharp teeth." This compound phrase highlights the instrument's extreme sharpness, effectiveness, and capacity for thorough pulverization, underscoring the decisive and complete nature of the destructive work God will enable Israel to perform.
  • thresh (Hebrew, dûwsh', H1758): This primitive root means "to trample or thresh." It describes the vigorous, grinding, and crushing action of the threshing instrument. When applied metaphorically to "mountains" and "hills," it conveys the idea of utterly crushing, breaking down, and reducing powerful entities to nothingness, just as valuable grain is separated from its husks and made ready for use, while the worthless chaff is discarded.
  • hills (Hebrew, gibʻâh', H1389): This feminine noun refers to a "hillock" or "little hill." In this context, it parallels "mountains," representing lesser yet still significant obstacles or adversaries. Its inclusion emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the victory, where even smaller, but still challenging, impediments will be utterly subdued and rendered insignificant.

Verse Breakdown

  • "Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth:" This opening clause is a powerful divine declaration of intent and radical transformation. "Behold" (Hebrew: hinneh) serves as an imperative, drawing immediate attention to a significant, awe-inspiring pronouncement. God, the sovereign Lord, promises to actively make (Hebrew: sûwm) Israel—who, in the preceding verse, is depicted as a lowly "worm"—into something entirely new and incredibly powerful. The adjective "new" (Hebrew: châdâsh) implies a fresh, unprecedented capacity and a divinely initiated re-creation. The vivid description "sharp threshing instrument having teeth" portrays an exceptionally effective, destructive tool, emphasizing its cutting, grinding, and pulverizing capability, far beyond Israel's natural strength or human expectation.
  • "thou shalt thresh the mountains," This clause introduces the extraordinary and seemingly impossible task assigned to the divinely transformed Israel. "Mountains" (Hebrew: har) are potent symbols of the greatest, most imposing obstacles, powerful nations, or formidable empires. The act of "threshing" (Hebrew: dûwsh) them signifies a complete, forceful subjugation and dismantling of their power and resistance. This is hyperbole, emphasizing the overwhelming and decisive nature of the victory that God will grant through His empowered people.
  • "and beat [them] small," This phrase further elaborates on the intensity, thoroughness, and destructive power of the "threshing" process. To "beat them small" (Hebrew: dâqaq) means to crush into tiny particles, to pulverize, or to reduce to dust. It underscores the complete disintegration and reduction of the once-formidable "mountains" to an utterly powerless, insubstantial state, leaving nothing significant or threatening behind.
  • "and shalt make the hills as chaff." This final clause powerfully reinforces the imagery of total defeat, dispersal, and utter insignificance. "Hills" (Hebrew: gibʻâh) are presented as lesser, yet still significant, obstacles, serving as a parallel to the "mountains." To "make them as chaff" (Hebrew: môts) implies that these once-imposing entities will become light, worthless, and easily scattered by the wind, signifying their complete disappearance, utter insignificance, and decisive vanquishing after God's people, empowered by Him, have dealt with them.

Literary Devices

Isaiah 41:15 is profoundly rich in Metaphor, where the nation of Israel is directly equated with a "new sharp threshing instrument having teeth." This comparison is not literal but serves to convey the powerful transformation and divine empowerment God bestows upon His people, enabling them to accomplish tasks far beyond their natural capabilities. The "mountains" and "hills" are also potent Symbols, representing formidable enemies, insurmountable challenges, or oppressive nations, rather than literal geological formations. The actions of "threshing" and "beating small" are likewise metaphorical for decisive victory, utter destruction, and complete subjugation of opposition. The verse employs Hyperbole to emphasize the sheer magnitude of the task and the overwhelming nature of God's power working through Israel; no physical threshing instrument could literally flatten mountains. Finally, there is an element of Personification as the nation of Israel, a collective entity, is given the active role of an instrument, performing a task typically carried out by an inanimate object powered by oxen, highlighting their transformed agency and effectiveness under divine direction.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

