Text -- Isaiah 22:11-25 (NET)

22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool– but you did not trust in the one who made it; you did not depend on the one who formed it long ago! 22:12 At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning, for shaved heads and sackcloth. 22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep, eat meat and drink wine. Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies. 22:15 This is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says: “Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, and tell him: 22:16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? Why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here? He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place, he carves out his tomb on a cliff. 22:17 Look, the Lord will throw you far away, you mere man! He will wrap you up tightly. 22:18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball and throw you into a wide, open land. There you will die, and there with you will be your impressive chariots, which bring disgrace to the house of your master. 22:19 I will remove you from your office; you will be thrown down from your position. 22:20 “At that time I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. 22:21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. He will become a protector of the residents of Jerusalem and of the people of Judah. 22:22 I will place the key to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. 22:23 I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place; he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family. 22:24 His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him, including the offspring and the offshoots. All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars will hang from this peg.’ 22:25 “At that time,” says the Lord who commands armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.” Indeed, the Lord has spoken.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Isa 22:11

¹ tn Heb “look at”; NAB, NRSV “did not look to.”

² tn The antecedent of the third feminine singular suffix here and in the next line is unclear. The closest feminine noun is “pool” in the first half of the verse. Perhaps this “old pool” symbolizes the entire city, which had prospered because of God’s provision and protection through the years.

³ tn Heb “did not see.”

NET Notes: Isa 22:12

¹ tn Heb “for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.” See the note at 15:2.

NET Notes: Isa 22:13

¹ tn Heb “happiness and joy.”

² tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.

NET Notes: Isa 22:14

¹ tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”

² tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.

NET Notes: Isa 22:15

¹ tn Heb “who is over the house” (so ASV); NASB “who is in charge of the royal household.”

² tn The words “and tell him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

NET Notes: Isa 22:16

¹ tn Heb “What to you here? And who to you here?” The point of the second question is not entirely clear. The interpretation reflected in the translation is based on the following context, which suggests that Shebna has no right to think of himself so highly and arrange such an extravagant burial place for himself.

² tn Heb “that you chisel out.”

NET Notes: Isa 22:17

¹ tn Heb “will throw you with a throwing.”

² tn Heb “O man” (so NASB); NAB “mortal man”; NRSV “my fellow.”

³ tn Heb “and the one who wraps you [will] wrap.”

NET Notes: Isa 22:18

¹ tn Heb “and he will tightly [or “surely”] wind you [with] winding like a ball, to a land broad of hands [i.e., “sides”].”

² tn Heb “and there the chariots of your splendor.”

³ sn Apparently the reference to chariots alludes to Shebna’s excessive pride, which in turn brings disgrace to the royal family.

NET Notes: Isa 22:19

¹ tn Heb “I will push you away from.”

² tn Heb “he will throw you down.” The shift from the first to third person is peculiar and abrupt, but certainly not unprecedented in Hebrew poetry. See GKC 462 §144.p. The third person may be indefinite (“one will throw you down”), in which case the passive translation is justified.

NET Notes: Isa 22:20

¹ tn Or “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

NET Notes: Isa 22:21

¹ tn Heb “and your dominion I will place in his hand.”

² tn Heb “a father to.” The Hebrew term אָב (’av, “father”) is here used metaphorically of one who protects and supports those under his care and authority, like a father does his family. For another example of this metaphorical use of the word, see Job 29:16.

³ tn Heb “house.”

NET Notes: Isa 22:22

¹ sn This may refer to a literal insignia worn by the chief administrator. Even so, it would still symbolize the administrator’s authority to grant or exclude access to the king. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:422.

NET Notes: Isa 22:23

¹ sn The metaphor depicts how secure his position will be.

² tn Heb “and he will become a glorious throne for the house of his father.”

NET Notes: Isa 22:24

¹ tn Heb “and all the glory of the house of his father they will hang on him.” The Lord returns to the peg metaphor of v. 23a. Eliakim’s secure position of honor will bring benefits and jobs to many others in the family.

² tn The precise meaning and derivation of this word are uncertain. Cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “the issue”; CEV “relatives.”

³ tn Heb “all the small vessels, from the vessels that are bowls to all the vessels that are jars.” The picture is that of a single peg holding the weight of all kinds of containers hung from it.

NET Notes: Isa 22:25

¹ tn Or “In that day” (KJV).

² sn Eliakim’s authority, though seemingly secure, will eventually be removed, and with it his family’s prominence.

³ tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).