Yesaya 41:1

The Lord Challenges the Nations

41:1 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! ¹ 

Let the nations find renewed strength!

Let them approach and then speak;

let us come together for debate! ² 

Yesaya 47:5

47:5 “Sit silently! Go to a hiding place, ³ 

O daughter of the Babylonians!

Indeed, ⁴  you will no longer be called ‘Queen of kingdoms.’

Mazmur 46:10

46:10 He says, ⁵  “Stop your striving and recognize ⁶  that I am God!

I will be exalted ⁷  over ⁸  the nations! I will be exalted over ⁹  the earth!”

Habakuk 2:20

2:20 But the Lord is in his majestic palace. ¹⁰ 

The whole earth is speechless in his presence!” ¹¹ 

[41:1]  ¹ tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV, CEV); TEV “distant lands”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”

[41:1]  ² tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) could be translated “judgment,” but here it seems to refer to the dispute or debate between the Lord and the nations.

[47:5]  ³ tn Heb “darkness,” which may indicate a place of hiding where a fugitive would seek shelter and protection.

[47:5]  ⁴ tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).

[46:10]  ⁵ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[46:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “do nothing/be quiet (see 1 Sam 15:16) and know.” This statement may be addressed to the hostile nations, indicating they should cease their efforts to destroy God’s people, or to Judah, indicating they should rest secure in God’s protection. Since the psalm is an expression of Judah’s trust and confidence, it is more likely that the words are directed to the nations, who are actively promoting chaos and are in need of a rebuke.

[46:10]  ⁷ tn Elsewhere in the psalms the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”) when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 18:46; 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 57:5, 11).

[46:10]  ⁸ tn Or “among.”

[46:10]  ⁹ tn Or “in.”

[2:20]  ¹⁰ tn Or “holy temple.” The Lord’s heavenly palace, rather than the earthly temple, is probably in view here (see Ps 11:4; Mic 1:2-3). The Hebrew word ֹקדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holy”) here refers to the sovereign transcendence associated with his palace.

[2:20]  ¹¹ tn Or “Be quiet before him, all the earth!”