the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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King James Version
Isaiah 52:8
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
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- InternationalParallel Translations
The voice of Your watchmen! They lift up their voices;They shout joyfully together;For they will see with their own eyesWhen Yahweh returns to Zion.
Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, They shout joyfully together; For they will see with their own eyes When the LORD restores Zion.
The voice of your watchmen! their voices are loud in song together; for they will see him, eye to eye, when the Lord comes back to Zion.
Thy watchmen shall lyft vp their voyce, with loude voyce they shall reioyce together: for they shall see plainly when the Lorde shall conuert Sion.
—The voice of thy watchmen, they lift up the voice, they sing aloud together; for they shall see eye to eye, when Jehovah shall bring again Zion.
Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the LORD brings back Zion.
The voice of your watchmen, they lift the voice together, they sing aloud. For they shall see eye to eye when Jehovah brings back Zion.
The city guards are shouting. They are all rejoicing together. They can all see the Lord returning to Zion.
The voice of your watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Yahweh returns to Zion.
Thy watchmen shall lift vp the voice, with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring againe Zion.
Thy watchme shal lift vp their voyce, wt loude voyce shal they preach of him: for they shal se him present, whe the LORDE shal come agayne to Sion.
Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, Together they shout for joy; For they will see face to face The return of the LORD to Zion.
The voice of thy watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Jehovah returneth to Zion.
The voice of your watchmen! they lift up the voice, together they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Yahweh returns to Zion.
Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
Listen! Your guards are shouting. They are all shouting for joy! They all will see with their own eyes when the Lord returns to Jerusalem.
Listen, your watchmen shout; in unison they shout for joy, for they see with their very own eyes the Lord 's return to Zion.
Everyone on guard duty, sing and celebrate! Look! You can see the Lord returning to Zion.
Listen! Your watchmen are raising their voices, shouting for joy together. For they will see, before their own eyes, Adonai returning to Tziyon.
The voyce of thy watchmen shalbe heard: they shall lift vp their voyce, and shoute together: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring againe Zion.
Your watchmen shall lift up their voices; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
The voice of your watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD returns to Tziyon.
Hark, thy watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see, eye to eye, the LORD returning to Zion.
The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.
Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices. They call out together for joy, for they will see with their own eyes the return of the Lord to Zion.
For the voice of them that guard thee is exalted, and with the voice together they shall rejoice: for eyes shall look to eyes, when the Lord shall have mercy upon Sion.
The voice of thy watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see, eye to eye, when the LORD returneth to Zion.
Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, together they shout for joy, for every eye will see when the LORD returns to Zion.
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion.
The voice of thy watchmen! They have uplifted a voice Together, do they renew the shout of triumph, - For eye to eye, shall they see, When Yahweh returneth to Zion.
The voice of thy watchmen: they have lifted up their voice, they shall praise together: for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall convert Sion.
The voices of your watchmen! They lift up their voices; together they sing for joy; for they clearly see Yahweh's return to Zion.
The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion.
Listen! Your watchmen raise their voices, They shout joyfully together; For they will see with their own eyes When the LORD restores Zion.
Those who guard the city are shouting, shouting together for joy. They can see with their own eyes the return of the Lord to Zion.
The voices of your watchmen— they lift up their voices, shouting for joy together; for every eye will see when the Lord returns to Zion.
The vois of thi biholderis; thei reisiden the vois, thei schulen herie togidere; for thei schulen se with iye to iye, whanne the Lord hath conuertid Sion.
Hark, your watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion.
