EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Isaiah 51:4
4‘Listen to me, my people. Listen carefully, my nation. I will tell all people about my laws. I will cause my justice to be like a light to all nations.
Isaiah 51:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)“Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: Instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“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.
Context of Isaiah 51:4
2You all started from your ancestor Abraham, and his wife Sarah. When I first spoke to Abraham, he had no children. But I blessed him, so that he had many descendants.’ 3Surely, the Lord will comfort Zion's people. He will take care of the buildings that enemies have destroyed. Zion's land that is now a wilderness will become like the beautiful Garden of Eden. It will be the Lord's own garden! People will be happy again in Zion. They will sing with joy to thank God. ‘Listen to me, my people. Listen carefully, my nation. I will tell all people about my laws. I will cause my justice to be like a light to all nations. 5I am ready to do what is right for them. I am ready to save them. I will judge all the nations fairly. Lands that are far away will wait for me to help them. They wait for me to come and rule them all with power. 6Look up at the sky! Look down at the earth below! One day, the sky will disappear like smoke that blows away. The earth will become useless, like old clothes. The people who live on it will die. They will fall like flies. But I will keep my people safe for ever. I will always rule with righteousness.
Read all of Isaiah 51Isaiah 51:4 word by word
הַקְשִׁ֤יבוּ אֵלַי֙ עַמִּ֔י וּלְאוּמִּ֖י אֵלַ֣י הַאֲזִ֑ינוּ כִּ֤י תוֹרָה֙ מֵאִתִּ֣י תֵצֵ֔א וּמִשְׁפָּטִ֔י לְא֥וֹר עַמִּ֖ים אַרְגִּֽיעַ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Hearkenקָשַׁבqâshab · to listenH7181
- unto me, my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- and give earאָזַן'âzan · to listenH238
- unto me, O my nationלְאֹםle'ôm le'ôm · peopleH3816
- for a lawתּוֹרָהtôrâh tôrâh · instructionH8451
- shall proceedיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: speakH3318
- from me, and I will make my judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
- to restרָגַעrâga‛ · to restH7280
- for a lightאוֹר'ôr · lightH216
Cross-references for Isaiah 51:4
- Isaiah 26:2Open the gates of the city, so that the righteous nation can come in. They are the people who continue to be faithful.
- Exodus 19:6You will be my priests who serve in my kingdom. You will be a nation that is special to me.” These are the words that you must speak to the Israelites.’
- Exodus 33:13If you are really pleased with me, tell me your thoughts. I want to understand you properly. Then I can continue to please you. Remember that this nation, the Israelites, are your own people.’
- Psalms 33:12The Lord blesses the nation that has him as their God. He has chosen them to belong to him, as his own special people.
- Psalms 106:5I want to enjoy the good things that you give to the people that you have chosen. I want to be happy together with them. I want to join with the people who belong to you, and praise you as you deserve.
- Psalms 147:20He has not done that for any other nation. They do not know his laws. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
- 1 Peter 2:9But you are not like that. You are a special group of people that God has chosen. You serve God like priests who serve a King. You are his own holy people who belong to him. He has taken you out of the dark place of sin, and he has brought you into his great light. He has done all this so that you can tell people how great he is.
- Isaiah 2:3As they come, people from many nations will say, ‘Come! We will go to the mountain of the Lord, Jacob's God. We will go to worship him at his temple. Then he will teach us how to live in a way that pleases him. We will be able to walk in his paths.’ At that time, Zion will be the place where people learn about what is right. Yes, in Jerusalem the Lord will teach people his message.
- Micah 4:2Many people will speak about it. ‘Come! We will go up to the Lord's mountain,’ they will say. ‘We will go to the Lord's house because he is the God of Jacob's people. He will teach us what he wants us to do. He will show us the right way; so then we will be able to obey him. The Lord will speak his rules from Zion. He will send out his message from Jerusalem.’
- Romans 8:2If you belong to Christ Jesus, God's Spirit has given you a new life. God's Spirit now rules in your life and he has made you free. Sin and death no longer have authority over you.
- 1 Corinthians 9:21With Gentile people, who do not have Moses' Law, I lived like they do. I continued to respect God's Law. Yes, I obey Christ's law. But I lived like a Gentile, so that I could help Gentiles to believe in Christ.
- Isaiah 42:1‘Here is my servant. I give him strength. I have chosen him. He makes me very happy. I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations.
- Isaiah 49:6‘As my servant, I have a greater job for you to do. It will not only be to make Jacob's tribes strong again. It will not only be to bring back Israel's people that I have kept safe. It will also be your job to bring light to the other nations. You will show people all over the world that I have the power to save them.’
- Proverbs 6:23Their commands and their teaching are like a lamp that gives you light. When they warn you that you are doing wrong things, that helps you to live well.
- Matthew 12:18‘Here is my servant. I have chosen him to serve me. I love him and he makes me very happy. I will give him the strength of my Spirit. He will tell all the nations that I will judge them fairly.
- Luke 2:32He will bring light to people so that they can know you. He will show you to those people who are not Jews. He will also show that your people of Israel are very special.’
Commentaries on Isaiah 51:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4By 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…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Hearken 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…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-8Verses 4-8 The gospel of Christ shall be preached and published. How shall we escape if we neglect it? There is no salvation without righteousness. The soul shall, as to this world, vanish like smoke, and the body be thrown by like a worn-out garment. But those whose happiness is in Christ's righteousness and salvation, will have the comfort of it when time and days shall be no more. Clouds darken the sun, but do not stop its course. The believer will…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4a law … My justice: The servant's work will succeed because justice will guide God's kingdom on earth (see Isaiah 42:1–4). a light to the nations: The nations will accept the Lord and his revelation (see also Isaiah 42:6; 49:6; 60:1–3; 66:19–23; Matthew 4:15–16; Luke 2:32; John 1:4–9; 12:35–50; Acts 13:47).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. my people--the Jews. This reading is better than that of Gesenius: "O peoples ... nations," namely, the Gentiles. The Jews are called on to hear and rejoice in the extension of the true religion to the nations; for, at the first preaching of the Gospel, as in the final age to come, it was from Jerusalem that the gospel law was, and is, to go forth (Is 2:3). law ... judgment--the gospel dispensation and institutions (Is 42:1, "judgment"). make ... to…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 51:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 51
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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