“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.
The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.”
Isaiah 9:1-2 NASB1995
We now arrive at Isaiah 9, which has marvelous Messianic prophecies but also has a long section (in four parts) describing God’s anger at the people. The first verse is a direct follow-on to the last verse of Isaiah 8, so let’s look at that verse combined with Isaiah 9:1:
“Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness.”
“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.”
Isaiah 8:22 NASB1995
Isaiah 9:1 NASB1995
In earlier times, the Lord treated the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali with contempt, but He shall make it glorious, by way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. First, here’s some background information on the tribe of Naphtali, as noted in Precept Austin; this area suffered the most under the Assyrian invasion:
The inheritance of Naphtali fell in the region of Galilee. Centered around the shores of the Sea of Galilee, this tribe possessed the most fertile and productive region in all of Canaan. Shepherds and farmers alike found the soil and vegetation of this area extremely fertile, and able to support large flocks and herds. The whole of the land is fed by hidden springs emanating from Mount Herman. This area is well watered by multiple sources; principally the Jordan River, the springs of Mt. Herman, and the Sea of Galilee…
The tribe of Naphtali figures in prominently to the history of Israel. This tribe followed in the footsteps of its founder, the sixth son of Jacob, Naphtali. As he was a godly man, so was his tribe. However, they eventually fell into apostasy, as did the other tribes of the Northern Kingdom. The 12 tribes were divided into 10 northern tribes, which included Naphtali and Zebulun, and 2 southern tribes, Judah and Benjamin.
Naphtali left an imprint on the Old Testament through their exploits on the battle field. They were praised by Deborah in the Song of Deborah. They provided one of the major workers on the Temple. Naphtali produced officials in both the courts of David and Solomon. Despite their later falling away from God, the tribe of Naphtali was blessed by God.
They are one of nine tribes which appear in all lists of the 12 tribes of Israel. They are mentioned in the only New Testament list of the tribes, found in Revelation 7. In the final days of God’s judgment, the tribe of Naphtali will produce 12,000 people sealed on the forehead as servants of God. (Tribe of Naphtali).
This prophecy in Isaiah is referred to in the Gospel of Matthew:
“Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
“THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI,
BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES—
THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT,
AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.”
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””
Matthew 4:12-17 NASB1995
John MacArthur has a marvelous short commentary on these two verses of prophecy about a forgotten inland sea that probably never crossed the minds of those in Jerusalem and the LIGHT that would come into the world and start His ministry there (from Precept Austin):
Just as Isaiah had predicted eight centuries earlier, the despised, sin-darkened, and rebellious Galileans were the first to glimpse the Messiah, the first to see the dawning of God’s New Covenant! Not mighty and beautiful Jerusalem, the queen city of the Jews, but Galilee of the Gentiles would first hear Messiah’s message. Not the learned, proud, and pure Jews of Jerusalem, but the mongrel, downcast, nontraditional mixed multitude of Samaria and Galilee had that great honor. To those who were neediest, and who were most likely to recognize their need, Jesus went first. The fact that Jesus began His ministry in Samaria and Galilee, rather than in Jerusalem and Judea, emphasizes the fact that His gospel of salvation was for the whole world… It was no coincidence of history that “the light of the world” (John 8:12) first proclaimed Himself in Galilee of the Gentiles. It was in and around Galilee that Jesus had spent all but a small part of His childhood and early manhood, and it was there that His ministry first developed and began to spread. As the new day of the gospel dawned, the first rays of light shined in Galilee. (MacArthur, J: Matthew 1-7 Chicago: Moody Press)
Jesus is the Great Light of our salvation, as proclaimed throughout the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. Here are a few examples:
“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.””
John 8:12 NASB1995
From the prophecy of Zacharias (father of John the Baptist):
“Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.””
Luke 1:78-79 NASB1995
“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.””
John 3:19-21 NASB1995
“For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
2 Corinthians 4:6 NASB1995
I love light!! I get a little gloomy during the winter months with the short and cold days and look to the lengthening of days starting on the Winter Solstice. We did a cruise quite a few years ago where we cruised above the Arctic Circle for 10 days in July. I had so much energy from the 24 hours of daylight! And, yes, we had good blackout curtains in our cabin, but it was a marvel to peer out at 2:00 am and see the sun blazing! But the light that shines in our hearts from Jesus is brighter than any noon sun. It is so wonderful to tie this prophecy of Isaiah to the new covenant.
My next devotional examines Isaiah 9:3-5 - You shall increase their gladness.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Thank You for bringing Your light to a darkened world. May we be Your light to others so that they can step away from fear and sin by believing in You. Amen.
Citations and Credits:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 10/09/2026 to review commentary for Isaiah 9:1-2.
Biblehub.org was accessed on 10/09/2026 to review commentary for Isaiah 9:1-2.
Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. At the link referenced, the bibliography used by David Guzik can be accessed.