Isaiah 9:2

Isaiah 9:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
• New International Version (NIV)The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.

Context of Isaiah 9:2

1But the darkness will not continue for ever. Those who had no hope will no longer be afraid. In past times, God let trouble happen to the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. But in future years, he will cause the people of that region to be great. Those are the places near the sea, and those beyond the Jordan River, and Galilee region where people from other nations live. The people who walk in the dark now see a bright light! Light is shining on those people who live in a land of complete darkness. 3You, Lord, will make your nation stronger. You will cause your people to be very happy. They will be happy because you are with them. They will be like people who are happy at the time of harvest. They will be happy like soldiers who have won a battle, and who share their enemy's valuable things among themselves. 4They are happy because you have removed the power of their cruel enemies. They no longer have to carry a heavy load, as slaves. You have rescued them from their enemies, in the same way that you won against Midian's army.

Isaiah 9:2 word by word

הָעָם֙ הַהֹלְכִ֣ים בַּחֹ֔שֶׁךְ רָא֖וּ א֣וֹר גָּד֑וֹל יֹשְׁבֵי֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ צַלְמָ֔וֶת א֖וֹר נָגַ֥הּ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• that walkedהָלַךְhâlak · to go: walkH1980
• in darknessחֹ֫שֶׁךְchôshek · darknessH2822
• have seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• a greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• lightאוֹר'ôr · lightH216
• they that dwellיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• in the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• of the shadow of deathצַלְמָ֫וֶתtsalmâveth · shadowH6757
• shinedנָגַהּnâgahh · to shineH5050

Cross-references for Isaiah 9:2

• Isaiah 50:10Do any of you respect the Lord with fear? Do any of you obey his servant's message? Are you walking in a place that is completely dark, where there is no light? Then you should trust in the Lord as the God who will help you.
• Isaiah 60:1Stand up! Shine brightly! Now your light has come! The Lord's glory has risen to shine on you.
• Micah 7:8My enemy, do not be happy because I am in trouble. I have fallen down, but I will get up. I am in the dark, but the Lord will be a light to me.
• Matthew 4:16They are like people who are living in the dark. They live in the shadow which death brings. God will send a light to shine on them.’
• Luke 1:78Our God will forgive us because he is very kind. He will send someone from the highest place. When this person comes, it will be like the sunrise for us.
• 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.’
• John 8:12Jesus spoke to the people again. He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Those people who become my disciples will never walk in the dark. No, they will have the light that gives life.’
• John 12:35Jesus answered, ‘The light will be with you for only a short time longer. So continue to walk while you still have the light. Do that, so that the dark will not come over you. Anyone who walks in the dark does not know where they are going.
• Ephesians 5:8Once your minds were completely in the dark. But now you belong to the Lord. As a result, you have become full of light. So now you must live as people who belong to the light.
• 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.
• 1 John 1:5We are telling you the good news that Jesus Christ told to us. This is the message: God is completely good and clean. He is like light. There is nothing dark about him.
• Job 10:21I will soon go to the dark place where there is no hope. I will never come back from that place.
• Psalms 23:4I may walk through a valley that is as dark as death. But I will not be afraid of any danger. This is because you are with me, Lord. Your stick and your shepherd's pole protect me from danger.
• Psalms 107:10Some people sat in a completely dark place. Iron chains held them as prisoners, and they were very sad.
• Amos 5:8The Lord made the groups of stars called Pleiades and Orion. The Lord changes the night into dawn, and he changes the day back to night again. He takes the water in the sea, and he pours it out as rain on the earth. The Lord is his name!

Commentaries on Isaiah 9:2

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2The people that walked in darkness - The inhabitants of the region of Galilee. They were represented as walking in darkness, because they were far from the capital, and from the temple; they had few religious privileges; they were intermingled with the pagan, and were comparatively rude and uncultivated in their manners and in their language. Allusion to this is several times made in the New Testament; John 1:46: Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?‘…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-7After judgment and destruction, there would still be hope. God promised that the Messiah (God’s chosen one) would come and rule. In the Messiah’s kingdom, darkness would end and great light would begin. This light would first appear in Galilee. Then it would spread to the whole nation of Israel and finally to the whole world. The Messiah would defend those who suffer and are treated unfairly. He would bring an end to cruelty and injustice. He would rule…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. the people--the whole nation, Judah and Israel. shadow of death--the darkest misery of captivity.Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 9:2

• Blindness
• Church
• Darkness
• Gentiles
• Gospel
• Isaiah
• Naphtali
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions

In the dictionaries

• Shadow of Death
• Ahaz
• Darkness
• Increase
• Kindle
• Prince
• Snatch
• Zebulun, Lot of
• Dark; Darkness
• Ezekiel

Commentaries on Isaiah 9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• 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