Yesaya 2:2-3

2:2 In the future ¹ 

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure ² 

as the most important of mountains,

and will be the most prominent of hills. ³ 

All the nations will stream to it,

2:3 many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple of the God of Jacob,

so ⁴  he can teach us his requirements, ⁵ 

and ⁶  we can follow his standards.” ⁷ 

For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; ⁸ 

the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. ⁹ 

Yesaya 11:10-11

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time ¹⁰  a root from Jesse ¹¹  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ¹²  and his residence will be majestic. 11:11 At that time ¹³  the sovereign master ¹⁴  will again lift his hand ¹⁵  to reclaim ¹⁶  the remnant of his people ¹⁷  from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, ¹⁸  Cush, ¹⁹  Elam, Shinar, ²⁰  Hamath, and the seacoasts. ²¹ 

Yesaya 43:5-6

43:5 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

From the east I will bring your descendants;

from the west I will gather you.

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,

Yesaya 60:9-14

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ²²  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ²³  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ²⁴ 

the Holy One of Israel, ²⁵  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. ²⁶ 

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. ²⁷ 

60:12 Indeed, ²⁸  nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;

such nations will be totally destroyed. ²⁹ 

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

its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,

to beautify my palace; ³⁰ 

I will bestow honor on my throne room. ³¹ 

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.’ ³² 

Yesaya 66:19-20

66:19 I will perform a mighty act among them ³³  and then send some of those who remain to the nations – to Tarshish, Pul, ³⁴  Lud ³⁵  (known for its archers ³⁶ ), Tubal, Javan, ³⁷  and to the distant coastlands ³⁸  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 ³⁹  from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them ⁴⁰  on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels ⁴¹  to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord’s temple in ritually pure containers.

Mazmur 22:27

22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! ⁴² 

Let all the nations ⁴³  worship you! ⁴⁴ 

Mazmur 72:10-11

72:10 The kings of Tarshish ⁴⁵  and the coastlands will offer gifts;

the kings of Sheba ⁴⁶  and Seba ⁴⁷  will bring tribute.

72:11 All kings will bow down to him;

all nations will serve him.

Mazmur 72:17

72:17 May his fame endure! ⁴⁸ 

May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky! ⁴⁹ 

May they use his name when they formulate their blessings! ⁵⁰ 

May all nations consider him to be favored by God! ⁵¹ 

Mikha 4:2

4:2 Many nations will come, saying,

“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple ⁵²  of Jacob’s God,

so he can teach us his commands ⁵³ 

and we can live by his laws.” ⁵⁴ 

For Zion will be the source of instruction;

the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. ⁵⁵ 

Zakharia 2:11

2:11 “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on the day of salvation, ⁵⁶  and they will also be my ⁵⁷  people. Indeed, I will settle in the midst of you all.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you.

Zakharia 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.”’” ⁵⁸ 

Matius 8:11

8:11 I tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet ⁵⁹  with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ⁶⁰  in the kingdom of heaven,

Lukas 13:29

13:29 Then ⁶¹  people ⁶²  will come from east and west, and from north and south, and take their places at the banquet table ⁶³  in the kingdom of God. ⁶⁴ 

Wahyu 7:9

7:9 After these things I looked, and here was ⁶⁵  an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, ⁶⁶  people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands.

Wahyu 11:15

The Seventh Trumpet

11:15 Then ⁶⁷  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, ⁶⁸ 

and he will reign for ever and ever.”

[2:2]  ¹ tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.

[2:2]  ² tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ³ tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.

[2:3]  ⁴ tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.

[2:3]  ⁶ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.

[2:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[2:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”

[2:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[11:10]  ¹⁰ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:10]  ¹¹ sn See the note at v. 1.

[11:10]  ¹² tn Heb “ a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].

[11:11]  ¹³ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:11]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

[11:11]  ¹⁵ tc The Hebrew text reads, “the sovereign master will again, a second time, his hand.” The auxiliary verb יוֹסִיף (yosif), which literally means “add,” needs a main verb to complete it. Consequently many emend שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”) to an infinitive. Some propose the form שַׁנֹּת (shannot, a Piel infinitive construct from שָׁנָה, shanah) and relate it semantically to an Arabic cognate meaning “to be high.” If the Hebrew text is retained a verb must be supplied. “Second time” would allude back to the events of the Exodus (see vv. 15-16).

[11:11]  ¹⁶ tn Or “acquire”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “recover.”

[11:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the remnant of his people who remain.”

[11:11]  ¹⁸ sn Perhaps a reference to Upper (i.e., southern) Egypt (so NIV, NLT; NCV “South Egypt”).

[11:11]  ¹⁹ tn Or “Ethiopia” (NAB, NRSV, NLT).

[11:11]  ²⁰ tn Or “Babylonia” (NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).

[11:11]  ²¹ tn Or perhaps, “the islands of the sea.”

[60:9]  ²² tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

[60:9]  ²³ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.

[60:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9]  ²⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:10]  ²⁶ tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”

[60:11]  ²⁷ tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.

[60:12]  ²⁸ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”

[60:12]  ²⁹ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[60:13]  ³⁰ tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”

[60:13]  ³¹ 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]  ³² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[66:19]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).

[66:19]  ³⁵ sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).

[66:19]  ³⁶ tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[66:19]  ³⁷ sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).

[66:19]  ³⁸ tn Or “islands” (NIV).

[66:20]  ³⁹ tn Heb “brothers” (so NIV); NCV “fellow Israelites.”

[66:20]  ⁴⁰ tn The words “they will bring them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[66:20]  ⁴¹ tn The precise meaning of this word is uncertain. Some suggest it refers to “chariots.” See HALOT 498 s.v. *כִּרְכָּרָה.