The voice of thy watchmen! They have lifted up the voice, together they cry aloud, Because eye to eye they see, in Jehovah's turning back [to] Zion.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Thy: Isaiah 56:10, Isaiah 62:6, Song of Solomon 3:3, Song of Solomon 5:7, Jeremiah 6:17, Jeremiah 31:6, Jeremiah 31:7, Ezekiel 3:17, Ezekiel 33:7, Hebrews 13:17
lift: Isaiah 24:14, Isaiah 40:9, Isaiah 58:1
with: Isaiah 12:4-6, Isaiah 26:1, Isaiah 27:2, Isaiah 35:10, Isaiah 48:20, Jeremiah 33:11, Acts 2:46, Acts 2:47, Revelation 5:8-10, Revelation 18:20, Revelation 19:4
see: Isaiah 30:26, Jeremiah 32:39, Zephaniah 3:9, Zechariah 12:8, Acts 2:1, Acts 4:32, 1 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Corinthians 13:12, Ephesians 1:17, Ephesians 1:18
Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 5:13 - as one Psalms 89:15 - know Psalms 96:2 - show Psalms 125:1 - be as mount Isaiah 65:14 - my servants Acts 2:14 - lifted Revelation 14:7 - with
Gill's Notes on the Bible
The watchmen shall lift up the voice,.... Not the Levites in the temple, nor the prophets of the Old Testament; rather the evangelists and apostles of Christ; best of all Gospel ministers in the latter day, so called in allusion to watch men on the walls of cities looking out, and giving notice of approaching danger; see
Isaiah 62:6. The words may be rendered, "the voice of the watchmen; they shall lift up the voice; together shall they sing"; that is, this is the voice of the watchmen, namely, the voice of peace and salvation, which the bringer of good tidings, the same with these watchmen, publish. "Lifting up" their "voice" denotes the publicness of their ministrations, the vehemency of them, and their importance; "singing together", their joy and cheerfulness, their harmony and unity.
For they shall see eye to eye; most clearly, Zion's King reigning before his ancients gloriously; the great doctrines of peace and salvation published by them; and the great and wonderful things God will do for his church, in fulfilling prophecies relating thereunto. So the Targum,
"for with their eyes they shall see the great things which the Lord will do;''
and as their light and discerning will be most clear, like the light of seven days, so it will be alike in them; their sentiments and doctrines will exactly agree; there will be no difference nor dissension among them:
when the Lord shall bring again Zion: return his church and people to their former state, from whence they were declined; restore them as at the beginning; revive his work among them; cause his Gospel and ordinances to be professed and observed in their purity; call in his ancient people the Jews, and bring in the fulness of the Gentiles; pour out his spirit in a plentiful manner on them, and grant his gracious presence to them; so the Targum,
"when he shall return his Shechinah or divine Majesty to Zion.''
This text is by the Jews n applied to the times of the Messiah, and to the resurrection of the dead o.
n Pesikta in Kettoreth Hassammim in Targ. in Numb. fol. 25. 4. o T. Bab. Sanhedrhin. fol. 91. 2.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Thy watchmen - This language is taken from the custom of placing watchmen on the walls of a city, or on elevated towers, who could see if an enemy approached, and who of course would be the first to discern a messenger at a distance who was coming to announce good news. The idea is, that there would be as great joy at the announcement of the return of the exiles, as if they who were stationed on the wall should see the long-expected herald on the distant hills, coming to announce that they were about to return, and that the city and temple were about to be rebuilt. It was originally applicable to the return from Babylon. But it contains also the general truth that they who are appointed to watch over Zion and its interests, will rejoice at all the tokens of God’s favor to his people, and especially when he comes to bless them after long times of darkness, depression, and calamity. It is by no means, therefore, departing from the spirit of this passage, to apply it to the joy of the ministers of religion in the visits of divine mercy to a church and people. ‘Shall lift up the voice.’ That is, with rejoicing.
With the voice together shall they sing - They shall mingle their praises and thanksgivings. The idea is, that all who are appointed to guard Zion, should feel a common interest in her welfare, and rejoice when the Lord comes to visit and bless his people. The Hebrew here is more abrupt and emphatic than our common translation would make it. It is literally, ‘The voice of thy watchmen! They lift up the voice together; they sing’ - as if the prophet suddenly heard a shout. It is the exultling shout of the watchmen of Zion; and it comes as one voice, with no discord, no jarring.
