Text -- Isaiah 30:1-2 (NET)

Egypt Will Prove Unreliable

30:1 “The rebellious children are as good as dead,” says the Lord, “those who make plans without consulting me, who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, and thereby compound their sin. 30:2 They travel down to Egypt without seeking my will, seeking Pharaoh’s protection, and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Isa 30:1

¹ tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”

² tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”

³ tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”

⁴ tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.

⁵ tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”

NET Notes: Isa 30:2

¹ tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”

² tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”