Psalms 67:2-4

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

all nations will know how you deliver your people. ¹ 

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

Let all the nations thank you! ² 

67:4 Let foreigners ³  rejoice and celebrate!

For you execute justice among the nations,

and govern the people living on earth. ⁴  (Selah)

Psalms 68:31-32

68:31 They come with red cloth ⁵  from Egypt,

Ethiopia ⁶  voluntarily offers tribute ⁷  to God.

68:32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God!

Sing praises to the Lord, (Selah)

Psalms 72:11

72:11 All kings will bow down to him;

all nations will serve him.

Psalms 86:9

86:9 All the nations, whom you created,

will come and worship you, ⁸  O Lord.

They will honor your name.

Psalms 138:4

138:4 Let all the kings of the earth give thanks ⁹  to you, O Lord,

when they hear the words you speak. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 138:1

Psalm 138 ¹¹ 

By David.

138:1 I will give you thanks with all my heart;

before the heavenly assembly ¹²  I will sing praises to you.

Psalms 8:1

Psalm 8 ¹³ 

For the music director, according to the gittith style; ¹⁴  a psalm of David.

8:1 O Lord, our Lord, ¹⁵ 

how magnificent ¹⁶  is your reputation ¹⁷  throughout the earth!

You reveal your majesty in the heavens above! ¹⁸ 

Isaiah 55:5

55:5 Look, you will summon nations ¹⁹  you did not previously know;

nations ²⁰  that did not previously know you will run to you,

because of the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, ²¹ 

for he bestows honor on you.

Isaiah 60:3-22

60:3 Nations come to your light,

kings to your bright light.

60:4 Look all around you! ²² 

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, ²³ 

you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. ²⁴ 

For the riches of distant lands ²⁵  will belong to you

and the wealth of nations will come to you.

60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, ²⁶ 

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All the merchants of Sheba ²⁷  will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing praises to the Lord. ²⁸ 

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

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. ²⁹ 

They will go up on my altar acceptably, ³⁰ 

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

60:8 Who are these who float along ³¹  like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters? ³² 

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ³³  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ³⁴  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ³⁵ 

the Holy One of Israel, ³⁶  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. ³⁷ 

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. ³⁸ 

60:12 Indeed, ³⁹  nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;

such nations will be totally destroyed. ⁴⁰ 

60:13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,

its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,

to beautify my palace; ⁴¹ 

I will bestow honor on my throne room. ⁴² 

60:14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;

all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.

They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,

Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’ ⁴³ 

60:15 You were once abandoned

and despised, with no one passing through,

but I will make you ⁴⁴  a permanent source of pride

and joy to coming generations.

60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;

you will nurse at the breasts of kings. ⁴⁵ 

Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,

your protector, ⁴⁶  the powerful ruler of Jacob. ⁴⁷ 

60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,

instead of iron, I will bring you silver,

instead of wood, I will bring you ⁴⁸  bronze,

instead of stones, I will bring you ⁴⁹  iron.

I will make prosperity ⁵⁰  your overseer,

and vindication your sovereign ruler. ⁵¹ 

60:18 Sounds of violence ⁵²  will no longer be heard in your land,

or the sounds of ⁵³  destruction and devastation within your borders.

You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’

and your gates, ‘Praise.’

60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,

nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;

the Lord will be your permanent source of light –

the splendor of your God will shine upon you. ⁵⁴ 

60:20 Your sun will no longer set;

your moon will not disappear; ⁵⁵ 

the Lord will be your permanent source of light;

your time ⁵⁶  of sorrow will be over.

60:21 All of your people will be godly; ⁵⁷ 

they will possess the land permanently.

I will plant them like a shoot;

they will be the product of my labor,

through whom I reveal my splendor. ⁵⁸ 

60:22 The least of you will multiply into ⁵⁹  a thousand;

the smallest of you will become a large nation.

