Isaiah 55:4-5

55:4 Look, I made him a witness to nations, ¹ 

a ruler and commander of nations.”

55:5 Look, you will summon nations ²  you did not previously know;

nations ³  that did not previously know you will run to you,

because of the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, ⁴ 

for he bestows honor on you.

Isaiah 55:13

55:13 Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes,

firs will grow in place of nettles;

they will be a monument to the Lord, ⁵ 

a permanent reminder that will remain. ⁶ 

[55:4]  ¹ sn Ideally the Davidic king was to testify to the nations of God’s greatness (cf. Pss 18:50 HT [18:49 ET]; 22:28 HT [22:27 ET]). See J. H. Eaton, Kingship in the Psalms (SBT), 182-84.

[55:5]  ² tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs in the next line indicate (note that both “know” and “run” are third plural forms).

[55:5]  ³ tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs that follow indicate.

[55:5]  ⁴ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[55:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “to the Lord for a name.” For שֵׁם (shem) used in the sense of “monument,” see also 56:5, where it stands parallel to יָד (yad).

[55:13]  ⁶ tn Or, more literally, “a permanent sign that will not be cut off.”