Isaiah 41:27 (YLT)

Passage

First to Zion, Behold, behold them, And to Jerusalem one proclaiming tidings I give,

Nearby Context

Isaiah 41:25 I have stirred up <FI>one<Fi> from the north, And he cometh, From the rising of the sun he calleth in My name, And he cometh in <FI>on<Fi> prefects as <FI>on<Fi> clay, And as a potter treadeth down mire.

Isaiah 41:26 Who hath declared from the first, and we know? And beforetime, and we say, `Righteous?' yea, there is none declaring, Yea, there is none proclaiming, Yea, there is none hearing your sayings.

Isaiah 41:27 First to Zion, Behold, behold them, And to Jerusalem one proclaiming tidings I give,

Isaiah 41:28 And I see that there is no man, Yea, of these that there is no counsellor, And I ask them, and they return word:

Isaiah 41:29 `Lo, all of them <FI>are<Fi> vanity, Nought <FI>are<Fi> their works, Wind and emptiness their molten images!'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "first", "zion", "behold", "jerusalem", "proclaiming", "tidings", and "give". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "first" and "zion", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "Who hath declared from the first and..." into verse 28's "And I see that there is no...", so "first" and "zion" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "first" and "zion" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.