This verse profoundly illustrates God's unwavering commitment to empowering His people to overcome seemingly impossible odds, emphasizing that such victories are achieved not through their inherent strength, but solely through His divine intervention. It underscores the biblical principle that God often chooses the weak, the humble, and the seemingly insignificant to accomplish His mighty purposes, thereby demonstrating that His power is made perfect in weakness. The dramatic transformation of Israel from a vulnerable "worm" (as described in Isaiah 41:14) to a formidable threshing instrument highlights God's sovereign ability to re-create, re-equip, and repurpose individuals and nations for His glory. This promise extends beyond ancient Israel, serving as an enduring testament to God's empowering presence for all who trust in Him, assuring believers that no spiritual, physical, or practical obstacle is too great when the omnipotent God is actively at work through them.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Isaiah 41:15 offers profound encouragement and a powerful paradigm for believers facing daunting challenges in their personal lives, their communities, or their service to God. It serves as a vital reminder that our perceived weakness or inadequacy is never a barrier to God's purposes; rather, it can become the very canvas upon which His magnificent strength is most clearly displayed. When we feel overwhelmed by "mountains"—whether they manifest as personal struggles, systemic injustices, spiritual strongholds, or seemingly insurmountable obstacles in ministry—this verse calls us to remember that God is the one who transforms and empowers. Our crucial role is to yield ourselves as willing instruments in His sovereign hands, trusting that He will provide the "sharp teeth" and the divine power necessary to "thresh" whatever stands in the way of His righteous will. This passage fosters a spirit of bold, unwavering faith, knowing that the God who equips us also ensures the victory, turning formidable foes into scattered, insignificant chaff.

Questions for Reflection

  • What "mountains" or "hills" (significant obstacles or challenges) are you currently facing in your life or ministry that seem overwhelming or insurmountable?
  • How does the vivid imagery of being transformed into a "new sharp threshing instrument" reshape your perspective on your own capabilities and on God's omnipotent power working through you?
  • In what practical and tangible ways can you yield yourself more fully to God's transforming work, allowing Him to equip and use you as His instrument to overcome these challenges for His glory?

FAQ

What do the 'mountains' and 'hills' symbolize in this verse?

Answer: In Isaiah 41:15, the "mountains" and "hills" are powerful and deeply symbolic. They do not refer to literal geographical features that Israel would physically flatten. Instead, they represent formidable obstacles, powerful nations, oppressive empires, or any seemingly insurmountable challenges that stood in the way of God's people. The imagery conveys the immense scale, difficulty, and imposing nature of the adversaries or problems Israel faced, emphasizing that their defeat would require divine, not human, strength. This symbolic language is common in prophetic literature to depict the might of earthly powers or the overwhelming magnitude of difficulties, which God alone can overcome or enable His people to overcome through His power Psalm 46:2-3.

How does God 'make' His people into such a powerful instrument?

Answer: God "makes" His people into a powerful instrument not through their inherent strength, military might, or human ingenuity, but through His divine presence, supernatural empowerment, and transformative work. This "making" involves a profound spiritual renewal and equipping, where God imbues His chosen ones with His own power, authority, and wisdom. For ancient Israel, it meant God actively fighting on their behalf, giving them victory over seemingly stronger nations and delivering them from bondage Deuteronomy 20:4. For believers today, it signifies the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who provides divine wisdom, courage, spiritual gifts, and the inner strength to live out God's purposes and overcome spiritual opposition Acts 1:8; Ephesians 6:10-12. It is a divine work that transforms the weak, the fearful, and the inadequate into effective agents of His sovereign will.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Isaiah 41:15 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and by extension, in His body, the Church. While initially a specific promise to the nation of Israel, the imagery of the "new sharp threshing instrument" points forward to the Messiah, who is God's supreme and perfect instrument for overcoming all opposition. Christ Himself decisively "threshed" the powers of sin, death, and the devil through His sacrificial crucifixion and glorious resurrection, making them "small" and "chaff" before His triumphant victory Colossians 2:15. He is truly the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" John 1:29, but also the conquering Lion of Judah, who will ultimately judge and "thresh" the nations at His second coming, separating the wheat from the chaff in a final, decisive judgment Matthew 3:12; Revelation 19:15. Furthermore, through spiritual union with Christ, believers are made "new creations" 2 Corinthians 5:17, empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit to participate in Christ's ongoing work of overcoming spiritual "mountains" and "hills" in the world, proclaiming the gospel, and demonstrating the victory of God's kingdom over the forces of darkness Ephesians 1:19-23; Romans 8:37. Thus, what was promised to ancient Israel finds its perfect realization and expansive extension in the person and redemptive work of Christ, and in His church, which is supernaturally equipped by Him to be His instrument in the world until His glorious return.

