Genesis 48:19

48:19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude ¹  of nations.”

Ecclesiastes 3:7

3:7 A time to rip, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.

Isaiah 41:1

The Lord Challenges the Nations

41:1 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! ² 

Let the nations find renewed strength!

Let them approach and then speak;

let us come together for debate! ³ 

Habakkuk 2:20

2:20 But the Lord is in his majestic palace. ⁴ 

The whole earth is speechless in his presence!” ⁵ 

¹ tn Heb “fullness.”

² tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV, CEV); TEV “distant lands”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”

³ tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) could be translated “judgment,” but here it seems to refer to the dispute or debate between the Lord and the nations.

⁴ tn Or “holy temple.” The Lord’s heavenly palace, rather than the earthly temple, is probably in view here (see Ps 11:4; Mic 1:2-3). The Hebrew word ֹקדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holy”) here refers to the sovereign transcendence associated with his palace.

⁵ tn Or “Be quiet before him, all the earth!”