Behold, they will come from far away, from the north and from the west, and from the land of Aswan.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, these shall come from afar; and behold, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.”
- KJV Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
- NKJV Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, And these from the land of Sinim.”
- NASB “Behold, these will come from afar; And behold, these will come from the north and from the west, And these from the land of Aswan.”
- NLT See, my people will return from far away, from lands to the north and west, and from as far south as Egypt.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God's people will come from every direction, from north, west, and distant Sinim, gathered from afar.
Overview
The exiles return not only from Babylon but from all directions, including the remote land of Sinim (possibly the far south, perhaps Aswan, or a distant region). The point is the worldwide ingathering of God's people. This foreshadows the gospel gathering of believers from east and west into the kingdom (Matthew 8:11; Luke 13:29).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Isa 43:5–6Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west.
- Rev 7:9After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
- Ps 22:27All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.
- Isa 60:9–14Surely the islands will wait for Me, with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, to bring your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.
- Isa 11:10–11On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.
- Mic 4:2And many nations will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
- Zech 8:20–23This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Peoples will yet come—the residents of many cities—
- Isa 2:2–3In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
- Luke 13:29People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.
- Ps 72:10–11May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
- Isa 66:19–20I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands far away who have not heard of My fame or seen My glory. So they will proclaim My glory among the nations.
- Ps 72:17May his name endure forever; may his name continue as long as the sun shines. In him may all nations be blessed; may they call him blessed.
- Matt 8:11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
- Rev 11:15Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.”
- Zech 2:11“On that day many nations will join themselves to the LORD, and they will become My people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you.
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 49:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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