Isaiah 9:1
1 Nevertheless the dimness [muw`aph] shall not be such as was in her vexation, [muwtsaq] when [`eth] at the first [ri'shown] he lightly afflicted [qalal]
the land ['erets] of Zebulun [Zabuwluwn] and the land ['erets] of
Naphtali, [Naphtaliy] and afterward ['acharown] did more grievously afflict [kabad] her by the way [derek] of
the sea, [yam] beyond [`eber] Jordan, [Yarden] in Galilee
[Galiyl] of the nations. [gowy] KJV-Interlinear
1 But
there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He
treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later
on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of
Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. NASB
Continuing on from the
previous chapter, the gloom of the land, the land being all of Palestine, will
be transformed from a time of affliction, into a time of honor.
The earlier times refers to
the invasions beginning with Syria and continuing through the many centuries of
occupation, suffered at the hands of the many empires, down to the time of the
birth of Jesus.
During some of those invasions
the land was afflicted, lightly at first, then more horrendously or grievously
afflicted in later generations.
No more gloom begins with
the birth of a child. That child being
Jesus, Isa. 9:6. Who is referred to as
the Messiah. He will live mostly in the
northern regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, near the Sea of Galilee and on or in the
vicinity of the Jordan River.
And here we have the
locations where Jesus will live and travel during most of his life during most
of his ministry, Matt. 4:13-16.
And the glory comes to
the region and to all of humanity, with the birth of Christ.
Likewise there will be
yet another time which can be referred to as the former or earlier times, which
will include the many centuries following the life of Jesus, up to and until
the Second Advent. Where the land will
suffer from many invasions and hardships throughout the ages.
And at the end of the
Tribulation, which will be the time of the most extreme affliction that will
ever occur in the history of not only Israel but of all of humanity, then yet a
second glory can be ascribed to the land at the Second Advent, when the
afflictions will finally end and the Kingdom of God on earth will be established,
Isa. 9:7.
