What is the good news in Isaiah 40?

Why does Isaiah 40:9 command to proclaim the good news to Zion and Jerusalem, and then say, 'Behold your God'? and What cities do the cities of Judah refer to? Why are they instructed to proclaim the good news, the gospel, to the cities of Judah?

Isaiah 40


9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

The good news is synonymous with the gospel. Is there any other gospel for us besides the fact that Jesus died on the cross and resurrected?
Why does Isaiah 40:9 command to proclaim the good news to Zion and Jerusalem, and then say, 'Behold your God'? and What cities do the cities of Judah refer to?
Why are they instructed to proclaim the good news, the gospel, to the cities of Judah?


God reveals Himself in a chosen generation.

The Most High is with us in THIS Generation to testify His Son and to demonstrate His righteousness.

1Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;


I believe that the contents of the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in this generation, the one Jesus referred to, in which we currently live. I also believe that God teaches us the truth directly in this generation. It might seem like a kind of time reversal, but it is a fact.

Look at the Almighty! It's His concept of time, where anything is possible. Then, what is the evidence that our generation is the chosen one? The Bible mentions generations very frequently. From all the prophecies of the Old Testament to the words of Jesus in the New Testament, they all point to One chosen generation in which everything will be fulfilled.


Comments are very welcome.

Thank you for this study in Isaiah 40, @GlorytoGod. What an awesome passage of Scripture this is! I believe that the prophecy in Isaiah 40:9 came to pass in the coming of our Savior’s birth—“Behold your God!” ….And then in 40:10, we see our Messiah King of kings and Lord of lord’s returning in our generation at His Second Coming. View attachment 260235

Isaiah 40


9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

The good news is synonymous with the gospel. Is there any other gospel for us besides the fact that Jesus died on the cross and resurrected?
Why does Isaiah 40:9 command to proclaim the good news to Zion and Jerusalem, and then say, 'Behold your God'? and What cities do the cities of Judah refer to?
Why are they instructed to proclaim the good news, the gospel, to the cities of Judah?


God reveals Himself in a chosen generation.

The Most High is with us in THIS Generation to testify His Son and to demonstrate His righteousness.

1Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;


I believe that the contents of the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in this generation, the one Jesus referred to, in which we currently live. I also believe that God teaches us the truth directly in this generation. It might seem like a kind of time reversal, but it is a fact.

Look at the Almighty! It's His concept of time, where anything is possible. Then, what is the evidence that our generation is the chosen one? The Bible mentions generations very frequently. From all the prophecies of the Old Testament to the words of Jesus in the New Testament, they all point to One chosen generation in which everything will be fulfilled.


Comments are very welcome.

This pertains to the Second Coming of Christ. Judah had many cities (and now the nation of Israel has many cities). The Good News is that Christ will offer salvation to all who repent and believe on Him. Israel rejected Jesus of Nazareth at His first coming, but large numbers of Jews will be saved at His Second Coming. For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion [Zion = Jerusalem] the Deliverer [Christ], and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob [Israel]: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. (Rom 11:25-27)

Let's explore this passage in the context of the Old Testament.

did you know Zion the place was originally owned by the jebusites

That would be a mistake. We should see OT prophecies in the light of the NT.

Zion and Jerusalem are personified as woman whom God calls. This evidence can be found in the following passages.

Zechariah 2:7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
Zechariah 2:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.


Jeremiah 2:2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Zephaniah 3:15 The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.


Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Zion and Jerusalem are personified as woman whom God calls. This evidence can be found in the following passages.

Zechariah 2:7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
Zechariah 2:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.


Jeremiah 2:2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Zephaniah 3:15 The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.


Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass

Zion also means fortification a defensive wall built for attack

Isaiah 40


9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

The good news is synonymous with the gospel. Is there any other gospel for us besides the fact that Jesus died on the cross and resurrected?
Why does Isaiah 40:9 command to proclaim the good news to Zion and Jerusalem, and then say, 'Behold your God'? and What cities do the cities of Judah refer to?
Why are they instructed to proclaim the good news, the gospel, to the cities of Judah?


God reveals Himself in a chosen generation.

The Most High is with us in THIS Generation to testify His Son and to demonstrate His righteousness.

1Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;


I believe that the contents of the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in this generation, the one Jesus referred to, in which we currently live. I also believe that God teaches us the truth directly in this generation. It might seem like a kind of time reversal, but it is a fact.

Look at the Almighty! It's His concept of time, where anything is possible. Then, what is the evidence that our generation is the chosen one? The Bible mentions generations very frequently. From all the prophecies of the Old Testament to the words of Jesus in the New Testament, they all point to One chosen generation in which everything will be fulfilled.


Comments are very welcome.

Zion and Jerusalem are personified as woman whom God calls. This evidence can be found in the following passages.

Zechariah 2:7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
Zechariah 2:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.


Jeremiah 2:2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Zephaniah 3:15 The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.


Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Sometimes the word, generation, is in reference to mankind, that is from Adam until our Messiah's return. Otherwise it refers to a single generation, which may be forty years and /or 70 years. I am not at all certain on the latter, You tell me.

God said that people will gather at Mount Zion (the fortress) and the city of Jerusalem in the last days. This is a prophecy. Therefore, we must pay close attention to such prophecies in the Old Testament.
It symbolizes a woman, represented as the daughter of Zion and the daughter of Jerusalem, within the chosen generation.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

genos: family, offspring
Original Word: γένος, ους, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: genos
Phonetic Spelling: (ghen'-os)
Definition: family, offspring
Usage: offspring, family, race, nation, kind.

This is the Church age generation, having been going on for 2000 years. It's not in the sense of a generation that was born and living at about the same time

have you considered this

Zechariah 2, NIV: (6) “Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the Lord, “for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven,” declares the Lord. (7) “Come, Zion! Escape, you who live in Daughter Babylon!” (8) For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye— (9) I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me. (10) Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord. (11) “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. (12) The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. (13) Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”