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Complete Jewish Bible
Isaiah 51:4
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Pay attention to me, my people,and listen to me, my nation;for instruction will come from me,and my justice for a light to the nations.I will bring it about quickly.
Attend to me, my people; and give ear to me, my nation: for a law shall go forth from me, and I will establish my justice for a light of the peoples.
Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
"Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.
"Pay attention to Me, My people, And listen to Me, My nation; For a law will go out from Me, And I will bring My justice as a light of the peoples.
"My people, listen to me; my nation, pay attention to me. I will give the people my teachings, and my decisions will be like a light to all people.
"Listen carefully to Me [says the LORD], O My people, And hear Me, O My nation; For a [divine] law will go forth from Me, And I will quickly establish My justice as a light to the peoples.
Attend to me, my people; and give ear to me, my nation: for a law shall go forth from me, and I will establish my justice for a light of the peoples.
Hearken ye vnto me, my people, and giue eare vnto me, O my people: for a Law shall proceede from me, and I will bring foorth my iudgement for the light of the people.
"Pay attention to Me, O My people,And give ear to Me, O My nation;For a law will go forth from Me,And I will set My justice for a light of the peoples.
Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation; for a law will go out from Me, and My justice will become a light to the nations; I will bring it about quickly.
The Lord says: You are my people and nation! So pay attention to me. My teaching will cause justice to shine like a light for every nation.
Listen unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will establish my judgment for a light of the peoples.
"My people, listen to me! My decisions will be like lights showing people how to live.
Hearken to me, O people; and give ear to me, O nations; for a law shall go forth from me, and my justice is a light to the Gentiles.
"Listen to me, my people, listen to what I say: I give my teaching to the nations; my laws will bring them light.
"Listen attentively to me, my people, and my nation, listen to me! For a teaching will go out from me, and I will cause my justice to rest for a light to the peoples.
Hear Me, My people; yea, give ear to Me, My nation. For a law shall go out from Me, and My justice I will make rest as light to peoples.
Haue respecte vnto me then (o my people) and laye thine eare to me: for a lawe, and an ordinaunce shal go forth fro me, to lighten the Gentiles.
Attend unto me, O my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall go forth from me, and I will establish my justice for a light of the peoples.
Give attention to me, O my people; and give ear to me, O my nation; for teaching will go out from me, and the knowledge of the true God will be a light to the peoples.
Attend unto Me, O My people, and give ear unto Me, O My nation; for instruction shall go forth from Me, and My right on a sudden for a light of the peoples.
Hearken vnto me, my people, and giue eare vnto me, O my nation: for a Law shall proceed from mee, and I will make my iudgement to rest for a light of the people.
Haue respect vnto me then O my people both high & lowe, and lay thine eare vnto me: for a lawe and an ordinaunce shall go foorth fro me, to lyghten the gentiles.
Hear me, hear me, my people; and ye kings, hearken to me: for a law shall proceed from me, and my judgment shall be for a light of the nations.
Attend unto me, O my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall go forth from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the peoples.
Mi puple, take ye heede to me, and, my lynage, here ye me; for whi a lawe schal go out fro me, and my doom schal reste in to the liyt of puplis.
Attend to me, O my people; and give ear to me, O my nation: for a law shall go forth from me, and I will establish my justice for a light of the peoples.
Hearken to me, my people; and give ear to me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
Pay attention to me, my people! Listen to me, my people! For I will issue a decree, I will make my justice a light to the nations.
"Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My justice rest As a light of the peoples.
"Listen to me, my people. Hear me, Israel, for my law will be proclaimed, and my justice will become a light to the nations.
"Listen to Me, O My people. Hear Me, O My nation. The Law will go out from Me and My Law will be a light to the people.
Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples.
Attend unto me, O my people, And, O, my nation unto me give ear, - For, instruction, from me, shall go forth, And, my justice - for a light of peoples, will I establish:
Hearken unto me, O my people, and give ear to me, O my tribes: for a law shall go forth from me, and my judgment shall rest to be a light of the nations.
"Listen to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go forth from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples.
Attend unto Me, O My people, And, O My nation, unto Me give ear. For a law from Me goeth out, And My judgment to the light, Peoples I do cause to rest.
"Pay attention, my people. Listen to me, nations. Revelation flows from me. My decisions light up the world. My deliverance arrives on the run, my salvation right on time. I'll bring justice to the peoples. Even faraway islands will look to me and take hope in my saving power. Look up at the skies, ponder the earth under your feet. The skies will fade out like smoke, the earth will wear out like work pants, and the people will die off like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my setting-things-right will never be obsolete.
