Sunday, December 11, 2022

Isaiah 66:18-21, annotated

The bolded scriptural citation will take you to additional translations. The entire chapter is included to provide context. 

 

Information about the meaning the original Hebrew of what seem to be key words is provided in blue.  

 

Excerpts collected in yellow  at the end of this post tell us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him. 

 

Isaiah 66:18-21

Thus says the LORD:


I know their works and their thoughts, and I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory. 


I will set a sign among them; from them I will send fugitives to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory; and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations. 


They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their offering to the house of the LORD in clean vessels. 

Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.

 

works = מַעֲשֶׂה = maʿăśê  Blue Letter Bible  deed, thing done, act; work, labour; undertaking, enterprise; achievement; thing made; product

 

thoughts = מַחֲשָׁבָה = maḥăšāḇâ  Blue Letter Bible  thought; intention; device; plan, purpose; invention; contrivance; imagination; projects  

 

gather = קָבַץ = qāḇaṣ  Blue Letter Bible collect, gather, assemble; take with the hand; take hold of; heap; grasp; collect; congregate; take away,  draw in, withdraw

 

every = כֹּל = kol  Blue Letter Bible  the whole; any, each, every, anything; totality, everything, of all kinds, every sort

 

nations = גּוֹי = gôy Blue Letter Bible  nation, people; confluence of men

 

come = בּוֹא = bô' Blue Letter Bible to go in, enter, come, go, come in; to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring upon; carry; fetch; follow; entering into specific relations; walk, associate with

 

see = רָאָה= rā'â  Blue Letter Bible  to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider; learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out; consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish; gaze at; enjoy, have experience, take heed; spy, stare; enjoy the light; be pleased with the sight; provide or care for, go to see

 

glory = כָּבוֹד = kāḇôḏ  Blue Letter Bible  glory, honour, glorious, abundance; weight, but only figuratively in a good sense; heaviness; splendor or copiousness; dignity of position; reputation, of character; majesty

set= שׂוּם = suwm  Blue Letter Bible  to put, place, set, appoint, make; ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix; set in place, plant, fix; cast in; steadfastly; prepare; station

 

sign = אוֹת = 'ôṯ  Blue Letter Bible   sign, signal; a distinguishing mark; banner; remembrance; miraculous sign; omen; warning; portent; token; attestation; ensign, standard; miracle; proof, evidence; beacon; monument; changes of weather, heavens,  times

 

send = שָׁלַח = šālaḥ  Blue Letter Bible   stretch out; extend, direct; to shoot forth (of branches); reach forth; sow, spread, stretch forthto send, send away; to let loose; to send off or away or out or forth, dismiss, give over, cast out or away; to let go, set free; to be sent off, be put away, be divorced, be impelled; forsake, give (up); eave, let depart; drive cattle to pasture

 

fugitives = פָּלִיט = pālîṭ  Blue Letter Bible  refugee, fugitive, escaped one; one who has escaped by flight 

distant = רָחוֹק = rāḥôq  Blue Letter Bible  remote, far, distant; from afar; arduous, difficult; long ago 

 

heard = שָׁמַע = šāmaʿ  Blue Letter Bible   listen to, obey; perceive by ear; to hear with attention or interest, listen to; give heed; to consent, agree; yield to; to obey, be obedient; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.); to hear and answer

 

fame = שֵׁמַע = šēmaʿ Blue Letter Bible  report, a hearing; something heard; announcement

seen—see “see” above

glory—see above

proclaim = נָגַד = nāḡaḏ  Blue Letter Bible  to be conspicuous, tell, make known; to tell, announce, report; make known, expound;  to inform of; to publish, declare; to avow, acknowledge, confess; stand boldly out; to manifest; to announce (always by word of mouth to one present); to expose, predict, explain, praise; profess; utter; be in front, be in sight; celebrate with praise; be courageous, vigorous, effective, be apparent; declare, make known, expound, especially of something before not understood, concealed or mysterious

 

glory—see above

bring = בּוֹא = bô' Blue Letter Bible to go in, enter, come, go, come in; to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring upon; carry; fetch; follow; entering into specific relations; walk, associate with

 

all—see “every” above

 

clean = טָהוֹר = ṭâôr  Blue Letter Bible pure, fair; clear; unmixed, unalloyed, unpolluted

 

vessel = כְּלִי = k  Blue Letter Bible  vessel, implement, apparatus, utensil, instrument, tool; receptacle, sack  

 

bring = לָקַח = lāqaḥ Blue Letter Bible to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire; to take and carry along; to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away; to take (in the widest variety of applications)

 

What this scripture tells about God’s nature or our relationship to Him:

I know their works and their thoughts

I come to gather nations of every language
they shall come and see my glory

from them I will send fugitives to the nations

to the distant coastlands that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory

they shall proclaim my glory among the nations

They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations as an offering to the LORD

on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem

Some of these I will take as priests and Levites

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