Jeremiah 3:16-17

3:16 In those days, your population will greatly increase ¹  in the land. At that time,” says the Lord, “people will no longer talk about having the ark ²  that contains the Lord’s covenant with us. ³  They will not call it to mind, remember it, or miss it. No, that will not be done any more! ⁴  3:17 At that time the city of Jerusalem ⁵  will be called the Lord’s throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the Lord’s name. ⁶  They will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. ⁷ 

Psalms 22:27-30

22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! ⁸ 

Let all the nations ⁹  worship you! ¹⁰ 

22:28 For the Lord is king ¹¹ 

and rules over the nations.

22:29 All of the thriving people ¹²  of the earth will join the celebration and worship; ¹³ 

all those who are descending into the grave ¹⁴  will bow before him,

including those who cannot preserve their lives. ¹⁵ 

22:30 A whole generation ¹⁶  will serve him;

they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord. ¹⁷ 

Psalms 67:2-7

67:2 Then those living on earth will know what you are like;

all nations will know how you deliver your people. ¹⁸ 

67:3 Let the nations thank you, O God!

Let all the nations thank you! ¹⁹ 

67:4 Let foreigners ²⁰  rejoice and celebrate!

For you execute justice among the nations,

and govern the people living on earth. ²¹  (Selah)

67:5 Let the nations thank you, O God!

Let all the nations thank you! ²² 

67:6 The earth yields its crops.

May God, our God, bless us!

67:7 May God bless us! ²³ 

Then all the ends of the earth will give him the honor he deserves. ²⁴ 

Psalms 68:31

68:31 They come with red cloth ²⁵  from Egypt,

Ethiopia ²⁶  voluntarily offers tribute ²⁷  to God.

Psalms 72:8-12

72:8 May he rule ²⁸  from sea to sea, ²⁹ 

and from the Euphrates River ³⁰  to the ends of the earth!

72:9 Before him the coastlands ³¹  will bow down,

and his enemies will lick the dust. ³² 

72:10 The kings of Tarshish ³³  and the coastlands will offer gifts;

the kings of Sheba ³⁴  and Seba ³⁵  will bring tribute.

72:11 All kings will bow down to him;

all nations will serve him.

72:12 For he will rescue the needy ³⁶  when they cry out for help,

and the oppressed ³⁷  who have no defender.

Psalms 86:9

86:9 All the nations, whom you created,

will come and worship you, ³⁸  O Lord.

They will honor your name.

Isaiah 2:2-3

2:2 In the future ³⁹ 

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure ⁴⁰ 

as the most important of mountains,

and will be the most prominent of hills. ⁴¹ 

All the nations will stream to it,

2:3 many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple of the God of Jacob,

so ⁴²  he can teach us his requirements, ⁴³ 

and ⁴⁴  we can follow his standards.” ⁴⁵ 

For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; ⁴⁶ 

the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. ⁴⁷ 

Isaiah 11:9-10

11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain. ⁴⁸ 

For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,

just as the waters completely cover the sea. ⁴⁹ 

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time ⁵⁰  a root from Jesse ⁵¹  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ⁵²  and his residence will be majestic.

Isaiah 49:6

49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,

to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,

and restore the remnant ⁵³  of Israel? ⁵⁴ 

I will make you a light to the nations, ⁵⁵ 

so you can bring ⁵⁶  my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

Isaiah 60:1-3

Zion’s Future Splendor

60:1 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!

The splendor ⁵⁷  of the Lord shines on you!

60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth

and deep darkness covers ⁵⁸  the nations,

but the Lord shines on you;

his splendor ⁵⁹  appears over you.

60:3 Nations come to your light,

kings to your bright light.

Isaiah 62:2

62:2 Nations will see your vindication,

and all kings your splendor.

You will be called by a new name

that the Lord himself will give you. ⁶⁰ 

Micah 4:1-2

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future ⁶¹  the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; ⁶² 

it will be more prominent than other hills. ⁶³ 

People will stream to it.

4:2 Many nations will come, saying,

“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple ⁶⁴  of Jacob’s God,

so he can teach us his commands ⁶⁵ 

and we can live by his laws.” ⁶⁶ 

For Zion will be the source of instruction;

the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. ⁶⁷ 

Zechariah 2:11

2:11 “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on the day of salvation, ⁶⁸  and they will also be my ⁶⁹  people. Indeed, I will settle in the midst of you all.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you.