"Pay attention to Me, O My people, And give ear to Me, O My nation; For a law will go forth from Me, And I will set My justice for a light of the peoples.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
O my: Isaiah 26:2, Exodus 19:6, Exodus 33:13, Psalms 33:12, Psalms 106:5, Psalms 147:20, 1 Peter 2:9
a law: Isaiah 2:3, Micah 4:2, Romans 8:2-4, 1 Corinthians 9:21
I will make: Isaiah 42:1-4, Isaiah 42:6, Isaiah 49:6, Proverbs 6:23, Matthew 12:18-20, Luke 2:32, John 16:8-11
Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 24:19 - but they would Psalms 78:1 - General Isaiah 26:20 - my Isaiah 48:12 - Hearken Isaiah 51:1 - Hearken Isaiah 55:2 - Hearken Acts 2:14 - hearken
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Hearken unto me, my people,.... His special people, whether Jews or Gentiles, chosen by him, taken into covenant with him; given to Christ, redeemed by him as a peculiar people, and called by his grace; these are exhorted to hearken to him; to his word, as the Targum; see
Isaiah 51:1:
and give ear unto me, O my nation; not the nation of the Jews only, but the Gentiles; a nation taken out of a nation, even out of all nations; a chosen and a holy nation. The Septuagint and Arabic versions render it "kings"; such are made kings and priests unto God: see 1 Peter 2:9,
for a law shall proceed from me; not the Sinai law, but the Gospel; that doctrine that is said to go out of Zion, Isaiah 2:3, as Kimchi rightly observes, who adds,
"for the King Messiah shall teach the people to walk in the ways of the Lord; and this shall be after the war of Gog and Magog:''
and this law or doctrine of God comes from Christ, and is dictated, directed, and made effectual by his Spirit:
and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people; this is the same with the law, or doctrine of the Gospel, called "judgment", because it comes from the God of judgment, flows from his wisdom and counsel, and is a declaration of his will; it expands his method of justifying sinners, and is the means of awakening, convincing, and judging the consciences of men, and of informing and establishing the judgments of the saints, and by which the world will be judged at the last day. Now this is
for a light of the people; to enlighten unconverted ones, such who sit in darkness, to turn them from it, and call them out of it into marvellous light; and to illuminate the saints yet more and more, both with respect to doctrine and duty. And this is said to be made to "rest"; which denotes both the continuance of it in the world, until all the ends of it are answered; and the spiritual rest it gives to weary souls now, as well as points out to them that which remains for them hereafter. Though the words may be rendered, "I will cause my judgment to break forth" h; like the morning, suddenly, and in a "moment" i; to which agrees what follows.
h ארגיע "erumpere faciam", De Dieu. i So R. Jonah, in Ben Melech, takes it to have the signification of
רגע, "a moment"; as if the sense is, "my judgment I will show every moment from this time, to enlighten the people with it."
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Hearken unto me, my people - Lowth reads this;
Attend unto me, O ye people,
And give ear unto me, O ye nations.
The reason why he proposes this change is, that he supposes the address here is made to the Gentiles and not to the Jews, and in favor of the change he observes, that two manuscripts read it in this manner. Gesenius (Commentary) says that three codices read עמים ‛ammiym (“peoples”), instead of עמי ‛amiy (“my people”); and that thirteen MSS. read לאוּמים le'ûmiym (“nations”), instead of לאוּמי leûmiy (“my nation”). Noyes also has adopted this reading. But the authority is too slight to justify a change in the text. The Vulgate reads it in accordance with the present Hebrew text, and so substantially do the Septuagint. They render it, ‘Hear me, hear me, my people, and ye kings, give ear unto me.’ It is not necessary to suppose any change in the text. The address is to the Jews; and the design is, to comfort them in view of the fact that the pagan would be brought to partake of the privileges and blessings of the true religion. They would not only be restored to their own land, but the true religion would be extended also to the distant nations of the earth. In view of this great and glorious truth, Yahweh calls on his people to hearken to him, and receive the glad announcement. It was a truth in which they were deeply interested, and to which they should therefore attend.
For a law shall proceed from me - The idea here is, that Yahweh would give law to the distant nations by the diffusion of the true religion.
And I will make my judgment to rest for a light - The word ‘judgment’ here is equivalent to law, or statute, or to the institutions of the true religion. The word rendered here ‘to rest’ (ערגיע ‛aregiya‛ from רגע râga‛), Lowth renders, ‘I will cause to break forth.’ Noyes renders it, ‘I will establish.’ The Vulgate, Requiescet - ‘Shall rest.’ The Septuagint renders it simply, ‘My judgment for a light of the nation.’ The word properly means ‘to make afraid,’ to terrify, to restrain by threats; rendered ‘divideth’ in Job 26:12; Isaiah 51:15; then, to be afraid, to shrink from fear, and hence, to be still, or quiet, as if cowering down from fear. Here it means that he would set firmly his law; he would place it so that it would be established and immovable.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Isaiah 51:4. My people - O my nation - "O ye peoples - O ye nations"] For עמי ammi, my people, the Bodleian MS. and another read עמים ammim, ye peoples; and for לאומי leumi, my nation, the Bodleian MS. and eight others, (two of them ancient,) and four of De Rossi's, read לאמים leummim, ye nations; and so the Syriac in both words. The difference is very material; for in this case the address is made not to the Jews, but to the Gentiles, as in all reason it ought to be; for this and the two following verses express the call of the Gentiles, the islands, or the distant lands on the coasts of the Mediterranean and other seas. It is also to be observed that God in no other place calls his people לאמי leummi, my nation. It has been before remarked that transcribers frequently omitted the final מ mem of nouns plural, and supplied it, for brevity's sake, and sometimes for want of room at the end of a line, by a small stroke thus /עמי; which mark, being effaced or overlooked, has been the occasion of many mistakes of this kind.
A law shall proceed from me — The new law, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Kimchi says, "After the war with Gog and Magog the King Messiah will teach the people to walk in the ways of the Lord."
