The Meaning of Isaiah 41:27 Explained

Isaiah 41:27

KJV: The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.

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

Darby: The first, I said to Zion, Behold, behold them! and to Jerusalem, I will give one that bringeth glad tidings.

ASV: I am the first that saith unto Zion, Behold, behold them; and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The first  [shall say] to Zion,  Behold,  behold  them: and I will give  to Jerusalem  one that bringeth good tidings. 

What does Isaiah 41:27 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Yahweh had announced to His people that Cyrus" invaders would come. Cyrus would be a messenger of good news in two senses: his coming would validate the truthfulness of Isaiah"s prediction of his coming, and his coming would mean return from captivity for the Jewish exiles (cf. Ezra 1:2-4).

Context Summary

Isaiah 41:17-29 - What The Lord's Hand Does For The Needy
Life is not easy for any of us, if we regard external conditions only; but directly we learn the divine secret, rivers flow from bare heights, fountains arise in sterile valleys, and the desert blooms like the forest-glade. To the ordinary eye there might appear no outward change in the forbidding circumstance; but faith's eye always beholds a very paradise of beauty where other eyes see only straitened circumstances and a trying lot.
Once again our minds are brought back to the great convocation announced in the opening verses of the chapter. The idols are asked to say or do something to prove that they are divine. See Isaiah 41:21-23. There is no response; with the result that a crushing verdict is passed on them as recorded in Isaiah 41:24. On the other hand, the prophet of the Lord is prepared with His predictions of Cyrus "the one from the East," (see Isaiah 41:2 and Isaiah 44:28) which would be fulfilled before that generation had passed away. Let us give heed to the sure word of prophecy, "as unto a light that shineth in a dark place," 2 Peter 1:19. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 41

1  God expostulates with his people, about his mercies to the church
10  About his promises
21  And about the vanity of idols

What do the individual words in Isaiah 41:27 mean?

The first time [I said] to Zion Look there they are and to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings I will give
רִאשׁ֥וֹן לְצִיּ֖וֹן הִנֵּ֣ה הִנָּ֑ם וְלִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם מְבַשֵּׂ֥ר אֶתֵּֽן

רִאשׁ֥וֹן  The  first  time  [I  said] 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רִאשֹׁון  
Sense: first, primary, former.
לְצִיּ֖וֹן  to  Zion 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
הִנֵּ֣ה  Look 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
הִנָּ֑ם  there  they  are 
Parse: Interjection, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
וְלִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם  and  to  Jerusalem 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
מְבַשֵּׂ֥ר  one  who  brings  good  tidings 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בָּשַׂר  
Sense: to bear news, bear tidings, publish, preach, show forth.
אֶתֵּֽן  I  will  give 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.