“And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 66:19 Mean?
God promises to set a sign among the nations and send survivors to the far-flung peoples who have not heard his fame or seen his glory. The mission is global — reaching nations that have no prior knowledge of God.
The nations listed span the ancient world: Tarshish (Spain), Pul and Lud (Africa), Tubal and Javan (Asia Minor), and the distant coastlands. God's reach extends to the most remote places.
"They shall declare my glory among the Gentiles" — the survivors become missionaries. They carry the testimony of God's glory to people who have never encountered it. The rescue produces witnesses.
This verse anticipates the Great Commission by centuries — the sending of witnesses to every nation, carrying the knowledge of God's glory to the ends of the earth.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does the rescue of survivors produce missionaries in this verse?
- 2.What does it mean that some nations have 'not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory'?
- 3.How does this Old Testament verse anticipate the Great Commission?
- 4.Who in your world has 'not heard' — and how are you being sent to them?
Devotional
I will send those that escape unto the nations. The survivors become missionaries. The ones God rescued are sent to those who have never heard. The rescue is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of the sending.
To the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory. There are people — entire nations — who have never heard. Never seen God's glory. Never encountered his fame. And God's plan is to reach them through the people he has already saved.
They shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. The declaration flows from the experience. You cannot declare glory you have not witnessed. The survivors carry what they have seen to those who have not.
This is the missionary impulse embedded in the Old Testament — centuries before the Great Commission. God's plan was always global. His glory was always meant for every nation. And the means of delivery was always his rescued people.
You are a survivor. You have seen his glory. And somewhere out there — perhaps closer than the distant coastlands — there are people who have not heard. The rescue that saved you equipped you. Now you are sent.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And I will set a sign among them,.... Either a miraculous sign, something wonderful, as the word is often used, Exo 4:8,…
And I will set a sign among them - (See the notes at Isa 11:12; Isa 18:3). On the meaning of the word ‘sign’ (אות…
That draw the bow - I much suspect that the words משכי קשת moshechey kesheth, who draw the bow, are a corruption of the…
These verses, like the pillar of cloud and fire, have a dark side towards the enemies of God's kingdom and all that are…
I will set a sign among them i.e. perform a miracle (ch. Isa 7:11) that shall convince them of Jehovah's divinity.
I…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture