Isaiah 43:6

43:6 I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’

and to the south, ‘Don’t hold any back!’

Bring my sons from distant lands,

and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth,

Isaiah 49:12

49:12 Look, they come from far away!

Look, some come from the north and west,

and others from the land of Sinim! ¹ 

Isaiah 49:22

49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;

I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.

They will bring your sons in their arms

and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

Isaiah 60:3-11

60:3 Nations come to your light,

kings to your bright light.

60:4 Look all around you! ² 

They all gather and come to you –

your sons come from far away

and your daughters are escorted by guardians.

60:5 Then you will look and smile, ³ 

you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. ⁴ 

For the riches of distant lands ⁵  will belong to you

and the wealth of nations will come to you.

60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, ⁶ 

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All the merchants of Sheba ⁷  will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing praises to the Lord. ⁸ 

60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. ⁹ 

They will go up on my altar acceptably, ¹⁰ 

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

60:8 Who are these who float along ¹¹  like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters? ¹² 

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ¹³  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ¹⁴  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ¹⁵ 

the Holy One of Israel, ¹⁶  for he has bestowed honor on you.

60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;

their kings will serve you.

Even though I struck you down in my anger,

I will restore my favor and have compassion on you. ¹⁷ 

60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;

they will not be shut during the day or at night,

so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,

with their kings leading the way. ¹⁸ 

Isaiah 66:18-21

66:18 “I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming ¹⁹  to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; ²⁰  they will come and witness my splendor. 66:19 I will perform a mighty act among them ²¹  and then send some of those who remain to the nations – to Tarshish, Pul, ²²  Lud ²³  (known for its archers ²⁴ ), Tubal, Javan, ²⁵  and to the distant coastlands ²⁶  that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor. 66:20 They will bring back all your countrymen ²⁷  from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them ²⁸  on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels ²⁹  to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord’s temple in ritually pure containers. 66:21 And I will choose some of them as priests and Levites,” says the Lord.

Genesis 49:10

49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, ³⁰ 

until he comes to whom it belongs; ³¹ 

the nations will obey him. ³² 

John 10:16

10:16 I have ³³  other sheep that do not come from ³⁴  this sheepfold. ³⁵  I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, ³⁶  so that ³⁷  there will be one flock and ³⁸  one shepherd.

John 11:52

11:52 and not for the Jewish nation ³⁹  only, ⁴⁰  but to gather together ⁴¹  into one the children of God who are scattered.) ⁴² 

Ephesians 1:10

1:10 toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up ⁴³  all things in Christ – the things in heaven ⁴⁴  and the things on earth. ⁴⁵ 

Ephesians 2:14-16

2:14 For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one ⁴⁶  and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility, 2:15 when he nullified ⁴⁷  in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees. He did this to create in himself one new man ⁴⁸  out of two, ⁴⁹  thus making peace, 2:16 and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by which the hostility has been killed. ⁵⁰ 

[49:12]  ¹ tc The MT reads “Sinim” here; the Dead Sea Scrolls read “Syene,” a location in Egypt associated with modern Aswan. A number of recent translations adopt this reading: “Syene” (NAB, NRSV); “Aswan” (NIV); “Egypt” (NLT).

[60:4]  ² tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”

[60:5]  ³ tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[60:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”

[60:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.

[60:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”

[60:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”

[60:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”

[60:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.

[60:7]  ¹⁰ tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).

[60:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”

[60:8]  ¹² tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.

[60:9]  ¹³ tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

[60:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.

[60:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9]  ¹⁶ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”

[60:11]  ¹⁸ tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.

[66:18]  ¹⁹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and I, their deeds and their thoughts, am coming.” The syntax here is very problematic, suggesting that the text may have suffered corruption. Some suggest that the words “their deeds and their thoughts” have been displaced from v. 17. This line presents two primary challenges. In the first place, the personal pronoun “I” has no verb after it. Most translations insert “know” for the sake of clarity (NASB, NRSV, NLT, ESV). The NIV has “I, because of their actions and their imaginations…” Since God’s “knowledge” of Israel’s sin occasions judgment, the verb “hate” is an option as well (see above translation). The feminine form of the next verb (בָּאָה, ba’ah) could be understood in one of two ways. One could provide an implied noun “time” (עֵת, ’et) and render the next line “the time is coming/has come” (NASB, ESV). One could also emend the feminine verb to the masculine בָּא (ba’) and have the “I” at the beginning of the line govern this verb as well (for the Lord is speaking here): “I am coming” (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[66:18]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and the tongues”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “and tongues.”

[66:19]  ²¹ 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]  ²² tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).

[66:19]  ²³ sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).

[66:19]  ²⁴ tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[66:19]  ²⁵ sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).

[66:19]  ²⁶ tn Or “islands” (NIV).

[66:20]  ²⁷ tn Heb “brothers” (so NIV); NCV “fellow Israelites.”

[66:20]  ²⁸ tn The words “they will bring them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[66:20]  ²⁹ tn The precise meaning of this word is uncertain. Some suggest it refers to “chariots.” See HALOT 498 s.v. *כִּרְכָּרָה.

[49:10]  ³⁰ tn Or perhaps “from his descendants,” taking the expression “from between his feet” as a euphemism referring to the genitals. In this case the phrase refers by metonymy to those who come forth from his genitals, i.e., his descendants.

