21:1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: 3
Like strong winds blowing in the south, 4
one invades from the desert,
from a land that is feared.
21:2 I have received a distressing message: 5
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning!” 6
25:4 For you are a protector for the poor,
a protector for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm,
a shade from the heat.
Though the breath of tyrants 7 is like a winter rainstorm, 8
28:2 Look, the sovereign master 9 sends a strong, powerful one. 10
With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, 11
with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, 12
he will knock that crown 13 to the ground with his hand. 14
11:40 “At the time of the end the king of the south will attack 15 him. Then the king of the north will storm against him 16 with chariots, horsemen, and a large armada of ships. 17 He 18 will invade lands, passing through them like an overflowing river. 19
1 tn Heb “and you, O hailstones.”
2 sn A violent wind will break out. God’s judgments are frequently described in storm imagery (Pss 18:7-15; 77:17-18; 83:15; Isa 28:17; 30:30; Jer 23:19; 30:23).
3 sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “desert” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like a desolate desert.
4 tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
5 tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
6 sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
7 tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; NIV, NRSV “the ruthless.”
8 tc The Hebrew text has, “like a rainstorm of a wall,” which might be interpreted to mean, “like a rainstorm battering against a wall.” The translation assumes an emendation of קִיר (qir, “wall”) to קֹר (qor, “cold, winter”; cf. Gen 8:22). See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:457, n. 6, for discussion.
9 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 16, 22 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
10 tn Heb “Look, a strong and powerful [one] belongs to the Lord.”
11 tn Heb “like a rainstorm of hail, a wind of destruction.”
12 tn Heb “like a rainstorm of mighty, overflowing waters.”
13 tn The words “that crown” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The object of the verb is unexpressed in the Hebrew text.
14 tn Or “by [his] power.”
15 tn Heb “engage in thrusting.”
16 tn The referent of the pronoun is most likely the king of the south, in which case the text describes the king of the north countering the attack of the king of the south.
17 tn Heb “many ships.”
18 tn This most likely refers to the king of the north who, in response to the aggression of the king of the south, launches an invasion of the southern regions.
19 tn Heb “and will overflow and pass over.”