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Commentary on Isaiah 41 verses 10–20

The scope of these verses is to silence the fears, and encourage the faith, of the servants of God in their distresses. Perhaps it is intended, in the first place, for the support of God's Israel, in captivity; but all that faithfully serve God through patience and comfort of this scripture may have hope. And it is addressed to Israel as a single person, that it might the more easily and readily be accommodated and applied by every Israelite indeed to himself. That is a word of caution, counsel, and comfort, which is so often repeated, Fear thou not; and again (Isa 41:13), Fear not; and (Isa 41:14), "Fear not, thou worm Jacob; fear not the threatenings of the enemy, doubt not the promise of thy God; fear not that thou shalt perish in thy affliction or that the promise of thy deliverance shall fail." It is against the mind of God that his people should be a timorous people. For the suppressing of fear he assures them,

I. That they may depend upon his presence with them as their God, and a God all-sufficient for them in the worst of times. Observe with what tenderness God speaks, and how willing he is to let the heirs of promise know the immutability of his counsel, and how desirous to make them easy: "Fear thou not, for I am with thee, not only within call, but present with thee; be not dismayed at the power of those that are against thee, for I am thy God, and engaged for thee. Art thou weak? I will strengthen thee. Art thou destitute of friends? I will help thee in the time of need. Art thou ready to sink, ready to fall? I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, that right hand which is full of righteousness, in dispensing rewards and punishments," Psa 48:10. And again (Isa 41:13) it is promised, 1. That God will strengthen their hands, that is, will help them: "I will hold thy right hand, go hand in hand with thee" (so some): he will take us by the hand as our guide, to lead us in our way, will help us up when we are fallen or prevent our falls; when we are weak he will hold us up - wavering, he will fix us - trembling, he will encourage us, and so hold us by the right hand, Psa 73:23. 2. That he will silence their fears: Saying unto thee, Fear not. He has said it again and again in his word, and has there provided sovereign antidotes against fear: but he will go further; he will by his Spirit say it to their hearts, and make them to hear it, and so will help them.

II. That though their enemies be now very formidable, insolent, and severe, yet the day is coming when God will reckon with them and they shall triumph over them. There are those that are incensed against God's people, that strive with them (Isa 41:11), that war against them (Isa 41:12), that hate them, that seek their ruin, and are continually picking quarrels with them. But let not God's people be incensed at them, nor strive with them, nor render evil for evil; but wait God's time, and believe, 1. That they shall be convinced of the folly, at least, if not of the sin of striving with God's people; and, finding it to no purpose, they shall be ashamed and confounded, which might bring them to repentance, but will rather fill them with rage. 2. That they shall be quite ruined and undone (Isa 41:11): They shall be as nothing before the justice and power of God. When God comes to deal with his proud enemies he makes nothing of them. Or they shall be brought to nothing, shall be as if they had never been. This is repeated (Isa 41:12): They shall be as nothing and as a thing of nought, or as that which is gone and has failed. Those that were formidable shall become despicable; those that fancied they could do any thing shall be able to bring nothing to pass; those that made a figure in the world, and a mighty noise, shall become mere ciphers and be buried in silence. They shall perish, not only be nothing, but be miserable: Thou shalt seek them, shalt enquire what has become of them, that they do not appear as usual, but thou shalt not find them as David, Psa 37:36. I sought him, but he could not be found.

