Isaiah 52:7

52:7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains ¹ 

the feet of a messenger who announces peace,

a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” ² 

Isaiah 41:27

41:27 I first decreed to Zion, ‘Look, here’s what will happen!’ ³ 

I sent a herald to Jerusalem. ⁴ 

Isaiah 40:9

40:9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion!

Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem! ⁵ 

Shout, don’t be afraid!

Say to the towns of Judah,

“Here is your God!”

Isaiah 60:6

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 

Isaiah 61:1

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen ⁹  me. ¹⁰ 

He has commissioned ¹¹  me to encourage ¹²  the poor,

to help ¹³  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

[52:7]  ¹ tn Heb “How delightful on the mountains.”

[52:7]  ² tn Or “has become king.” When a new king was enthroned, his followers would give this shout. For other examples of this enthronement formula (Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular מָלַךְ [malakh], followed by the name of the king), see 2 Sam 15:10; 1 Kgs 1:11, 13, 18; 2 Kgs 9:13. The Lord is an eternal king, but here he is pictured as a victorious warrior who establishes his rule from Zion.

[41:27]  ³ tn The Hebrew text reads simply, “First to Zion, ‘Look here they are!’” The words “I decreed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[41:27]  ⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[40:9]  ⁵ tn The second feminine singular imperatives are addressed to personified Zion/Jerusalem, who is here told to ascend a high hill and proclaim the good news of the Lord’s return to the other towns of Judah. Isa 41:27 and 52:7 speak of a herald sent to Zion, but the masculine singular form מְבַשֵּׂר (mÿvaser) is used in these verses, in contrast to the feminine singular form מְבַשֶּׂרֶת (mÿvaseret) employed in 40:9, where Zion is addressed as a herald.

[60:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”

[60:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”

[60:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”

[61:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.

[61:1]  ¹⁰ sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).

[61:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”

[61:1]  ¹² tn Or “proclaim good news to.”

[61:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”