Isaiah 41:12

You will seek them but will not find them. Those who wage war against you will come to nothing.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The Lord addresses Israel amid threats from hostile nations, placing His promise of protection between declarations of enemy shame (Isaiah 41:11) and personal divine sustenance (Isaiah 41:13).

The words — The Hebrew תְּבַקְשֵׁ/ם (te.vak.She/m) literally renders "you will seek them," while כְ/אַ֛יִן (khe./'A.yin) and אֶ֖פֶס (E.fes) both translate to "as nothing" or "nothingness," emphasizing total nonexistence.

The thread — The motif of hostile forces vanishing connects to Job 20:7 and Isaiah 17:14, where enemies who appear secure or aggressive are abruptly reduced to nonexistence, while Psalms 37:35 initially describes the wicked flourishing like a tree before their sudden end.

Why it lands — The text demands a reader to recognize that opposition to God's people is structurally futile and to anchor trust in divine intervention rather than human strength.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

תְּבַקְשֵׁם֙te.vak.She/myou will seek/ them וְלֹ֣אve./Lo'and/ not תִמְצָאֵ֔םtim.tza.'E/myou will find/ them אַנְשֵׁ֖י'an.Shei[the] people of מַצֻּתֶ֑ךָma.tzu.Te./khastrife/ your יִהְי֥וּyih.Yuthey will be כְאַ֛יִןkhe./'A.yinas/ nothing וּכְאֶ֖פֶסu./khe./'E.fesand/ as/ nothing אַנְשֵׁ֥י'an.Shei[the] people of מִלְחַמְתֶּֽךָ׃mil.cham.Te./khawarfare/ your

King James Version

Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

Cross-references

Psalms 37:35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
Job 20:7 he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’
Isaiah 17:14 In the evening, there is sudden terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us and the lot of those who plunder us.