III. That they themselves should become a terror to those who were now a terror to them, and victory should turn on their side, Isa 41:14-16. See here, 1. How Jacob and Israel are reduced and brought very low. It is the worm Jacob, so little, so weak, and so defenceless, despised and trampled on by every body, forced to creep even into the earth for safety; and we must not wonder that Jacob has become a worm, when even Jacob's King calls himself a worm and no man, Psa 22:6. God's people are sometimes as worms, in their humble thoughts of themselves and their enemies' haughty thoughts of them - worms, but not vipers, as their enemies are, not of the serpent's seed. God regards Jacob's low estate, and says, "Fear not, thou worm Jacob; fear not that thou shalt be crushed; and you men of Israel" (you few men, so some read it, you dead men, so others) "do not give up yourselves for gone notwithstanding." Note, The grace of God will silence fears even when there seems to be the greatest cause for them. Perplexed but not in despair. 2. How Jacob and Israel are advanced from this low estate, and made as formidable as ever they have been despicable. But by whom shall Jacob arise, for he is small? We are here told: I will help thee, saith the Lord; and it is the honour of God to help the weak. He will help them, for he is their Redeemer, who is wont to redeem them, who has undertaken to do it. Christ is the Redeemer, from him is our help found. He will help them, for he is the Holy One of Israel, worshipped among them in the beauty of holiness and engaged by promise to them. The Lord will help them by enabling them to help themselves and making Jacob to become a threshing instrument. Observe, He is but an instrument, a tool in God's hand, that he is pleased to make use of; and he is an instrument of God's making and is no more than God makes him. But, if God make him a threshing instrument, he will make use of him, and therefore will make him fit for use, new and sharp, and having teeth, or sharp spikes; and then, by divine direction and strength, thou shalt thresh the mountains, the highest, and strongest, and most stubborn of thy enemies: thou shalt not only beat them, but beat them small; they shall not be a corn threshed out, which is valuable, and is carefully preserved (such God's people are when they are under the flail, Isa 21:10 : O my threshing! yet the corn of my floor, that shall not be lost); but these are made as chaff, which is good for nothing, and which the husbandman is glad to get rid of. He pursues the metaphor, Isa 41:16. Having threshed them, thou shalt winnow them, and the wind shall scatter them. This perhaps had its accomplishment, in part, in the victories of the Jews over their enemies in the times of the Maccabees; but it seems in general designed to read the final doom of all the implacable enemies of the church of God, and to have its accomplishment likewise in the triumphs of the cross of Christ, the gospel of Christ, and all the faithful followers of Christ, over the powers of darkness, which, first or last, shall all be dissipated, and in Christ all believers shall be more than conquerors, and he that overcomes shall have power over the nations, Rev 2:26.

IV. That, hereupon, they shall have abundance of comfort in God, and God shall have abundance of honour from them: Thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, Isa 41:16. When we are freed from that which hindered our joy, and are blessed with that which is the matter of it, we ought to remember that God is our exceeding joy and in him all our joys must terminate. When we rejoice over our enemies we must rejoice in the Lord, for to him alone we owe our liberties and victories. "Thou shalt also glory in the Holy One of Israel, in thy interest in him and relation to him, and what he has done for thee." And, if thus we make God our praise and glory, we become to him for a praise and a glory.