Zechariah 8:20-23

8:20 The Lord who rules over all says, ‘It will someday come to pass that people – residents of many cities – will come. 8:21 The inhabitants of one will go to another and say, “Let’s go up at once to ask the favor of the Lord, to seek the Lord who rules over all. Indeed, I’ll go with you.”’ 8:22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord who rules over all and to ask his favor. 8:23 The Lord who rules over all says, ‘In those days ten people from all languages and nations will grasp hold of – indeed, grab – the robe of one Jew and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’” ⁷⁰ 

Malachi 1:11

1:11 For from the east to the west my name will be great among the nations. Incense and pure offerings will be offered in my name everywhere, for my name will be great among the nations,” ⁷¹  says the Lord who rules over all.

Revelation 7:9-11

7:9 After these things I looked, and here was ⁷²  an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, ⁷³  people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. 7:10 They were shouting out in a loud voice,

“Salvation belongs to our God, ⁷⁴ 

to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

7:11 And all the angels stood ⁷⁵  there in a circle around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground ⁷⁶  before the throne and worshiped God,

Revelation 11:15

The Seventh Trumpet

11:15 Then ⁷⁷  the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:

“The kingdom of the world

has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Christ, ⁷⁸ 

and he will reign for ever and ever.”

[3:16]  ¹ tn Heb “you will become numerous and fruitful.”

[3:16]  ² tn Or “chest.”

[3:16]  ³ tn Heb “the ark of the covenant.” It is called this because it contained the tables of the law which in abbreviated form constituted their covenant obligations to the Lord, cf. Exod 31:18; 32:15; 34:29.

[3:16]  ⁴ tn Or “Nor will another one be made”; Heb “one will not do/make [it?] again.”

[3:17]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “will gather to the name of the Lord.”

[3:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “the stubbornness of their evil hearts.”

[22:27]  ⁸ tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the Lord.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27 are understood as jussives (cf. NEB). Another option (cf. NIV, NRSV) is to take the forms as imperfects and translate, “all the people of the earth will acknowledge and turn…and worship.” See vv. 29-32.

[22:27]  ⁹ tn Heb “families of the nations.”

[22:27]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “before you.”

[22:28]  ¹¹ tn Heb “for to the Lord [is] dominion.”

[22:29]  ¹² tn Heb “fat [ones].” This apparently refers to those who are healthy and robust, i.e., thriving. In light of the parallelism, some prefer to emend the form to יְשֵׁנֵי (yÿsheney, “those who sleep [in the earth]”; cf. NAB, NRSV), but דִּשְׁנֵי (dishney, “fat [ones]”) seems to form a merism with “all who descend into the grave” in the following line. The psalmist envisions all people, whether healthy or dying, joining in worship of the Lord.

[22:29]  ¹³ tn Heb “eat and worship.” The verb forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with vav [ו] consecutive) are normally used in narrative to relate completed actions. Here the psalmist uses the forms rhetorically as he envisions a time when the Lord will receive universal worship. The mood is one of wishful thinking and anticipation; this is not prophecy in the strict sense.

[22:29]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “all of the ones going down [into] the dust.” This group stands in contrast to those mentioned in the previous line. Together the two form a merism encompassing all human beings – the healthy, the dying, and everyone in between.

[22:29]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and his life he does not revive.”

[22:30]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “offspring.”

[22:30]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “it will be told concerning the Lord to the generation.” The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[67:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “to know in the earth your way, among all nations your deliverance.” The infinitive with -לְ (lamed) expresses purpose/result. When God demonstrates his favor to his people, all nations will recognize his character as a God who delivers. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) refers here to God’s characteristic behavior, more specifically, to the way he typically saves his people.

[67:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in vv. 3-4a are understood as jussives in this call to praise.

[67:4]  ²⁰ tn Or “peoples.”

[67:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “for you judge nations fairly, and [as for the] peoples in the earth, you lead them.” The imperfects are translated with the present tense because the statement is understood as a generalization about God’s providential control of the world. Another option is to understand the statement as anticipating God’s future rule (“for you will rule…and govern”).

[67:5]  ²² tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 5 are understood as jussives in this call to praise.

[67:7]  ²³ tn The prefixed verb forms in vv. 6b-7a are understood as jussives.

[67:7]  ²⁴ tn Heb “will fear him.” After the jussive of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive is understood as indicating purpose/result. (Note how v. 3 anticipates the universal impact of God showing his people blessing.) Another option is to take the verb as a jussive and translate, “Let all the ends of the earth fear him.”

