Isaiah 18:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: At that time tribute will be brought to the Lord of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the Lord of hosts.

NIV: At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers— the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.

NASB: At that time a gift of tribute will be brought to the Lord of armies From a people tall and smooth, From a people feared far and wide, A powerful and oppressive nation, Whose land the rivers divide— To the place of the name of the Lord of armies, to Mount Zion.

CSB: At that time a gift will be brought to the Lord of Armies from a people tall and smooth-skinned, a people feared far and near, a powerful nation with a strange language, whose land is divided by rivers—to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the Lord of Armies.

NLT: At that time the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will receive gifts from this land divided by rivers, from this tall, smooth-skinned people, who are feared far and wide for their conquests and destruction. They will bring the gifts to Jerusalem, where the Lord of Heaven’s Armies dwells.

KJV: In that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion.

NKJV: In that time a present will be brought to the Lord of hosts From a people tall and smooth of skin, And from a people terrible from their beginning onward, A nation powerful and treading down, Whose land the rivers divide— To the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, To Mount Zion.

Isaiah ends Chapter 18 with a parallel to earlier statements. He previously mentioned how messengers were being sent to a nation of "tall and smooth people" in a nation "whose land the river divides" (Isaiah 18:2). Now, he points forward to a time when tribute—a form of tax or duty paid to one's ruler—will be brought from such a people. They will bring their tribute to God at Jerusalem, on Mount Zion. Isaiah is describing the future kingdom of the Messiah on earth, where He will reign from Jerusalem over the entire world.

Isaiah 2:1–4 describes how the Gentile nations will flow to Zion to meet the Lord and learn His ways. That's the end times moment to which Isaiah looks once again.

In Scripture, the "name" of the Lord implies more than a simple label. The idea of the "name" implies that person's power, authority, and control. God's name carries weight, power, and holiness. It needs a place, and Mount Zion is the place where His "name" resides.

Isaiah 18:1–7 begins with Isaiah's calls to a land beyond the rivers of Cush. This may refer to ancient Ethiopia—different from modern Ethiopia—south of Egypt. He calls for messengers to be sent to a faraway nation. Then he calls for all the people of the earth to look for the signal of the Lord. The Lord will prune away the Assyrian threat when the time is right, but not before then. When He does so, the bodies of Assyrian soldiers will feed wild animals for months. Then the nations will bring tribute to the Lord at Mount Zion.

This short chapter begins with a call from Isaiah to a people beyond the land of Cush. They send ambassadors to a nation of people quite different from those normally seen in Israel. All the people of the world are concerned about the threat of the Assyrian war machine. Isaiah calls for all to wait for the Lord's signal. He will prune away the Assyrians when the time is exactly right, ending their reign of terror on the earth. Then the nations of the earth will send tribute to the Lord at Mount Zion, where His name resides.

Prior passages were targeted messages in the form of predictions about certain nations. This passage is also an oracle, but one more about reassurance that the Lord is in control and prepared to act accordingly. Every nation is concerned about the cruel Assyrian conquerors who leave death and devastation in their wake. Isaiah calls the world to watch for the Lord's signal. He is waiting for just the right moment to prune the Assyrians away and end their time of terror. Following chapters return to the typical pattern of Isaiah.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).