The Meaning of Isaiah 41:20 Explained

Isaiah 41:20

KJV: That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

YLT: So that they see, and know, And regard, and act wisely together, For the hand of Jehovah hath done this, And the Holy One of Israel hath prepared it.

Darby: that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

ASV: that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

That they may see,  and know,  and consider,  and understand  together,  that the hand  of the LORD  hath done  this, and the Holy One  of Israel  hath created  it. 

What does Isaiah 41:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord would do this so the afflicted and the needy ( Isaiah 41:17), His people, would reflect and learn that their God had done a powerful creative work for them.
"The righteous God of Isaiah 8:13 and the Redeemer of Isaiah 8:14-17 is now the Creator ( Isaiah 8:20), transforming his creation ( Isaiah 8:18-19) for the benefit of his needy ones ( Isaiah 8:17)." [1]

Context Summary

Isaiah 41:17-29 - What The Lord's Hand Does For The Needy
Life is not easy for any of us, if we regard external conditions only; but directly we learn the divine secret, rivers flow from bare heights, fountains arise in sterile valleys, and the desert blooms like the forest-glade. To the ordinary eye there might appear no outward change in the forbidding circumstance; but faith's eye always beholds a very paradise of beauty where other eyes see only straitened circumstances and a trying lot.
Once again our minds are brought back to the great convocation announced in the opening verses of the chapter. The idols are asked to say or do something to prove that they are divine. See Isaiah 41:21-23. There is no response; with the result that a crushing verdict is passed on them as recorded in Isaiah 41:24. On the other hand, the prophet of the Lord is prepared with His predictions of Cyrus "the one from the East," (see Isaiah 41:2 and Isaiah 44:28) which would be fulfilled before that generation had passed away. Let us give heed to the sure word of prophecy, "as unto a light that shineth in a dark place," 2 Peter 1:19. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 41

1  God expostulates with his people, about his mercies to the church
10  About his promises
21  And about the vanity of idols

What do the individual words in Isaiah 41:20 mean?

that they may see and know and consider and understand together that the hand of Yahweh has done this and the Holy one of Israel has created it -
לְמַ֧עַן יִרְא֣וּ וְיֵדְע֗וּ וְיָשִׂ֤ימוּ וְיַשְׂכִּ֙ילוּ֙ יַחְדָּ֔ו כִּ֥י יַד־ יְהוָ֖ה עָ֣שְׂתָה זֹּ֑את וּקְד֥וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּרָאָֽהּ פ

לְמַ֧עַן  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
יִרְא֣וּ  they  may  see 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וְיֵדְע֗וּ  and  know 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
וְיָשִׂ֤ימוּ  and  consider 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
וְיַשְׂכִּ֙ילוּ֙  and  understand 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׂכַל 
Sense: to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper.
יַחְדָּ֔ו  together 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יַחַד 
Sense: union, unitedness adv.
כִּ֥י  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
יַד־  the  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
יְהוָ֖ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עָ֣שְׂתָה  has  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
זֹּ֑את  this 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
וּקְד֥וֹשׁ  and  the  Holy  one 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular construct
Root: קָדֹושׁ  
Sense: sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
בְּרָאָֽהּ  has  created  it 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: בָּרָא 
Sense: to create, shape, form.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation