What God appears to seek here is the concerted work toward justice, based on the certainty of God’s connection, pursued diligently and persistently.

The verse speaks of a time when the subjects  of the text, namely Zebulun and Naphtali, were “in anguish” and were experiencing “gloom.” This period of Israelite history is known as the Syro-Ephraimitic War. Hence, gloom and contempt were the orders of the day. But now Isaiah promises light. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those living in the land of zalmaweth—light has shone on them” (Is.9:2).