V. That they shall have seasonable and suitable supplies of every thing that is proper for them in the time of need; and, if there be occasion, God will again do for them as he did for Israel in their march from Egypt to Canaan, Isa 41:17-19. When the captives, either in Babylon or in their return thence, are in distress for want of water or shelter, God will take care of them, and, one way or other, make their journey, even through a wilderness, comfortable to them. But doubtless this promise has more than such a private interpretation. Their return out of Babylon was typical of our redemption by Christ; and so the contents of these promises, 1. Were provided by the gospel of Christ. That glorious discovery of his love has given full assurance to all those who hear this joyful sound that God has provided inestimable comforts for them, sufficient for the supply of all their wants, the balancing of all their griefs, and the answering of all their prayers. 2. They are applied by the grace and Spirit of Christ to all believers, that they may have strong consolation in their way and a complete happiness in their end. Our way to heaven lies through the wilderness of this world. Now, (1.) It is here supposed that the people of God, in their passage through this world, are often in straits: The poor and needy seek water, and there is none; the poor in spirit hunger and thirst after righteousness. The soul of man, finding itself empty and necessitous, seeks for satisfaction somewhere, but soon despairs of finding it in the world, that has nothing in it to make it easy: creatures are broken cisterns, that can hold no water; so that their tongue fails for thirst, they are weary of seeking that satisfaction in the world which is not to be had in it. Their sorrow makes them thirsty; so does their toil. (2.) It is here promised that, one way or other, all their grievances shall be redressed and they shall be made easy. [1.] God himself will be nigh unto them in all that which they call upon him for. Let all the praying people of God take notice of this, and take comfort of it; he has said, "I the Lord will hear them, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them; I will be with them, as I have always been, in their distresses." While we are in the wilderness of this world this promise is to us what the pillar of cloud and fire was to Israel, an assurance of God's gracious presence. [2.] They shall have a constant supply of fresh water, as Israel had in the wilderness, even where one would least expect it (Isa 41:18): I will open rivers in high places, rivers of grace, rivers of pleasure, rivers of living water, which he spoke of the Spirit (Joh 7:38, Joh 7:39), that Spirit which should be poured out upon the Gentiles, who had been as high places, dry and barren, and lifted up on their own conceit above the necessity of that gift. And there shall be fountains in the midst of the valleys, the valleys of Baca (Psa 84:6), that are sandy and wearisome; or among the Jews, who had been as fruitful valleys in comparison with the Gentile mountains. The preaching of the gospel to the world turned that wilderness into a pool of water, yielding fruit to the owner of it and relief to the travellers through it. [3.] They shall have a pleasant shade to screen them from the scorching heat of the sun, as Israel when they pitched at Elim, where they had not only wells of water, but palm-trees (Exo 15:27): "I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, Isa 41:19. I will turn the wilderness into an orchard or garden, such as used to be planted with these pleasant trees, so that they shall pass through the wilderness with as much ease and delight as a man walks in his grove. These trees shall be to them what the pillar of cloud was to Israel in the wilderness, a shelter from the heat." Christ and his grace are so to believers, as the shadow of a great rock, Isa 32:2. When God sets up his church in the Gentile wilderness there shall be as great a change made by it in men's characters as if thorns and briers were turned into cedars, and fir-trees, and myrtles; and by this a blessed change is described, Isa 55:13. [4.] They shall see and acknowledge the hand of God, his power and his favour, in this, Isa 41:20. God will do these strange and surprising things on purpose to awaken them to a conviction and consideration of his hand in all: That they may see this wonderful change, and knowing that it is above the ordinary course and power of nature may consider that therefore it comes from a superior power, and, comparing notes upon it, may understand together, and concur in the acknowledgment of it, that the hand of the Lord, that mighty hand of his which is stretched out for his people and stretched out to them, has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it, made it anew, made it out of nothing, made it for the comfort of his people. Note, God does great things for his people, that he may be taken notice of.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 10–20. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Isaiah