[49:10]  ³¹ tn The Hebrew form שִׁילֹה (shiloh) is a major interpretive problem. There are at least four major options (with many variations and less likely alternatives): (1) Some prefer to leave the text as it is, reading “Shiloh” and understanding it as the place where the ark rested for a while in the time of the Judges. (2) By repointing the text others arrive at the translation “until the [or “his”] ruler comes,” a reference to a Davidic ruler or the Messiah. (3) Another possibility that does not require emendation of the consonantal text, but only repointing, is “until tribute is brought to him” (so NEB, JPS, NRSV), which has the advantage of providing good parallelism with the following line, “the nations will obey him.” (4) The interpretation followed in the present translation, “to whom it [belongs]” (so RSV, NIV, REB), is based on the ancient versions. Again, this would refer to the Davidic dynasty or, ultimately, to the Messiah.

[49:10]  ³² tn “and to him [will be] the obedience of the nations.” For discussion of this verse see J. Blenkinsopp, “The Oracle of Judah and the Messianic Entry,” JBL 80 (1961): 55-64; and E. M. Good, “The ‘Blessing’ on Judah,” JBL 82 (1963): 427-32.

[10:16]  ³³ tn Grk “And I have.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:16]  ³⁴ tn Or “that do not belong to”; Grk “that are not of.”

[10:16]  ³⁵ sn The statement I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold almost certainly refers to Gentiles. Jesus has sheep in the fold who are Jewish; there are other sheep which, while not of the same fold, belong to him also. This recalls the mission of the Son in 3:16-17, which was to save the world – not just the nation of Israel. Such an emphasis would be particularly appropriate to the author if he were writing to a non-Palestinian and primarily non-Jewish audience.

[10:16]  ³⁶ tn Grk “they will hear my voice.”

[10:16]  ³⁷ tn Grk “voice, and.”

[10:16]  ³⁸ tn The word “and” is not in the Greek text, but must be supplied to conform to English style. In Greek it is an instance of asyndeton (omission of a connective), usually somewhat emphatic.

[11:52]  ³⁹ tn See the note on the word “nation” in the previous verse.

[11:52]  ⁴⁰ sn The author in his comment expands the prophecy to include the Gentiles (not for the Jewish nation only), a confirmation that the Fourth Gospel was directed, at least partly, to a Gentile audience. There are echoes of Pauline concepts here (particularly Eph 2:11-22) in the stress on the unity of Jew and Gentile.

[11:52]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “that he might gather together.”

[11:52]  ⁴² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[1:10]  ⁴³ tn The precise meaning of the infinitive ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι (anakefalaiwsasqai) in v. 10 is difficult to determine since it was used relatively infrequently in Greek literature and only twice in the NT (here and Rom 13:9). While there have been several suggestions, three deserve mention: (1) “To sum up.” In Rom 13:9, using the same term, the author there says that the law may be “summarized in one command, to love your neighbor as yourself.” The idea then in Eph 1:10 would be that all things in heaven and on earth can be summed up and made sense out of in relation to Christ. (2) “To renew.” If this is the nuance of the verb then all things in heaven and earth, after their plunge into sin and ruin, are renewed by the coming of Christ and his redemption. (3) “To head up.” In this translation the idea is that Christ, in the fullness of the times, has been exalted so as to be appointed as the ruler (i.e., “head”) over all things in heaven and earth (including the church). That this is perhaps the best understanding of the verb is evidenced by the repeated theme of Christ’s exaltation and reign in Ephesians and by the connection to the κεφαλή- (kefalh-) language of 1:22 (cf. Schlier, TDNT 3:682; L&N 63.8; M. Barth, Ephesians [AB 34], 1:89-92; contra A. T. Lincoln, Ephesians [WBC], 32-33).

[1:10]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “the heavens.”

[1:10]  ⁴⁵ sn And the things on earth. Verse 10 ends with “in him.” The redundancy keeps the focus on Christ at the expense of good Greek style. Verse 11 repeats the reference with a relative pronoun (“in whom”) – again, at the expense of good Greek style. Although the syntax is awkward, the theology is rich. This is not the first time that a NT writer was so overcome with awe for his Lord that he seems to have lost control of his pen. Indeed, it happened frequently enough that some have labeled their christologically motivated solecisms an “apostolic disease.”

[2:14]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “who made the both one.”

[2:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “rendered inoperative.” This is a difficult text to translate because it is not easy to find an English term which communicates well the essence of the author’s meaning, especially since legal terminology is involved. Many other translations use the term “abolish” (so NRSV, NASB, NIV), but this term implies complete destruction which is not the author’s meaning here. The verb καταργέω (katargew) can readily have the meaning “to cause someth. to lose its power or effectiveness” (BDAG 525 s.v. 2, where this passage is listed), and this meaning fits quite naturally here within the author’s legal mindset. A proper English term which communicates this well is “nullify” since this word carries the denotation of “making something legally null and void.” This is not, however, a common English word. An alternate term like “rendered inoperative [or ineffective]” is also accurate but fairly inelegant. For this reason, the translation retains the term “nullify”; it is the best choice of the available options, despite its problems.

[2:15]  ⁴⁸ tn In this context the author is not referring to a new individual, but instead to a new corporate entity united in Christ (cf. BDAG 497 s.v. καινός 3.b: “All the Christians together appear as κ. ἄνθρωπος Eph 2:15”). This is clear from the comparison made between the Gentiles and Israel in the immediately preceding verses and the assertion in v. 14 that Christ “made both groups into one.” This is a different metaphor than the “new man” of Eph 4:24; in that passage the “new man” refers to the new life a believer has through a relationship to Christ.

[2:15]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “in order to create the two into one new man.” Eph 2:14-16 is one sentence in Greek. A new sentence was started here in the translation for clarity since contemporary English is less tolerant of extended sentences.

[2:16]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “by killing the hostility in himself.”