A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.
Parallel translations
- WEB The little one will become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation. I, Yahweh, will do this quickly in its time.”
- BSB The least of you will become a thousand, and the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its time I will accomplish it quickly.
- NKJV A little one shall become a thousand, And a small one a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”
- NASB “The smallest one will become a thousand, And the least one a mighty nation. I, the Lord, will bring it about quickly in its time.”
- NLT The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”
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
The smallest will become a mighty nation, and the Lord will accomplish this swiftly in its time. God will fulfill His promise of growth and blessing at the appointed moment.
Overview
God promises that the least will multiply into a thousand and the small into a strong nation, and that He, the Lord, will bring it about quickly in its time. The assurance rests on His sovereign timing and power. Such promised growth and blessing find their fulfillment as God builds His kingdom through Christ, expanding His people from small beginnings.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Hab 2:3For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
- Heb 10:36For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
- Luke 18:7And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
- Matt 13:31–32Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
- 2 Pet 3:8But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
- Isa 66:8Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
- Isa 5:19That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!
- Dan 2:44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
- Rev 7:9After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
- Acts 5:14And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)
- Acts 2:41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
- Dan 2:35Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
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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 60:22 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.