8:18 Due to the fact that the good hand of our God was on us, they brought us a skilled man, from the descendants of Mahli the son of Levi son of Israel. This man was Sherebiah, 4 who was accompanied by his sons and brothers, 5 18 men,
53:1 Who would have believed 12 what we 13 just heard? 14
When 15 was the Lord’s power 16 revealed through him?
59:1 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak 17 to deliver you;
his ear is not too deaf to hear you. 18
1 tn Heb “also in Judah the hand of God was to give to them one heart to do the command of the king and the officials by the word of the
2 tc The translation reads יִסַּד (yissad, “he appointed” [= determined]) rather than the reading יְסֻד (yÿsud, “foundation”) of the MT. (The words “to make” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.)
3 sn Apparently it took the caravan almost four months to make the five hundred mile journey.
4 tn Heb “and Sherebiah.” The words “this man was” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
5 tn Or “relatives” (so CEV; NRSV “kin”); also in v. 19.
6 tn Or “forest.” So HALOT 963 s.v. פַּרְדֵּס 2.
7 tc One medieval Hebrew
8 tn The Hebrew text does not include the expression “these requests,” but it is implied.
9 tn Heb “the words of the king which he had spoken to me.”
10 tn Heb “Arise! Let us rebuild!”
11 tn Heb “strengthened their hands.”
12 tn The perfect has a hypothetical force in this rhetorical question. For another example, see Gen 21:7.
13 sn The speaker shifts here from God to an unidentified group (note the first person plural pronouns throughout vv. 1-6). The content of the speech suggests that the prophet speaks here as representative of the sinful nation Israel. The group acknowledges its sin and recognizes that the servant suffered on their behalf.
14 tn The first half of v. 1 is traditionally translated, “Who has believed our report?” or “Who has believed our message?” as if the group speaking is lamenting that no one will believe what they have to say. But that doesn’t seem to be the point in this context. Here the group speaking does not cast itself in the role of a preacher or evangelist. No, they are repentant sinners, who finally see the light. The phrase “our report” can mean (1) the report which we deliver, or (2) the report which was delivered to us. The latter fits better here, where the report is most naturally taken as the announcement that has just been made in 52:13-15.
15 tn Heb “to whom” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
16 tn Heb “the arm of the Lord.” The “arm of the Lord” is a metaphor of military power; it pictures the Lord as a warrior who bares his arm, takes up his weapon, and crushes his enemies (cf. 51:9-10; 63:5-6). But Israel had not seen the Lord’s military power at work in the servant.
17 tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
18 tn Heb “or his ear too heavy [i.e., “dull”] to hear.”
19 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. A new sentence was begun at this point in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.
20 tn Grk “heard them”; the referent (these things, from the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
21 tn Grk “heart.” The term “heart” (καρδία, kardia) could also be translated as “mind,” or “thoughts,” and the entire phrase be rendered as “kept them in mind,” “thought about,” or the like. But the immediate context is clearly emotive, suggesting that much more is at work than merely the mental processes of thinking or reasoning about “these things.” There is a sense of joy and excitement (see the following question, “What then will this child be?”) and even fear. Further, the use of καρδία in 1:66 suggests connections with the same term in 2:19 where deep emotion is being expressed as well. Therefore, recognizing both the dramatic nature of the immediate context and the literary connections to 2:19, the translation renders the term in 1:66 as “hearts” to capture both the cognitive and emotive aspects of the people’s response.
22 tn Or “what manner of child will this one be?”
23 sn The reference to the Lord’s hand indicates that the presence, direction, and favor of God was with him (Acts 7:9b).