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Text -- Isaiah 8:1-19 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
A Sign-Child is Born
8:1 The Lord told me, “Take a large tablet and inscribe these words on it with an ordinary stylus : ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz .’
8:2 Then I will summon as my reliable witnesses Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah .”
8:3 I then had sexual relations with the prophetess ; she conceived and gave birth to a son . The Lord told me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz ,
8:4 for before the child knows how to cry out , ‘My father ’ or ‘My mother ,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria .”
8:5 The Lord spoke to me again :
8:6 “These people have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and melt in fear over Rezin and the son of Remaliah .
8:7 So look , the sovereign master is bringing up against them the turbulent and mighty waters of the Euphrates River – the king of Assyria and all his majestic power. It will reach flood stage and overflow its banks .
8:8 It will spill into Judah , flooding and engulfing , as it reaches to the necks of its victims. He will spread his wings out over your entire land , O Immanuel .”
8:9 You will be broken , O nations ; you will be shattered ! Pay attention , all you distant lands of the earth ! Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered ! Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered !
8:10 Devise your strategy , but it will be thwarted ! Issue your orders , but they will not be executed ! For God is with us!
The Lord Encourages Isaiah
8:11 Indeed this is what the Lord told me. He took hold of me firmly and warned me not to act like these people :
8:12 “Do not say , ‘Conspiracy ,’ every time these people say the word. Don’t be afraid of what scares them; don’t be terrified .
8:13 You must recognize the authority of the Lord who commands armies . He is the one you must respect ; he is the one you must fear .
8:14 He will become a sanctuary , but a stone that makes a person trip , and a rock that makes one stumble – to the two houses of Israel . He will become a trap and a snare to the residents of Jerusalem .
8:15 Many will stumble over the stone and the rock, and will fall and be seriously injured , and will be ensnared and captured .”
8:16 Tie up the scroll as legal evidence , seal the official record of God’s instructions and give it to my followers .
8:17 I will wait patiently for the Lord , who has rejected the family of Jacob ; I will wait for him.
8:18 Look , I and the sons whom the Lord has given me are reminders and object lessons in Israel , sent from the Lord who commands armies , who lives on Mount Zion .
Darkness Turns to Light as an Ideal King Arrives
8:19 They will say to you, “Seek oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations . Should people not seek oracles from their gods , by asking the dead about the destiny of the living ?”
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Isa 8:1; Isa 8:1; Isa 8:1; Isa 8:1; Isa 8:2; Isa 8:4; Isa 8:4; Isa 8:6; Isa 8:6; Isa 8:6; Isa 8:7; Isa 8:7; Isa 8:7; Isa 8:8; Isa 8:8; Isa 8:9; Isa 8:9; Isa 8:9; Isa 8:10; Isa 8:10; Isa 8:11; Isa 8:12; Isa 8:12; Isa 8:13; Isa 8:13; Isa 8:14; Isa 8:14; Isa 8:14; Isa 8:14; Isa 8:15; Isa 8:16; Isa 8:16; Isa 8:17; Isa 8:18; Isa 8:18; Isa 8:19; Isa 8:19; Isa 8:19
NET Notes: Isa 8:1 Heb “quickly, [the] plunder; it hurries, [the] loot.” The first word (מַהֵר, maher) is either a Piel imperat...
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NET Notes: Isa 8:2 The form in the text is a cohortative with prefixed vav (ו), suggesting that the Lord is announcing what he will do. Some prefer to change the v...
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NET Notes: Isa 8:4 The child’s name foreshadows what will happen to Judah’s enemies; when their defeat takes place, the child will be a reminder that God pre...
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NET Notes: Isa 8:6 The precise meaning of v. 6 has been debated. The translation above assumes that “these people” are the residents of Judah and that מ...
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NET Notes: Isa 8:8 The appearance of the name Immanuel (“God is with us”) is ironic at this point, for God is present with his people in judgment. Immanuel i...
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NET Notes: Isa 8:9 The initial imperative (“get ready for battle”) acknowledges the reality of the nations’ hostility; the concluding imperative (Heb &...
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NET Notes: Isa 8:10 In these vv. 9-10 the tone shifts abruptly from judgment to hope. Hostile nations like Assyria may attack God’s people, but eventually they will...
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NET Notes: Isa 8:11 Heb “with strength of hand and he warned me from walking in the way of these people, saying.” Some want to change the pointing of the suff...
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NET Notes: Isa 8:12 The background of this command is uncertain. Perhaps the “conspiracy” in view is the alliance between Israel and Syria. Some of the people...
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NET Notes: Isa 8:13 Heb “he is your [object of] fear, he is your [object of] terror.” The roots יָרֵא (yare’) and ע&...
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NET Notes: Isa 8:14 For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
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NET Notes: Isa 8:16 Heb “seal [the] instruction among my followers.” The “instruction” probably refers to the prophet’s exhortations and war...
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NET Notes: Isa 8:18 Or “signs and portents” (NAB, NRSV). The names of all three individuals has symbolic value. Isaiah’s name (which meant “the Lo...
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