1:20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured 1 by the sword.”
Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. 2
19:7 along with the plants by the mouth of the river. 3
All the cultivated land near the river
will turn to dust and be blown away. 4
30:2 They travel down to Egypt
without seeking my will, 5
seeking Pharaoh’s protection,
and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade. 6
40:5 The splendor 7 of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people 8 will see it at the same time.
For 9 the Lord has decreed it.” 10
48:3 “I announced events beforehand, 11
I issued the decrees and made the predictions; 12
suddenly I acted and they came to pass.
49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
he hid me in the hollow of his hand;
he made me like a sharpened 13 arrow,
he hid me in his quiver. 14
1 sn The wordplay in the Hebrew draws attention to the options. The people can obey, in which case they will “eat” v. 19 (תֹּאכֵלוּ [to’khelu], Qal active participle of אָכַל) God’s blessing, or they can disobey, in which case they will be devoured (Heb “eaten,” תְּאֻכְּלוּ, [tÿ’ukkÿlu], Qal passive/Pual of אָכַל) by God’s judgment.
2 tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the option chosen by the people will become reality (it is guaranteed by the divine word).
3 tn Heb “the plants by the river, by the mouth of the river.”
4 tn Heb “will dry up, [being] scattered, and it will vanish.”
5 tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”
6 tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”
7 tn Or “glory.” The Lord’s “glory” is his theophanic radiance and royal splendor (see Isa 6:3; 24:23; 35:2; 60:1; 66:18-19).
8 tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); NAB, NIV “mankind”; TEV “the whole human race.”
9 tn Or “indeed.”
10 tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
9 tn Heb “the former things beforehand I declared.”
10 tn Heb “and from my mouth they came forth and I caused them to be heard.”
11 tn Or perhaps, “polished” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NASB “a select arrow.”
12 sn The figurative language emphasizes the servant’s importance as the Lord’s effective instrument. The servant’s mouth, which stands metonymically for his words, is compared to a sharp sword because he will be an effective spokesman on God’s behalf (see 50:4). The Lord holds his hand on the servant, ready to draw and use him at the appropriate time. The servant is like a sharpened arrow reserved in a quiver for just the right moment.