Islands of the sea

There’s land, and there’s sea. Israel and the nations.

What then are islands? Bits of land within the sea.

Kings of the islands bring tribute to the Davidic king (Psalm 72:10), and the islands rejoice when God reigns over the earth (97:1).

Isaiah 11:11 says that the Lord will recall His people from the places they’ve been scattered. He lists seven locations (Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath) and then adds “from the islands of the sea.” An eighth location? Perhaps, but I’d suggest that it is an interpretation of the the list of seven nations: ” even from the islands of the sea.” During the dispersion, Israel constitutes islands in the sea of nations, but one day the Lord will gather them from the lands.

No book of the Bible refers to islands more often than Isaiah, and most of these occur after chapter 40. No wonder, Yahweh is calling His people from the islands back to the land.