5:26 He lifts a signal flag for a distant nation, 1
he whistles for it to come from the far regions of the earth.
Look, they 2 come quickly and swiftly.
49:12 Look, they come from far away!
Look, some come from the north and west,
and others from the land of Sinim! 3
59:11 We all growl like bears,
we coo mournfully like doves;
we wait for deliverance, 4 but there is none,
for salvation, but it is far from us.
59:14 Justice is driven back;
godliness 5 stands far off.
Indeed, 6 honesty stumbles in the city square
and morality is not even able to enter.
60:4 Look all around you! 7
They all gather and come to you –
your sons come from far away
and your daughters are escorted by guardians.
1 tc The Hebrew text has literally, “for nations from a distance.” The following verses use singular forms to describe this nation, so the final mem (ם) on לְגּוֹיִם (lÿgoyim) may be enclitic or dittographic. In the latter case one could read לְגוֹי מֵרָחוֹק (lÿgoy merakhoq, “for a nation from a distance”; see Deut 28:49; Joel 3:8). Another possibility is to emend the text from לַגּוֹיִם מֵרָחוֹק (laggoyim merakhoq) to לְגוֹי מִמֶּרְחָק (lÿgoy mimmerkhaq, “for a nation from a distant place”) a phrase which occurs in Jer 5:15. In this case an error of misdivision has occurred in MT, the mem of the prefixed preposition being accidentally taken as a plural ending on the preceding word.
2 tn Heb “he.” Singular forms are used throughout vv. 26-30 to describe this nation, but for stylistic reasons the translation uses the plural for these collective singulars.
3 tc The MT reads “Sinim” here; the Dead Sea Scrolls read “Syene,” a location in Egypt associated with modern Aswan. A number of recent translations adopt this reading: “Syene” (NAB, NRSV); “Aswan” (NIV); “Egypt” (NLT).
sn The precise location of the land of Sinim is uncertain, but since the north and west are mentioned in the previous line, it was a probably located in the distant east or south.
4 tn See the note at v. 9.
5 tn Or “righteousness” (ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NAB “justice.”
6 tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).
7 tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”