(Verse 8 and following) And you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend. I have taken hold of you from the ends of the earth, and summoned you from its farthest corners. I said to you, 'You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.' So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. You will seek them, and you will not find them: your rebel men will be as if they were not: and like the destruction of warring men against you. For I, the Lord your God, took hold of your hand, saying to you: Do not fear, I have helped you. Do not fear, words of Jacob, you who are dead from Israel. I have helped you, says the Lord, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. I have made you like a new threshing sledge, with sharp teeth. You will crush the mountains and reduce them to dust; you will make them like fine dust. You will scatter them to the wind, and a whirlwind will blow them away. Then you will rejoice in the Lord; you will glory in the Holy One of Israel. LXX: But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, they shall be confounded and ashamed, all your adversaries. They shall be as if they were not, and all your enemies shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them, those who rage against you. They shall be as if they were not, and they shall not fight against you. For I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, who says to you, 'Do not fear, O Jacob, O little Israel.' I have helped you, says God, who redeems you, the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I have made you like new grinding wheels of a wagon, in the manner of saws: and you will grind the mountains and crush the hills: and you will scatter them like dust and the wind will carry them away, and the storm will disperse them. But you will rejoice in the Lord and in the holy ones of Israel. Paul the Apostle teaches that Jacob and Israel are both carnal and spiritual: See Israel according to the flesh (1 Cor. 10). From which we understand that there is also another according to the spirit; and the carnal are called Israel: If you were children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham. And above all, it is said (In Chapter 40, verse 27): Why do you say, Jacob, and speak, Israel: My way is hidden from the Lord: and my judgment has passed over from my God? On the contrary, now God speaks to the spiritual Israel, who has received the coming of his Lord, whom he first calls servant, then chosen, and finally the seed of Abraham. For before we received the spirit of slavery in fear (Romans 8); and afterwards, as the chosen ones, we are joined in friendship with God. Therefore, after the calling of the Gentiles, when they saw the islands and were afraid, they were astonished at the ends of the earth; they came near and approached, they are called the remnants, according to the choice of grace, of whom both the Gospel and the Evangelist write: Jesus chose these twelve, whom he also named Apostles (Luke 6), who were chosen after the servitude of the Law, in the Gospel; and they deserved to be the seed of Abraham, friends of God. For in that he apprehended them from the ends of the earth, and called Israel from its farthest borders, gathering first the people of the Jews, of whom also the Apostle Paul says: 'It was necessary that the word be preached to you first, but since you reject it, we will go to the Gentiles' (Acts 13:46). Therefore, to you, who are both my servant and my chosen one, who will preach among the Gentiles and endure many persecutions, I say, do not be afraid, for I am with you, to whom I speak in the Gospel: Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Do not wander, nor deviate from the truth, nor deceive yourself with false persuasion, thinking that with your inexperienced and unarmed strength, you can enter the wilderness of the nations and call the fiercest nations to gentleness. I am the one who has strengthened you and helped you; and my right hand, that is, the right hand of the righteous, that is, the Lord Savior, has supported you or protected you, as the Septuagint translates. Behold, for your adversaries, the people of the Jews and all who fight against you, and your persecutors will be turned into nothing, and you will seek your adversaries, and you will not find them. And the reason why you will not find your adversaries is explained: because they will be as if they do not exist. But you should not be afraid, because I have taken hold of your hand. I say to you, Do not be afraid: I have helped you; do not fear, worm of Jacob, who are dead from Israel, or as the LXX says, very few from Israel. This that we have set forth, I have helped you: do not fear, worm of Jacob, which is not found in the LXX. But the worm which is said in Hebrew, Tholath (), is called the chorus of the Apostles because of their humility and contempt, imitating the Savior, who speaks in the psalm: I am a worm, and not a man: the reproach of men, and the despising of the people (Psalm 22:7). For just as the worm penetrates the earth, so the apostolic word penetrated the cities of the nations and first entered the hardest hearts. And rightly few are called from Israel, because in comparison to the whole world, very few from the Jewish nation believed, to whom the Lord speaks in the Gospel: 'Do not be afraid, little flock' (Luke 12:32). Or, according to the Hebrew, the dead from Israel, who also say with the Apostle: 'I die daily' (2 Corinthians 15:31). And elsewhere: I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. (Galatians 2:20). And what follows: I have set thee as a new threshing cart, having tearing beaks, signifies that the preaching of the Gospel crushes the opposing powers and lifts up the spiritual wickedness that exalts itself against the knowledge of God; which, according to the variety of pride, are called mountains and hills. And when these are taken away and scattered like a whirlwind, let Israel exult and rejoice in the Holy Lord of Israel. We can also say that an ecclesiastical man, having the serpents of evangelical preaching on a new wagon, which does not work at all in the oldness of the letter, but in the freshness of the spirit, crushes the hardest hearts of unbelievers: separating the wheat from the chaff, and breaking mountains and hills, that is, all the leaders of heretics, who, being crushed and broken, are reduced to dust and taught that they are nothing, so that those who were gathered wickedly may be divided into their own good.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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