When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!” ⁶⁰ 

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.”’” ⁶¹ 

Revelation 11:15

The Seventh Trumpet

11:15 Then ⁶²  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, ⁶³ 

and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Revelation 21:24

21:24 The nations ⁶⁴  will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur ⁶⁵  into it.

[67:2]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ tn Or “peoples.”

[67:4]  ⁴ 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”).

[68:31]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “Cush.”

[68:31]  ⁷ tn Heb “causes its hands to run,” which must mean “quickly stretches out its hands” (to present tribute).

[86:9]  ⁸ tn Or “bow down before you.”

[138:4]  ⁹ tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in the following verse are understood as jussives, for the psalmist appears to be calling upon the kings to praise God. Another option is to take them as imperfects and translate, “the kings of the earth will give thanks…and will sing.” In this case the psalmist anticipates a universal response to his thanksgiving song.

[138:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the words of your mouth.”

[138:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 138. The psalmist vows to thank the Lord for his deliverance and protection.

[138:1]  ¹² tn The referent of the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is unclear. It refers either to the angelic assembly (see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5) or to the pagan gods (see Pss 82:1, 6; 86:8; 97:7), in which case the psalmist’s praise takes on a polemical tone.

[8:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 8. In this hymn to the sovereign creator, the psalmist praises God’s majesty and marvels that God has given mankind dominion over the created order.

[8:1]  ¹⁴ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term הגתית is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or type of instrument.

[8:1]  ¹⁵ tn The plural form of the title emphasizes the Lord’s absolute sovereignty.

[8:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “awesome”; or “majestic.”

[8:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[8:1]  ¹⁸ tc Heb “which, give, your majesty on the heavens.” The verb form תְּנָה (tÿnah; an imperative?) is corrupt. The form should be emended to a second masculine singular perfect (נָתַתָּה, natatah) or imperfect (תִתֵן, titen) form. The introductory אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) can be taken as a relative pronoun (“you who”) or as a causal conjunction (“because”). One may literally translate, “you who [or “because you”] place your majesty upon the heavens.” For other uses of the phrase “place majesty upon” see Num 27:20 and 1 Chr 29:25.

[55:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs in the next line indicate (note that both “know” and “run” are third plural forms).

[55:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs that follow indicate.

[55:5]  ²¹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:4]  ²² tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”

[60:5]  ²³ tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[60:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”

[60:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.

[60:6]  ²⁶ tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”

[60:6]  ²⁷ tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”

[60:6]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”

[60:7]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”

[60:8]  ³² tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.

[60:9]  ³³ tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

[60:9]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.

[60:9]  ³⁵ tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9]  ³⁶ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:10]  ³⁷ tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”

[60:11]  ³⁸ tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.

[60:12]  ³⁹ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”

[60:12]  ⁴⁰ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[60:13]  ⁴¹ tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”

[60:13]  ⁴² tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”

[60:14]  ⁴³ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:15]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”

[60:16]  ⁴⁵ sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.

[60:16]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[60:16]  ⁴⁷ sn See 1:24 and 49:26.

[60:17]  ⁴⁸ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).

[60:17]  ⁴⁹ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).

[60:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).

[60:17]  ⁵¹ tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.

[60:18]  ⁵² tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[60:18]  ⁵³ tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[60:19]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”

[60:20]  ⁵⁵ sn In this verse “sun” and “moon” refer to the Lord’s light, which will replace the sun and moon (see v. 19). Light here symbolizes the restoration of divine blessing and prosperity in conjunction with the Lord’s presence. See 30:26.

[60:20]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[60:21]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “righteous” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “just.”

[60:21]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “a shoot of his planting, the work of my hands, to reveal splendor.”

[60:22]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).

[60:22]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “I, the Lord, in its time, I will quickly do it.”

[8:23]  ⁶¹ 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).

[11:15]  ⁶² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:15]  ⁶³ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[21:24]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[21:24]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “splendor”; Grk “glory.”