Isaiah 43:9

כָּֽל־הַגּוֹיׅ֞ם נִקְבְּצ֣וּ יַחְדָּ֗ו וְיֵאָסְפוּ֙ לְאֻמִּ֔ים מִי֚ בָהֶם֙ יַגִּ֣יד זֺ֔את וְרִאשֹׁנ֖וֹת יַשְׁמִיעֻנ֑וּ יִתְּנ֤וּ עֵֽדֵיהֶם֙ וְיִצְדָּ֔קוּ וְיִשְׁמְע֖וּ וְיֹאמְר֥וּ אֱמֶֽת׃

9 All the nations are gathered together and the peoples are assembled who among them can declare this and announce to us former things? Let them bring their witnesses that they may be innocent, and let them hear and say 'It is truth.'

כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם נִקְבְּצוּ יַחְדָּו וְיֵאָסְפוּ לְאֻמִּים All the nations are gathered together and the peoples are assembled, נִקְבְּצוּ is a nifal perfect (3rd pl) from קָבַץ, "gather" (cp. kibbutz). The adverb יַחְדָּו is from יַ֫חַד, "a unitedness." וְיֵאָסְפוּ is a nifal imperfect (the Aleppo Codex marks this form as a hapax legomenon because it's the only time the form isn't waw-consecutive) from אָסַף "gather collect." The nifal is passive here: "assembled." The term אֻמִּים is parallel to גּוֹיִם; these are heathen nations gathered together to defend themselves against God's accusation.

We saw the doubled accent garshayim earlier in 43:1, but it can't hurt to be reminded that the garshayim accenting הַגּוֹיׅ֞ם has the same value as an ordinary geresh but the word הַגּוֹיִם is stressed on the ultima and it does not have a conjunctive accent preceding.

מִי בָהֶם יַגִּיד זֹאת וְרִאשֹׁנוֹת יַשְׁמִיעֻנוּ who among them can declare this and announce to us former things? יַגִּיד hifil imperfect from נָגַד "be conspicuous," in the hifil "declare, tell." זֹאת "this" is feminine because it refers to the "former things" (note the fem. pl. ending with וְרִאשֹׁנוֹת). The adjective וְרִאשֹׁנוֹת (fem. pl) based on the root רוש "head" means "former things," although in another context can mean "chief, important things." (The Aleppo Codex also marks this form as hapax). יַשְׁמִיעֻנוּ, again hapax in Aleppo, is the hifil imperfect 3 m pl from שָׁמַע, "declare, announce." The hifil is often causative, so "cause to be heard" is the way the stem works here.

יִתְּנוּ עֵדֵיהֶם Let them bring their witnesses. יִתְּנוּ is a qal imperfect (pe-nun verb נתן), and עֵדֵיהֶם is the plural construct (with 3rd plural suffix) of עֵד, "witness" (also an Aleppo hapax). Cp. the use of this word in Deut. 19:18-19: "The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother..."

וְיִצְדָּקוּ that they may be innocent. צָדֵק is a stative verb meaning to "be just; be righteous." It is frequently a courtroom term (as it is here), referring to an acquittal or legal declaration of innocence. It's the Hebrew term for δικαιόω, "to declare just; justify." Romans 3 paints the full breadth of this concept in crass and unforgettable terms. Even if an individual committed a crime, a judge's declaration of innocence means that there will be no lawful and right punishment. This is the unfair judgment of God on sinful mankind: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and [yet!] are justified (δικαιούμενοι) freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24). Notice how perfectly Isaiah's jussive term is in the qal. The stative verb still means to "be just, be righteous," and here the nations are commanded to do this for themselves. "Be righteous, if you can!" But the whole world, Jew and Gentile alike, stands condemned without Christ.
וְיִשְׁמְעוּ וְיֹאמְרוּ אֱמֶת and let them hear and say 'It is truth.' וְיִשְׁמְעוּ qal jussive (imperfect form, but jussive in these courtroom commands) "let them hear." The Mp note here in BHS (the first after five non-BHS notes in Aleppo!) tells us that this form occurs twice (cf. Josh. 7:9, but the same form in pause occurs in Jer. 6:10). וְיֹאמְרוּ is another qal jussive, "let them say." The Mp note here says that וְיֹאמְרוּ is a form that occurs 9 times without dagesh forte (Mm 1233: Dt 32:7; Isaiah 14:10; 43:9; Jer 16:19; Jonah 2:17; Psalm 35:27; 70:5; Job 38:35 and 1 Chron. 16:31).

אֱמֶת is "truth," and in a courtroom setting there is no call for any other translation. This is a call for true testimony, but the only truth that can be declared before God to these questions is "God, have mercy on me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13).