Isaiah 55:4
New International Version
See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples.

New Living Translation
See how I used him to display my power among the peoples. I made him a leader among the nations.

English Standard Version
Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.

Berean Standard Bible
Behold, I have made him a witness to the nations, a leader and commander of the peoples.

King James Bible
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

New King James Version
Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people.

New American Standard Bible
“Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, A leader and commander for the peoples.

NASB 1995
“Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, A leader and commander for the peoples.

NASB 1977
“Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, A leader and commander for the peoples.

Legacy Standard Bible
Behold, I have given him as a witness to the peoples, A ruler and commander for the peoples.

Amplified Bible
“Listen carefully, I have appointed him [David, representing the Messiah] to be a witness to the nations [regarding salvation], A leader and commander to the peoples.

Christian Standard Bible
Since I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Since I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples,

American Standard Version
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples.

Contemporary English Version
I made him the leader and ruler of the nations; he was my witness to them.

English Revised Version
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I made him a witness to people, a leader and a commander for people.

Good News Translation
I made him a leader and commander of nations, and through him I showed them my power.

International Standard Version
"Look! I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples.

Majority Standard Bible
Behold, I have made him a witness to the nations, a leader and commander of the peoples.

NET Bible
Look, I made him a witness to nations, a ruler and commander of nations."

New Heart English Bible
Look, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

World English Bible
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Behold, I have given him [as] a witness to peoples, "" A leader and commander to peoples.

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, a witness to peoples I have given him, A leader and commander to peoples.

Smith's Literal Translation
Behold, I gave him a witness of the nations, a leader and commanding the nations.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold I have given him for a witness to the people, for a leader and a master to the Gentiles.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Behold, I have presented him as a witness to the people, as a commander and instructor to the nations.

New American Bible
As I made him a witness to peoples, a leader and commander of peoples,

New Revised Standard Version
See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Behold, I have given you for a witness to the Gentiles, a ruler and leader to the nations.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Behold, I have given you as a witness to the nations, a Ruler and Leader to the peoples
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, A prince and commander to the peoples.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Behold I have made him a testimony among the Gentiles, a prince and commander to the Gentiles.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Invitation to the Needy
3Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David. 4Behold, I have made him a witness to the nations, a leader and commander of the peoples. 5Surely you will summon a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you will run to you. For the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, has bestowed glory on you.”…

Cross References
Psalm 89:27-29
I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. / I will forever preserve My loving devotion for him, and My covenant with him will stand fast. / I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.

2 Samuel 7:8-16
Now then, you are to tell My servant David that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over My people Israel. / I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like that of the greatest in the land. / And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning ...

Revelation 1:5
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,

John 18:37
“Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.”

1 Timothy 6:13
I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession in His testimony before Pontius Pilate:

Psalm 2:6-8
“I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.” / I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father. / Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.

Acts 13:34
In fact, God raised Him from the dead, never to see decay. As He has said: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’

Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Matthew 28:18
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

Revelation 3:14
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation.

Jeremiah 30:9
Instead, they will serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

Ezekiel 34:23-24
I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed them and be their shepherd. / I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them. I, the LORD, have spoken.

Hosea 3:5
Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.

1 Chronicles 28:4
Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me out of all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah He chose my father’s household, and from my father’s sons He was pleased to make me king over all Israel.

Psalm 72:8-11
May he rule from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth. / May the nomads bow before him, and his enemies lick the dust. / May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. ...


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

I have

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 18:37
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

1 Timothy 6:13
I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;

a leader

Isaiah 49:8-10
Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; …

Psalm 2:6
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

Jeremiah 30:9
But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

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Isaiah 55
1. The prophet, with the promises of Christ, calls to faith
6. And to repentance
8. The happy success of those who believe














Behold
The word "Behold" is a call to attention, urging the reader or listener to focus on what follows. In Hebrew, the word is "הִנֵּה" (hinneh), which serves as an imperative to observe something significant. This term is often used in Scripture to introduce a divine revelation or a moment of great importance. It invites us to pause and consider the weight of God's actions and promises, emphasizing the divine authority and intentionality behind what is being declared.