[68:31]  ²⁵ tn This noun, which occurs only here in the OT, apparently means “red cloth” or “bronze articles” (see HALOT 362 s.v. חַשְׁמַן; cf. NEB “tribute”). Traditionally the word has been taken to refer to “nobles” (see BDB 365 s.v. חַשְׁמַן; cf. NIV “envoys”). Another option would be to emend the text to הַשְׁמַנִּים (hashmannim, “the robust ones,” i.e., leaders).

[68:31]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Cush.”

[68:31]  ²⁷ tn Heb “causes its hands to run,” which must mean “quickly stretches out its hands” (to present tribute).

[72:8]  ²⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.

[72:8]  ²⁹ sn From sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.

[72:8]  ³⁰ tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.

[72:9]  ³¹ tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those people who dwell in these regions.

[72:9]  ³² sn As they bow down before him, it will appear that his enemies are licking the dust.

[72:10]  ³³ sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.

[72:10]  ³⁴ sn Sheba was located in Arabia.

[72:10]  ³⁵ sn Seba was located in Africa.

[72:12]  ³⁶ tn The singular is representative. The typical needy individual here represents the entire group.

[72:12]  ³⁷ tn The singular is representative. The typical oppressed individual here represents the entire group.

[86:9]  ³⁸ tn Or “bow down before you.”

[2:2]  ³⁹ tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.

[2:2]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.

[2:3]  ⁴² tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).

[2:3]  ⁴³ tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.

[2:3]  ⁴⁴ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.

[2:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[2:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”

[2:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[11:9]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” In the most basic sense the Lord’s “holy mountain” is the mountain from which he rules over his kingdom (see Ezek 28:14, 16). More specifically it probably refers to Mount Zion/Jerusalem or to the entire land of Israel (see Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; Isa 56:7; 57:13; Ezek 20:40; Ob 16; Zeph 3:11). If the Lord’s universal kingdom is in view in this context (see the note on “earth” at v. 4), then the phrase would probably be metonymic here, standing for God’s worldwide dominion (see the next line).

[11:9]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “for the earth will be full of knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The translation assumes that a universal kingdom is depicted here, but אֶרֶץ (’erets) could be translated “land” (see the note at v. 4). “Knowledge of the Lord” refers here to a recognition of the Lord’s sovereignty which results in a willingness to submit to his authority. See the note at v. 2.

[11:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:10]  ⁵¹ sn See the note at v. 1.

[11:10]  ⁵² tn Heb “ a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].

[49:6]  ⁵³ tn Heb “the protected [or “preserved”] ones.”

[49:6]  ⁵⁴ sn The question is purely rhetorical; it does not imply that the servant was dissatisfied with his commission or that he minimized the restoration of Israel.

[49:6]  ⁵⁵ tn See the note at 42:6.

[49:6]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “be” (so KJV, ASV); CEV “you must take.”

[60:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “glory” (so most English versions).

[60:2]  ⁵⁸ tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[60:2]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”

[62:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “which the mouth of the Lord will designate.”

[4:1]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “at the end of days.”

[4:1]  ⁶² tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”

[4:1]  ⁶³ tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”

[4:2]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “house.”

[4:2]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “ways.”

[4:2]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”

[4:2]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “instruction [or, “law”] will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[2:11]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “on that day.” The descriptive phrase “of salvation” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:11]  ⁶⁹ tc The LXX and Syriac have the 3rd person masculine singular suffix in both places (“his people” and “he will settle”; cf. NAB, TEV) in order to avoid the Lord’s speaking of himself in the third person. Such resort is unnecessary, however, in light of the common shifting of person in Hebrew narrative (cf. 3:2).

[8:23]  ⁷⁰ sn This scene of universal and overwhelming attraction of the nations to Israel’s God finds initial fulfillment in the establishment of the church (Acts 2:5-11) but ultimate completion in the messianic age (Isa 45:14, 24; 60:14; Zech 14:16-21).

[1:11]  ⁷¹ sn My name will be great among the nations. In what is clearly a strongly ironic shift of thought, the Lord contrasts the unbelief and virtual paganism of the postexilic community with the conversion and obedience of the nations that will one day worship the God of Israel.

[7:9]  ⁷² tn The phrase “and here was” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).

[7:9]  ⁷³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated before each of the following categories, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:10]  ⁷⁴ tn The dative here has been translated as a dative of possession.

[7:11]  ⁷⁵ tn The verb is pluperfect, but the force is simple past. See ExSyn 586.

[7:11]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “they fell down on their faces.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[11:15]  ⁷⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:15]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”