For they shall see eye to eye - Lowth renders this, ‘For face to face shall they see.’ Noyes, ‘For with their own eyes shall they behold.’ Jerome renders it, Oculo ad oculum - ‘Eye to eye.’ The Septuagint renders it, Ὀφθαλμοὶ πρός ὀφθαλμοὺς, κ.τ.λ. Ophthalmoi pros ophthalmous, etc. ‘Eyes shall look to eyes when the Lord shall have mercy upon Zion.’ Interpreters have been divided in regard to its meaning. The sense may be, either that they shall see face to face, that is, distinctly, clearly, as when one is near another; or it may mean that they shall be united - they shall contemplate the same object, or look steadily at the same thing. Rosenmuller, Gesenius, Forerius, Junius. and some others, understand it in the former sense. So the Chaldee, ‘For they shall see with their own eyes the great things which the Lord will do when he shall bring back his own glory to Zion.’ The phrase in Hebrew occurs in no other place, except in Numbers 14:14, which our translators have rendered, ‘For thou, Lord, art seen face to face.’ Hebrew, ‘Eye to eye;’ that is, near, openly, manifestly, without any veil or interposing medium.
The expression, ‘face to face,’ meaning openly, plainly, manifestly, as one sees who is close to another, occurs frequently in the Bible (see Genesis 32:30; Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 5:4; Deuteronomy 34:10; Judges 6:22; Proverbs 27:19; Ezekiel 20:35; Act 25:16; 1 Corinthians 13:12; 2 John 1:12; 3 John 1:14). So the phrase, ‘mouth to mouth,’ occurs in a similar sense Numbers 12:8. And there can be but little doubt, it seems to me, that this is the sense here, and that the prophet means to say, that the great and marvelous doings of Yahweh would be seen openly and manifestly, and that the watchmen would thence have occasion to rejoice. Another reason for this opinion, besides the fact that it accords with the common usage, is, that the phrase, ‘to see eye to eye,’ in the sense of being united and harmonious, is not very intelligible. It is not easy to form an image or conception of the watchman in this attitude as denoting harmony. To look into the eyes of each other does not of necessity denote harmony, for people oftentimes do this for other purposes. The idea therefore is, that when Yahweh should bring back and bless his people, the watchmen would have a full and glorious exhibition of his mercy and goodness, and the result would be, that they would greatly rejoice, and unitedly celebrate his name. According to this interpretation, it does not mean that the ministers of religion would have the same precise views, or embrace the same doctrines, however true this may be, or however desirable in itself, but that they would have an open, clear, and bright manifestation of the presence of God, and would lift up their voices together with exultation and praise.
When the Lord shall bring again Zion - Zion here denotes the people who dwelt in Jerusalem; and the idea is, when the Lord shall again restore them to their own land. It is not a departure from the sense of the passage, however, to apply it in a more general manner, and to use it as demonstrating that any signal interposition of God in favor of his people should be the occasion of joy, and shall lead the ministers of religion to exult in God, and to praise his name.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Isaiah 52:8. Thy watchmen lift up the voice - "All thy watchmen lift up their voice"] There is a difficulty in the construction of this place which, I think, none of the ancient versions or modern interpreters have cleared up satisfactorily. Rendered word for word it stands thus: "The voice of thy watchmen: they lift up their voice." The sense of the first member, considered as elliptical, is variously supplied by various expositors; by none, as it seems to me, in any way that is easy and natural. I am persuaded there is a mistake in the present text, and that the true reading is כל צפיך col tsophayich, all thy watchmen, instead of קול צפיך kol tsophayich, the voice of thy watchmen. The mistake was easy from the similitude in sound of the two letters כ caph and ק koph. And in one MS. the ק koph is upon a rasure. This correction perfectly rectifies the sense and the construction. - L.
They shall see eye to eye — May not this be applied to the prophets and apostles; the one predicting, and the other discovering in the prediction the truth of the prophecy. The meaning of both Testaments is best understood by bringing them face to face.
When the Lord shall bring again Zion - "When JEHOVAH returneth to Zion"] So the Chaldee: כד יתיב שכנתיה לציון cad yethib shechinteih letsiyon, "when he shall place the shechinah in Zion." God is considered as having deserted his people during the captivity; and at the restoration, as returning himself with them to Zion, his former habitation. See Psalms 60:1; Isaiah 40:9, and note.
