Islands and isles, in the King James text, often stand for the far shores, the places at the edge of what Israel knew. Isaiah calls, “Listen, O isles, unto me,” and promises to bring home his scattered people from “the islands of the sea.” A psalm says, “The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.” Zephaniah pictures worship rising from “all the isles of the heathen.” Near the end of Revelation, the last judgment arrives and “every island fled away.” Isaiah 42 and 49 are worth reading together to hear what the call to distant places sounds like.
7 verses
The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.
The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Matthew George Easton, 1897
(Heb. ‘i, “dry land,” as opposed to water) occurs in its usual signification (Isa. 42:4, 10, 12, 15, comp. Jer. 47:4), but more frequently simply denotes a maritime region or sea-coast (Isa. 20:6, R.V.,” coastland;” 23:2, 6; Jer. 2:10; Ezek. 27:6, 7). (See CHITTIM.) The shores of the Mediterranean are called the “islands of the sea” (Isa. 11:11), or the “isles of the Gentiles” (Gen. 10:5), and sometimes simply “isles” (Ps. 72:10); Ezek. 26:15, 18; 27:3, 35; Dan. 11:18).