Isaiah 42:10
in Isaiah 42Sing to the LORD a new song—His praise from the ends of the earth—you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who dwell in them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Sing unto Jehovah a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
KJV
Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
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This verse in Isaiah 42
Commentary
12 notes on this verseYe that go down to the sea - This seems not to belong to this place; it does not well consist with what follows, “and the fullness thereof.” They that go down upon the sea means navigators, sailors, traders, such as do business in great waters; an idea much too confined for the prophet, who means the sea in general, as it is used by the Hebrews, for the distant nations, the islands, the dwellers on the sea-coasts all over the world.
This site's exposition
Sing to the LORD a new song
on Isaiah 42:10-12
The prediction is answered with worship, Sing to the LORD a new song. The call widens to the desert and its cities and the villages of Kedar. The new song follows the new things of verse 9, a fresh act of God answered by a fresh song.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
Well, in as much as the Word was from the first, He was and is the divine source of all things; but in as much as He has now assumed the name Christ, consecrated of old, and worthy of power, he has been called by me the New Song. This Word, then, the Christ, the cause of both our being at first (for He was in God) and of our well-being, this very Word has now appeared as man, He alone being both, both God and man-the Author of all blessings to us; by whom we, being taught to live well, are sent on our way to life eternal. This is the New Song, the manifestation of the Word that was in the beginning, and before the beginning. The Saviour, who existed before, has in recent days appeared.
You descend into the water and come out unimpaired, the filth of sins having been washed away. You ascend "a new person" prepared to "sing a new song."
Here [Isaiah] speaks again about the Gentiles and invites them to sing a new song to the Lord. Indeed, if the Jews, redeemed from captivity after seventy years, had to sing a new hymn to the Lord, their liberator, why should not the Gentiles do …
The word of the holy apostles and Evangelists about the Savior made visible the message of the glory of the Savior. At that time they wrote words concerning his ineffable divinity, and they hymned his transcendent virtue, not placing him among the things that are born but above those things that have been called into being and in such a nature he was placed beside God the Father. At that time their words set forth the divine signs that are beyond wonder and its explanation.
(Verse 10) Sing to God a new song: his praise from the ends of the earth: you who descend into the sea, and its fullness; islands and their inhabitants. LXX: Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and sail on it; the islands and those who inhabit them.
5 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers1 voice
Even as islands have been set in the midst of the sea, churches have been established in the midst of this world, and they are beaten and buffeted by different waves of persecution. Truly these islands are lashed by waves every day, but they are not submerged. They are in the midst of the sea, to be sure, but they have Christ as their foundation, Christ who cannot be moved.
The Medieval Church1 voice
822. Sing to the Lord. Here he invites to thanksgiving. And first, he enjoins praise, and especially upon the rustic, whether because of the distance of their habitation: from the ends of the earth, above: from the ends of the earth we have heard praises …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Sing unto the Lord a new song,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The new song shall be sung when the Lord shall reign in Jerusalem, and all "nations shall flow unto it" (Isa 2:2; 14:3). ye that go down to the sea--whose conversion will be the means of diffusing the Gospel to distant lands. all . . . therein--all the living creatures that fill the sea (Ps 96:11) [MAURER].
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Sing unto the Lord a new song - It is common, as we have seen, to celebrate the goodness of God in a hymn of praise on the manifestation of any special act of mercy (see the notes at Isa 12:1-6; Isa 25:1-12; 26) Here the prophet calls upon all people to celebrate the divine mercy in a song of praise in view of his goodness in providing a Redeemer. The sentiment is, that God’s goodness in providing a Saviour demands the thanksgiving of all the world. A new song - A song hitherto unsung; one that shall be expressive of the goodness of God in this new manifestation of his mercy. None of the hymns of praise that had been employed to express his former acts of goodness would appropriately express this. The mercy was so great that it demanded a song expressly made for the occasion. And his praise frown the end of the earth - From all parts of the earth. Let the most distant nations who are to be interested in this great Ye that go down to the sea - That is, traders, navigators, merchants, seamen; such as do business in the great waters. The sense is, that they would be interested in the plan of mercy through a Redeemer; and hence, they are called on to celebrate the goodness of God (compare the notes at Isa 60:5). This is referred to by the prophet, first, because of the great multitude who thus go down to the sea; and, secondly, because their conversion will have so important an influence in diffusing the true religion to distant nations. And all that is therein - Margin, as Hebrew, ‘The fullness thereof.’ All that fill it; that is, either in ships, or by dwelling on the islands and coasts. […]
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
His praise from the end of the earth Perforce, when they see My mighty deeds for Israel, all the heathens (nations [Parshandatha, K’li Paz]) will admit that I am God.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
The desert and its cities shall raise [their voice] their voice in song.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שִׁ֤ירוּ | shiru | sing | H7891 → | 86 times |
| לַֽיהוָה֙ | layahweh | to Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| שִׁ֣יר | shir | a song | H7892 → | 59 times |
| חָדָ֔שׁ | chadash | new | H2319 → | 53 times |
| תְּהִלָּת֖וֹ | tehilato | praise his | H8416 → | 56 times |
| מִקְצֵ֣ה | miktzeh | from [the] end of | H7097 → | 97 times |
| הָאָ֑רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| יוֹרְדֵ֤י | yordei | O [those who] go down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| הַיָּם֙ | haiyam | <of> the sea | H3220 → | 396 times |
| וּמְלֹא֔וֹ | umeloo | and what fills it | H4393 → | 38 times |
| אִיִּ֖ים | ʾiyim | O islands | H339 → | 36 times |
| וְיֹשְׁבֵיהֶֽם׃ | veyosheveihem | and inhabitants their | H3427 → | 1079 times |
שִׁ֤ירוּsing
shiruH7891 →86 times
לַֽיהוָה֙to Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
שִׁ֣ירa song
shirH7892 →59 times
חָדָ֔שׁnew
chadashH2319 →53 times
תְּהִלָּת֖וֹpraise his
tehilatoH8416 →56 times
מִקְצֵ֣הfrom [the] end of
miktzehH7097 →97 times
הָאָ֑רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
יוֹרְדֵ֤יO [those who] go down
yordeiH3381 →381 times
הַיָּם֙<of> the sea
haiyamH3220 →396 times
וּמְלֹא֔וֹand what fills it
umelooH4393 →38 times
אִיִּ֖יםO islands
ʾiyimH339 →36 times
וְיֹשְׁבֵיהֶֽם׃and inhabitants their
veyosheveihemH3427 →1079 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
Psalms 40:3He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
it leads to
- Psalms 33:3
Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.
- Psalms 103:1–5
Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name.
- Psalms 34:1–6
I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.
- Psalms 52:6
The righteous will see and fear; they will mock the evildoer, saying,
- Revelation 5:9–10
And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and…
- Psalms 33:3
Through
Isaiah 42:4He will not grow weak or discouraged before He has established justice on the earth. In His law the islands will put their hope.”
it leads to
- Isaiah 53:2–12
He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.
- Isaiah 55:5
Surely you will summon a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you will run to you. For the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, has bestowed glory…
- Isaiah 53:2–12
Through
Psalms 33:3Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.
it leads to
- Ephesians 5:19
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,
- Ephesians 5:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
On this verse
On this chapter
About Isaiah
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen; Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:1.42:11-12; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 42:10; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; Jerome, HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 24 (PSALM 97); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON EXODUS 5:5 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.