Isaiah 41:1 use of the terms "coastlands" and "islands" a reference to heathen nations as in any nation Other Than the chosen nation of Israel

Question

Isaiah 41:1 NASB 1995

“Coastlands, listen to Me in silence, And let the peoples gain new strength; Let them come forward, then let them speak; Let us come together for judgment.

Isaiah 41:1 NKJV

“Keep silence before Me, O coastlands, And let the people renew their strength! Let them come near, then let them speak; Let us come near together for judgment.

Isaiah 41:1 KJV

Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

Based on some of the commentaries in BibleHub:

Isaiah 41:1 NASB 1995

“Coastlands, listen to Me in silence, And let the peoples gain new strength; Let them come forward, then let them speak; Let us come together for judgment.

Isaiah 41:1 NKJV

“Keep silence before Me, O coastlands, And let the people renew their strength! Let them come near, then let them speak; Let us come near together for judgment.

Isaiah 41:1 KJV

Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

41:1 The Westminster Leningrad Codex

41 הַחֲרִ֤ישׁוּ אֵלַי֙ אִיִּ֔ים וּלְאֻמִּ֖ים יַחֲלִ֣יפוּ כֹ֑חַ יִגְּשׁוּ֙ אָ֣ז יְדַבֵּ֔רוּ יַחְדָּ֖ו לַמִּשְׁפָּ֥ט נִקְרָֽבָה׃

Based on some of the commentaries in BibleHub, it sort of seems like "coastlands" and "islands" refer to any nation other than The chosen nation of Israel:

• Barnes' Notes on the Bible states that the following about Isaiah 41:1 "God calls the distant nations to a public investigation of his ability to aid his people"

• Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament states that Isaiah 41:1 refers to "The words are addressed to the whole of the heathen world"

Is Isaiah 41:1 use of the terms "coastlands" and "islands" a reference to heathen nations as in any nation Other Than the chosen nation of Israel? Please feel free to elaborate.

Answer 1

Isaiah uses the term "coastlands" at least a dozen times in his prophecies. The term combines the more general concept of heathen nations (goy'im - usually translated as "gentiles" or "nations") with the idea of very distant lands accessible by sea (bā·’î·yîm). A few examples:

Isaiah 24:14-15

These shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for joy in the majesty of the Lord, they shall shout from the western sea: 15 “Therefore, in the east give glory to the Lord! In the coastlands of the sea, to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel!”

Isaiah 42:4

He will not grow dim or be bruised until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

Isaiah 42:12

Let them give glory to the Lord, and utter his praise in the coastlands.

Isaiah 60:9

The vessels of the coastlands are gathering, with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, To bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them— For the name of the Lord, your God, for the Holy One of Israel who has glorified you.

The consistent theme here that these lands are both (formerly) heathen and distant. In keeping with Isaiah's theme of universality, most of his prophecies also provide them hope. Their being coastal implies that they are not normally accessed by land, an image that emphasizes their distance and the unlimited nature of God's reach.