2:21 “At that time, 1 I will willingly respond,” 2 declares the Lord.
“I will respond to the sky,
and the sky 3 will respond to the ground;
7:9 Foreigners are consuming what his strenuous labor produced, 4
but he does not recognize it!
His head is filled with gray hair,
but he does not realize it!
1 tn Heb “And in that day”; NAB, NRSV “On that day.”
2 tn The verb עָנָה, (’anah) which is used throughout 2:23-24, is related to the root I עָנָה (’anah), “to answer, listen attentively, react willingly” (BDB 772 s.v. 1.b; HALOT 852 s.v. ענה 3.b).
3 tn Heb “and they.” In the Hebrew text the plural pronoun is used because it refers back to the term translated “sky,” which is a dual form in Hebrew. Many English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV) use the plural term “heavens” here, which agrees with a plural pronoun (cf. also NIV, NCV “skies”).
4 tn Heb “foreigners consume his strength”; NRSV “devour (sap NIV) his strength.”