[22:27]  ⁴² tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the Lord.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27 are understood as jussives (cf. NEB). Another option (cf. NIV, NRSV) is to take the forms as imperfects and translate, “all the people of the earth will acknowledge and turn…and worship.” See vv. 29-32.

[22:27]  ⁴³ tn Heb “families of the nations.”

[22:27]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “before you.”

[72:10]  ⁴⁵ sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.

[72:10]  ⁴⁶ sn Sheba was located in Arabia.

[72:10]  ⁴⁷ sn Seba was located in Africa.

[72:17]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “may his name [be] permanent.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect.

[72:17]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “before the sun may his name increase.” The Kethib (consonantal text) assumes יָנִין (yanin; a Hiphil of the verbal root נִין, nin) or יְנַיֵן (yÿnayen; a Piel form), while the Qere (marginal reading) assumes יִנּוֹן (yinnon; a Niphal form). The verb נִין occurs only here, though a derived noun, meaning “offspring,” appears elsewhere (see Isa 14:22). The verb appears to mean “propagate, increase” (BDB 630 s.v. נוּן, נִין) or “produce shoots, get descendants” (HALOT 696 s.v. נין). In this context this appears to be a prayer for a lasting dynasty that will keep the king’s name and memory alive.

[72:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “may they bless one another by him,” that is, use the king’s name in their blessing formulae because he is a prime example of one blessed by God (for examples of such blessing formulae, see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11). There is some debate on whether the Hitpael form of בָּרַךְ (barakh, “bless”) is reflexive-reciprocal (as assumed in the present translation) or passive. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ occurs in five other passages, including the hotly debated Gen 22:18 and 26:4. In these two texts one could understand the verb form as passive and translate, “all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring,” or one could take the Hitpael as reflexive or reciprocal and translate, “all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings [i.e., on themselves or one another] by your offspring.” In the first instance Abraham’s (or Isaac’s) offspring are viewed as a channel of divine blessing. In the second instance they are viewed as a prime example of blessing that will appear as part of the nations’ blessing formulae, but not necessarily as a channel of blessing to the nations. In Deut 29:18 one reads: “When one hears the words of this covenant [or “oath”] and invokes a blessing on himself (Hitpael of בָּרַךְ) in his heart, saying: ‘I will have peace, even though I walk with a rebellious heart.’” In this case the Hitpael is clearly reflexive, as the phrases “in his heart” and “I will have peace” indicate. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ appears twice in Isaiah 65:16: “The one who invokes a blessing on himself (see Deut 9:18) in the land will invoke that blessing by the God of truth; and the one who makes an oath in the land will make that oath by the God of truth.” A passive nuance does not fit here. The parallel line, which mentions making an oath, suggests that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. Both pronouncements of blessing and oaths will appeal to God as the one who rewards and judges, respectively. Jer 4:2 states: “If you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ with truth, integrity, and honesty, then the nations will pronounce blessings by him and boast in him.” A passive nuance might work (“the nations will be blessed”), but the context refers to verbal pronouncements (swearing an oath, boasting), suggesting that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. The logic of the verse seems to be as follows: If Israel conducts its affairs with integrity, the nation will be favored by the Lord, which will in turn attract the surrounding nations to Israel’s God. To summarize, while the evidence might leave the door open for a passive interpretation, there is no clear cut passive use. Usage favors a reflexive or reciprocal understanding of the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ. In Ps 72:17 the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ is followed by the prepositional phrase בוֹ (vo, “by him”). The verb could theoretically be taken as passive, “may all the nations be blessed through him” (cf. NIV, NRSV), because the preceding context describes the positive effects of this king’s rule on the inhabitants of the earth. But the parallel line, which employs the Piel of אָשַׁר (’ashar) in a factitive/declarative sense, “regard as happy, fortunate,” suggests a reflexive or reciprocal nuance for the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ here. If the nations regard the ideal king as a prime example of one who is fortunate or blessed, it is understandable that they would use his name in their pronouncements of blessing.

[72:17]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “all the nations, may they regard him as happy.” The Piel is used here in a delocutive sense (“regard as”).

[4:2]  ⁵² tn Heb “house.”

[4:2]  ⁵³ tn Heb “ways.”

[4:2]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”

[4:2]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “instruction [or, “law”] will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[4:2]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:11]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “on that day.” The descriptive phrase “of salvation” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:11]  ⁵⁷ tc The LXX and Syriac have the 3rd person masculine singular suffix in both places (“his people” and “he will settle”; cf. NAB, TEV) in order to avoid the Lord’s speaking of himself in the third person. Such resort is unnecessary, however, in light of the common shifting of person in Hebrew narrative (cf. 3:2).

[8:23]  ⁵⁸ 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).

[8:11]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. The word “banquet” has been supplied to clarify for the modern reader the festive nature of the imagery. The banquet imagery is a way to describe the fellowship and celebration of being among the people of God at the end.

[8:11]  sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[8:11]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “and Isaac and Jacob,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[13:29]  ⁶¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the discourse.

[13:29]  ⁶² tn Grk “they”; the referent (people who will come to participate in the kingdom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:29]  ⁶³ tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. The word “banquet” has been supplied to clarify for the modern reader the festive nature of the imagery The banquet imagery is a way to describe the fellowship and celebration of accompanying those who are included as the people of God at the end.

[13:29]  ⁶⁴ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[7:9]  ⁶⁵ tn The phrase “and here was” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).

[7:9]  ⁶⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated before each of the following categories, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[11:15]  ⁶⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:15]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”