Isaiah 41:27
in Isaiah 41I was the first to tell Zion: ‘Look, here they are!’ And I gave to Jerusalem a herald of good news.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
I am the first that saith unto Zion, Behold, behold them; and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.
KJV
The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.
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This verse in Isaiah 41
Commentary
12 notes on this verse(Verse 27) The first to Zion will say: Behold, they are here, and I will give Jerusalem a messenger. LXX: I will give the beginning to Zion: and I will console Jerusalem in the way. And the Lord will speak first to Zion, that is, to His Church, and He will say to her: See, your children are here, whom I have given to you through my faith. But it signifies the Apostles, who preached the Gospel throughout the whole world. Zion and Jerusalem differ in name; but as one city, so is one Church.
This site's exposition
Who has declared this from the beginning
on Isaiah 41:26-27
The case closes with a string of denials, No one announced it, no one heard your words. Against that silence the LORD answers His own challenge, I gave to Jerusalem a herald of good news. Henry sets this herald beside the herald of good news at 40:9.
This site's exposition
I was the first to tell Zion
Barnes found the King James wording unclear and rendered the line as the LORD first announcing these things to Zion, the sense the Berean follows. Jerome read the herald of good news as the apostles carrying the gospel. He took Zion and Jerusalem as two names for one church.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"I will give a leader to Zion, and I will console Jerusalem as I go." … Again the multitude of those going astray is promised the revealing of the Savior, through whom each one under heaven has been saved and is summoned to the recognition of the truth. So that we could have a guide who would be able and skilled to lead us along the path of salvation, the only-begotten Son of God became a human being. And though he was King by nature in that he is considered to be God and from God the Father and ruler of all things with all creation under his feet, he is said to be elected king among us.
I want you to know, God is saying, I have intended from the beginning of everything to give authority to my church over all things, and the authority of my kingdom I shall give to my Zion. And I shall stir up my Jerusalem, preparing it as the road on which are all those who labor in it towards the thrice-blessed goal—to the God over all and his heavenly kingdom.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Fourth, he shows the sign of divinity in the true God: the first, that is, the only one, our God; behold I am here to help, evangelists, announcing things to come: verily, your God is the God of gods (Dan 2:47); or: the first, prophet …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
This is applicable to the work of redemption, in which the Lord showed himself much more than in the release of the Jews out of Babylon: he it was that contrived our salvation, and he brought it about, and he has given to us the glad tidings of reconciliation. Judgment is here given upon this trial.
1 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment. 2 Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The first - I who am the first, do and will foretel to my people things to come. Them - I also represent future things as if they were present. By them he means things which are to come.
The first shall say to Zion, behold, behold them,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The first shall say to Zion - This translation is unhappy. It does not convey any clear meaning, nor is it possible from the translation to conjecture what the word ‘first’ refers to. The correct rendering undoubtedly is, ‘I first said to Zion;’ and the sense is, ‘I, Yahweh, first gave to Zion the announcement of these things.
The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them “I first to Zion gave the word, Behold they are here” - This verse is somewhat obscure by the transposition of the parts of the sentence, and the peculiar manner in which it is divided into two parallel lines. The verb at the end of the sentence belongs to both parts; and the phrase, Behold, they are here! is parallel to the messenger of glad tidings; and stands like it, as the accusative case to the verb. The following paraphrase will explain the form and the sense of it. “I first, by my prophets, give notice of these events, saying, Behold, they are at hand! and I give to Jerusalem a messenger of glad tidings.”
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| רִאשׁ֥וֹן | rishon | a first [one] | H7223 → | 182 times |
| לְצִיּ֖וֹן | letziyon | to Zion | H6726 → | 154 times |
| הִנֵּ֣ה | hineh | here! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| הִנָּ֑ם | hinam | here [are] they | H2005 → | 316 times |
| וְלִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם | velirushalim | and to Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| מְבַשֵּׂ֥ר | mevaser | a bearer of news | H1319 → | 24 times |
| אֶתֵּֽן׃ | ʾeten | I gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
רִאשׁ֥וֹןa first [one]
rishonH7223 →182 times
לְצִיּ֖וֹןto Zion
letziyonH6726 →154 times
הִנֵּ֣הhere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
הִנָּ֑םhere [are] they
hinamH2005 →316 times
וְלִירוּשָׁלִַ֖םand to Jerusalem
velirushalimH3389 →643 times
מְבַשֵּׂ֥רa bearer of news
mevaserH1319 →24 times
אֶתֵּֽן׃I gave
ʾetenH5414 →2011 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 52:7How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
it leads to
- Romans 10:12–15
For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him,
- Nahum 1:15
Look to the mountains—the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows. For the wicked will never again march through you; they will be…
- Isaiah 61:1–3
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty…
- Mark 16:15
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
- Isaiah 40:9
Go up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news. Raise your voice loudly, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of…
- Romans 10:12–15
Through
Nahum 1:15Look to the mountains—the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows. For the wicked will never again march through you; they will be…
it leads to
- Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
- Romans 10:15
And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
- Isaiah 52:7
Through
Isaiah 48:3I foretold the former things long ago; they came out of My mouth and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
it leads to
- Isaiah 42:9
Behold, the former things have happened, and now I declare new things. Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”
- Isaiah 42:9
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PlaceJerusalemZionThe eastern ridge David took from the Jebusites and made his stronghold, the name the Psalms and the prophets give the city the LO…
- PlaceJerusalemJerusalemThe city David took from the Jebusites and made his capital, where Solomon built the temple, where Christ was crucified and rose,…
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 3:5.41:27-28; Eusebius of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 2:21; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.