take a firm stand vs insist

take a firm stand and insist both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
take a firm stand	No	No	Yes	No
insist	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, take a firm stand and insist are synonyms defined as:

take a firm stand and insist: be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge

take a firm stand (verb)	insist (verb)
be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge	postulate positively and assertively
	be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
	beg persistently and urgently