I have made him
This phrase indicates a divine appointment or creation. The Hebrew verb "נָתַתִּי" (natati) means "I have given" or "I have appointed." It underscores God's sovereign role in establishing the subject's position and purpose. This divine action is not a result of human effort but a fulfillment of God's plan. It reflects the biblical theme of God raising leaders according to His will, as seen throughout the narratives of the Old Testament.

a witness to the nations
The term "witness" in Hebrew is "עֵד" (ed), which implies someone who testifies or provides evidence. In the context of Isaiah, this witness is not merely a passive observer but an active proclaimer of God's truth and salvation. The "nations" (גּוֹיִם, goyim) refer to the Gentiles, indicating the universal scope of God's message. This phrase highlights the prophetic vision of Israel's role in being a light to the nations, a theme that resonates with the mission of the Messiah, who embodies this witness through His life, death, and resurrection.

a leader and commander
The words "leader" (נָגִיד, nagid) and "commander" (מְצַוֶּה, metsaveh) denote authority and governance. "Nagid" often refers to a prince or ruler, someone who guides and directs with wisdom and justice. "Metsaveh" implies one who gives orders or commands, emphasizing the responsibility and power entrusted to this figure. Together, these terms paint a picture of a divinely appointed ruler who leads with both authority and moral integrity, reflecting God's righteous governance.

of the peoples
The phrase "of the peoples" (לְאֻמִּים, leummim) broadens the scope of the leader's influence beyond Israel to include all ethnic groups and nations. This inclusivity aligns with the prophetic vision of a future where God's salvation and rule extend to all humanity. It underscores the biblical narrative of God's desire for a reconciled and unified creation under His sovereign rule, a theme that finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

(4) I have given him . . .--Better, I gave, the words referring primarily to the historic David (Comp. Psalm 78:70-71), though realised fully only in Him who was the "faithful and true witness" (John 18:37; Revelation 1:5; Revelation 3:14), the "captain" or "leader" of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10).

Verse 4. - Behold, I have given him for a witness. By ordinary rules of grammar, the pronoun "him" should refer to David; and so the passage is understood by Gesenius, Maurer, Hitzig, Ewald, Knobel, Delitzsch, and Mr. Cheyne. But, as Isaiah frequently sets aside ordinary grammatical rules, and as the position to the person here spoken of seems too high for the historical David, a large number of commentators, including Vitringa, Michaelis, Dathe, Rosenmuller, Umbreit, and Dr. Kay, consider that the Messiah is intended. It is certainly difficult to see how the historical David could be, at this time and in the future, a "leader and commander to the peoples" who were about to flock into the Messianic kingdom. A witness... a leader and commander. Christ was all these. He "came to bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37), and "before Pilate witnessed a good confession" (1 Timothy 6:13). He "feeds and leads" his people (Revelation 7:17), and is the "Commander" under whose banner they serve (2 Timothy 2:3, 4). What he is to his people, he is also of the "peoples" generally; for they have been called into his kingdom, People... people; rather, peoples.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Behold,
הֵ֛ן (hên)
Interjection
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

I have made him
נְתַתִּ֑יו (nə·ṯat·tîw)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

a witness
עֵ֥ד (‘êḏ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5707: A witness, testimony, a recorder, prince

to the nations,
לְאוּמִּ֖ים (lə·’ūm·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3816: A community

a leader
נָגִ֥יד (nā·ḡîḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5057: A commander, civil, military, religious, honorable themes

and commander
וּמְצַוֵּ֖ה (ū·mə·ṣaw·wêh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6680: To lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order

of the peoples.
לְאֻמִּֽים׃ (lə·’um·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3816: A community


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 55:4 Behold I have given him (Isa Isi Is)
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