Isaiah 41:1

The Lord Challenges the Nations

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

Let the nations find renewed strength!

Let them approach and then speak;

let us come together for debate! ² 

Isaiah 42:1-4

The Lord Commissions His Special Servant

42:1 ³ “Here is my servant whom I support,

my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.

I have placed my spirit on him;

he will make just decrees ⁴  for the nations. ⁵ 

42:2 He will not cry out or shout;

he will not publicize himself in the streets. ⁶ 

42:3 A crushed reed he will not break,

a dim wick he will not extinguish; ⁷ 

he will faithfully make just decrees. ⁸ 

42:4 He will not grow dim or be crushed ⁹ 

before establishing justice on the earth;

the coastlands ¹⁰  will wait in anticipation for his decrees.” ¹¹ 

Isaiah 42:12

42:12 Let them give the Lord the honor he deserves; ¹² 

let them praise his deeds in the coastlands. ¹³ 

Isaiah 45:22

45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, ¹⁴ 

all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!

For I am God, and I have no peer.

Isaiah 51:5

51:5 I am ready to vindicate, ¹⁵ 

I am ready to deliver, ¹⁶ 

I will establish justice among the nations. ¹⁷ 

The coastlands ¹⁸  wait patiently for me;

they wait in anticipation for the revelation of my power. ¹⁹ 

Isaiah 60:9

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ²⁰  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ²¹  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ²² 

the Holy One of Israel, ²³  for he has bestowed honor on you.

Isaiah 66:19

66:19 I will perform a mighty act among them ²⁴  and then send some of those who remain to the nations – to Tarshish, Pul, ²⁵  Lud ²⁶  (known for its archers ²⁷ ), Tubal, Javan, ²⁸  and to the distant coastlands ²⁹  that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor.

Zephaniah 2:11

2:11 The Lord will terrify them, ³⁰ 

for ³¹  he will weaken ³²  all the gods of the earth.

All the distant nations will worship the Lord in their own lands. ³³ 

[41:1]  ¹ tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV, CEV); TEV “distant lands”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”

[41:1]  ² 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.

[42:1]  ³ sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.

[42:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[42:1]  ⁵ sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.

[42:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “he will not cause his voice to be heard in the street.”

[42:3]  ⁷ sn The “crushed reed” and “dim wick” symbolize the weak and oppressed who are on the verge of extinction.

[42:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “faithfully he will bring out justice” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

[42:4]  ⁹ tn For rhetorical effect the terms used to describe the “crushed (רָצַץ, ratsats) reed” and “dim (כָּהָה, kahah) wick” in v. 3 are repeated here.

[42:4]  ¹⁰ tn Or “islands” (NIV); NLT “distant lands beyond the sea.”

[42:4]  ¹¹ tn Or “his law” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV) or “his instruction” (NLT).

[42:12]  ¹² tn Heb “Let them ascribe to the Lord glory.”

[42:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “and his praise in the coastlands [or “islands”] let them declare.”

[45:22]  ¹⁴ tn The Niphal imperative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose after the preceding imperative. The Niphal probably has a tolerative sense, “allow yourselves to be delivered, accept help.”

[51:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”] is near.”

[51:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “my deliverance goes forth.”

[51:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and my arms will judge [on behalf of] nations.”

[51:5]  ¹⁸ tn Or “islands” (NIV); TEV “Distant lands.”

[51:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “for my arm” (so NIV, NRSV).

[60:9]  ²⁰ tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

[60:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.

[60:9]  ²² tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9]  ²³ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[66:19]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and I will set a sign among them.” The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Elsewhere “to set a sign” means “perform a mighty act” (Ps 78:43; Jer 32:20), “make [someone] an object lesson” (Ezek 14:8), and “erect a [literal] standard” (Ps 74:4).

[66:19]  ²⁵ tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).

[66:19]  ²⁶ sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).

[66:19]  ²⁷ tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[66:19]  ²⁸ sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).

[66:19]  ²⁹ tn Or “islands” (NIV).

[2:11]  ³⁰ tn Heb “will be awesome over [or, “against”] them.”

[2:11]  ³¹ tn Or “certainly.”

[2:11]  ³² tn The meaning of this rare Hebrew word is unclear. If the meaning is indeed “weaken,” then this line may be referring to the reduction of these gods’ territory through conquest (see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah [AB 25A], 110-11). Cf. NEB “reduce to beggary”; NASB “starve”; NIV “when he destroys”; NRSV “shrivel.”

[2:11]  ³³ tn Heb “and all the coastlands of the nations will worship [or, “bow down”] to him, each from his own place.”