unfoldingWord_en_tn/isa/41/14.md

# General Information:

Yahweh continues speaking to the people of Israel.

# Jacob you worm, and you men of Israel

Here "Jacob" and "men of Israel" mean the same thing. AT: "you people of Israel who are like worms" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])

# Jacob you worm

Possible meanings are 1) that this refers to the opinions of other nations regarding the people of Israel or 2) that this refers to Israel's own opinion of themselves. Yahweh speaks of their insignificance as if they were a worm. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# this is Yahweh's declaration

Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. Translate as in [Isaiah 30:1](../30/01.md). AT: "this is what Yahweh has declared" or "this is what I, Yahweh, have declared" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-123person]])

# Holy One of Israel

See how you translated this phrase in [Isaiah 1:4](../01/04.md).

# I am making you like a sharp threshing sledge ... you will make the hills like chaff

Yahweh speaks of enabling Israel to defeat their enemies as if he were making the nation a threshing sledge that will level mountains. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# a sharp threshing sledge

A threshing sledge was a board with sharp spikes that someone would drag over the wheat to separate the grain from the chaff.

# two-edged

This refers to the edges of the spikes that were attached to the threshing sledge. That they are "two-edged" means that they are very sharp.

# you will thresh the mountains and crush them

This is a double metaphor. The mountains are a metaphor for grain, and threshing grain is a metaphor for the Israelites defeating the powerful enemy nations near them. AT: "you will thresh your enemies and crush them as if they were grain, even though they appear to be as strong as mountains" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole]])

# you will make the hills like chaff

The hills are a metaphor for the powerful enemy nations near Israel. People having the wind blow the chaff away after they have threshed the grain is a metaphor for them allowing Yahweh to destroy their enemies. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])

# translationWords

* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/fear]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/names/jacob]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/israel]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/yahweh]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/redeem]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/holyone]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/thresh]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/chaff]]