Isaiah 51:4

"For the LORD has comforted Zion. He has comforted all her waste places, and has made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in them, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody."

Key Reflection

This passage speaks of divine comfort and restoration, where God revitalizes desolate areas, transforming them into places of joy and abundance, mirroring Eden's fertility under the Lord’s care. Through this imagery, God assures Zion that despite its current state of ruin, a future of prosperity and gladness awaits.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Hearken unto me, my people -Lowth reads this; Attend unto me, O ye people, And give ear unto me, O ye nations. The reason why he proposes this change is, that he supposes the address here is made to the Gentiles and not to the Jews, and in favor of the change he observes, that two manuscripts read it in this manner. Gesenius (Commentary) says that three codices readעמים‛ammiym(“peoples”), instead ofעמי‛amiy(“my people”); and that thirteen MSS. readלאוּמיםle'ûmiym(“nations”), instead ofלאוּמיleûmiy(“my nation”). Noyes also has adopted this reading. But the authority is too slight to justify a change in the text.

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