Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings is parallel to lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings. In these four lines the prophets gives two commands to Jerusalem. He tells it to climb a high mountain and proclaim a message there. These lines are literally “Upon a high mountain go up for yourself proclaimer [of good news] Zion; lift up with strength your voice proclaimer [of good news] Jerusalem.” For some versions the prophet is not addressing Jerusalem, but someone else to give good news to Jerusalem; for example, New International Version renders these lines as “You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout” (similarly RSV footnote, GNB footnote|prj:GNTD.Isa 40.9, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). However, this view is not likely since the five Hebrew imperative verbs in this verse (translated Get … up, lift up, lift … up, fear, and say) and the participle rendered herald of good tidings are all feminine. In Hebrew cities are feminine, so these verbs must refer to the city of Jerusalem as the one who is given the commands.
The names Zion and Jerusalem refer to the same city (see the comments on 1.8). Good News Translation mentions Jerusalem first since it is the better-known name. The prophet personifies the city by giving it commands. For languages that cannot use personification here, Zion and Jerusalem may be rendered “people of Zion” and “people of Jerusalem” (so Bible en français courant).
The Hebrew participle rendered herald of good tidings refers to someone who brings news or carries a message, but whether it is good or bad news is determined from the context. In this context it is clearly good news. This participle is in apposition to the names Zion and Jerusalem. Some languages may prefer to render it as a verb; for example, Good News Translation has “proclaim/announce the good news,” and Bible en français courant says “You have been entrusted with a piece of good news.” These are valid models.
Lift up your voice with strength simply means “shout loudly.”
Lift it up repeats the previous command lift up your voice with strength for emphasis. The pronoun it refers back to your voice.
Fear not (Good News Translation “do not be afraid”) is the next command. This command appears frequently in the following chapters (41.10, 13, 14; 43.1, 5; 44.2, 8; 51.7; 54.4). It is an important expression in the book of Isaiah (see the comments on 7.4). It often introduces a call to a specific task. The special task given here is for Jerusalem to announce Yahweh’s coming. The appearance of Yahweh could strike fear and awe into people, but Jerusalem should not be afraid when announcing his coming.
Say to the cities of Judah: Jerusalem is to proclaim the message to the cities of Judah; that is, the rest of Judah. In English it is better to say “towns” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) rather than cities since they were not large in population or size.
What follows in the last line of this verse and all of the next verse is the message that Jerusalem is to proclaim. The Hebrew focusing particle rendered Behold (hinneh) marks the three parts of this message. Although this word is often omitted in many versions, it would be helpful to keep it here in some way to mark the three parts. Revised Standard Version and most other versions include only the last line of this verse as the message, which is possible. Bible en français courant and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch include the rest of the subsection in the message (verses 9g-11), which is also possible.
Behold your God! is the first part of the message. This line suggests that Yahweh has already arrived. It may be rendered “See [or, Look], your God is here!” Some languages may prefer indirect speech here, as in Good News Translation (see also the second example below). Your God means “the God you worship” or “the God with whom you have a covenant relationship” (see Exo 6.7; Jer 7.23). It may be rendered “our God” since Yahweh is also the God of the speakers (see the comments on 35.4).
For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:
• Zion, proclaimer of good news,
go on a high mountain;
Jerusalem, proclaimer of good news,
raise your voice powerfully,
raise it, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah,
“See, your [or, our] God is here!”
• Go up to a high mountain,
Zion the announcer of good tidings.
Call out with a powerful voice,
Jerusalem the announcer of good tidings.
Call out and do not fear.
Tell the towns of Judah
that their God is here.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .