Isaiah 41:27

27 The first shall say to Zion, Lo! I am present; and I shall give a gospeller to Jerusalem. (The first shall say to Zion, Lo! I am here; and I shall bring a messenger of good news, or of glad tidings, to Jerusalem.)

Isaiah 41:27 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 41:27

The first shall say to Zion, behold, behold them
Or, "I the first say to Zion"; I who am the first and the last, ( Isaiah 41:4 ) which some ancient Jewish writers ^F4 observe is the name of the Messiah, and apply the passage to him; or, I am the "first" that say these things to Zion ^F5, behold, behold them;
behold such and such things shall come to pass, and accordingly they have come to pass; or, "behold", the promised Messiah, whom I have long spoken of, behold, he is come; see ( Isaiah 42:1 ) , and behold them, his apostles and ministers, publishing the good tidings of salvation, as follows. The Targum is,

``the words of consolation which the prophets prophesied from the beginning concerning Sion, behold they come;''

they come to pass; which is such a proof of deity the idols and their worshippers cannot give: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings;
which some interpret of Isaiah; others of Cyrus; others of Christ; and others of John the Baptist. I suppose the singular put for the plural, "one that bringeth good tidings", or, "an evangelist for evangelists"; and may be understood of Gospel teachers, whom the Lord gave to his church and people, and by means of whom he spread his Gospel, not only in Judea, but in the Gentile world, to the overthrow of Paganism.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 T. Bab. Pesach. fol. 5. 1. Bereshit Rabba, sect. 63. fol. 55. 3. and Vajikra Rabba, sect. 30. fol. 171. 2.
F5 (Nwyul Nwvar) "ego primus sum qui dico haec Sioni", Tigurine version.

Isaiah 41:27 In-Context

25 I (have) raised (up one) from the north, and he shall come from the rising of the sun; he shall call (on) my name. And he shall bring magistrates as clay, and as a potter defouling [the] earth (And he shall trample upon the magistrates like upon the earth, or upon the dirt, yea, like a potter defiling, or treading upon, his clay).

26 Who told (out) from the beginning, (so) that we (can) know, and from the beginning, (so) that we (can) say, Thou art just? none is telling, neither before-saying, neither hearing your words.

27 The first shall say to Zion, Lo! I am present; and I shall give a gospeller to Jerusalem. (The first shall say to Zion, Lo! I am here; and I shall bring a messenger of good news, or of glad tidings, to Jerusalem.)

28 And I saw, and none was of these, that took counsel, and he that was asked, answered (not) a word. (And I saw, and there was no one who gave any advice, and he who was asked, answered not a word.)

29 Lo! all men be unjust, and their works be wind and vain; the simulacra of them be wind, and (a) void thing. (Lo! all people be unrighteous, and their works be but wind, and in vain, or empty and futile; and their idols be but wind, and empty things too.)