Isaiah 66:8

66:8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?

Who has ever seen this?

Can a country ¹  be brought forth in one day?

Can a nation be born in a single moment?

Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!

Isaiah 66:19

66:19 I will perform a mighty act among them ²  and then send some of those who remain to the nations – to Tarshish, Pul, ³  Lud ⁴  (known for its archers ⁵ ), Tubal, Javan, ⁶  and to the distant coastlands ⁷  that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor.

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¹ tn Heb “land,” but here אֶרֶץ (’erets) stands metonymically for an organized nation (see the following line).

² tn Heb “and I will set a sign among them.” The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Elsewhere “to set a sign” means “perform a mighty act” (Ps 78:43; Jer 32:20), “make [someone] an object lesson” (Ezek 14:8), and “erect a [literal] standard” (Ps 74:4).

³ tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).

⁴ sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).

⁵ tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).

⁶ sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).

⁷ tn Or “islands” (NIV).