1:1 Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem 1 that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah reigned over Judah. 2
1:1 Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem 3 that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah reigned over Judah. 4
1:2 Listen, O heavens,
pay attention, O earth! 5
For the Lord speaks:
“I raised children, 6 I brought them up, 7
but 8 they have rebelled 9 against me!
1:3 An ox recognizes its owner,
a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food; 10
but Israel does not recognize me, 11
my people do not understand.”
1:4 12 The sinful nation is as good as dead, 13
the people weighed down by evil deeds.
They are offspring who do wrong,
children 14 who do wicked things.
They have abandoned the Lord,
and rejected the Holy One of Israel. 15
They are alienated from him. 16
1:5 17 Why do you insist on being battered?
Why do you continue to rebel? 18
Your head has a massive wound, 19
your whole body is weak. 20
1:6 From the soles of your feet to your head,
there is no spot that is unharmed. 21
There are only bruises, cuts,
and open wounds.
They have not been cleansed 22 or bandaged,
nor have they been treated 23 with olive oil. 24
1:7 Your land is devastated,
your cities burned with fire.
Right before your eyes your crops
are being destroyed by foreign invaders. 25
They leave behind devastation and destruction. 26
1:8 Daughter Zion 27 is left isolated,
like a hut in a vineyard,
or a shelter in a cucumber field;
she is a besieged city. 28
1:9 If the Lord who commands armies 29 had not left us a few survivors,
we would have quickly become like Sodom, 30
we would have become like Gomorrah.
1:10 Listen to the Lord’s word,
you leaders of Sodom! 31
Pay attention to our God’s rebuke, 32
people of Gomorrah!
1:11 “Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?” 33
says the Lord.
“I am stuffed with 34 burnt sacrifices
of rams and the fat from steers.
The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats
I do not want. 35
1:12 When you enter my presence,
do you actually think I want this –
animals trampling on my courtyards? 36
1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless 37 offerings;
I consider your incense detestable! 38
You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,
but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations! 39
1:14 I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies;
they are a burden
that I am tired of carrying.
1:15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I look the other way; 40
when you offer your many prayers,
I do not listen,
because your hands are covered with blood. 41
1:16 42 Wash! Cleanse yourselves!
Remove your sinful deeds 43
from my sight.
Stop sinning!
1:17 Learn to do what is right!
Promote justice!
Give the oppressed reason to celebrate! 44
Take up the cause of the orphan!
Defend the rights of the widow! 45
1:18 46 Come, let’s consider your options,” 47 says the Lord.
“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,
you can become 48 white like snow;
though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,
you can become 49 white like wool. 50
1:19 If you have a willing attitude and obey, 51
then you will again eat the good crops of the land.
1:20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured 52 by the sword.”
Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. 53
1:21 How tragic that the once-faithful city
has become a prostitute! 54
She was once a center of 55 justice,
fairness resided in her,
but now only murderers. 56
1:22 Your 57 silver has become scum, 58
your beer is diluted with water. 59
1:23 Your officials are rebels, 60
they associate with 61 thieves.
All of them love bribery,
and look for 62 payoffs. 63
They do not take up the cause of the orphan, 64
or defend the rights of the widow. 65
1:24 Therefore, the sovereign Lord who commands armies, 66
the powerful ruler of Israel, 67 says this:
“Ah, I will seek vengeance 68 against my adversaries,
I will take revenge against my enemies. 69
1:25 I will attack you; 70
I will purify your metal with flux. 71
I will remove all your slag. 72
1:26 I will reestablish honest judges as in former times,
wise advisers as in earlier days. 73
Then you will be called, ‘The Just City,
Faithful Town.’”
1:27 74 Zion will be freed by justice, 75
and her returnees by righteousness. 76
1:28 All rebellious sinners will be shattered, 77
those who abandon the Lord will perish.
1:29 Indeed, they 78 will be ashamed of the sacred trees
you 79 find so desirable;
you will be embarrassed because of the sacred orchards 80
where you choose to worship.
1:30 For you will be like a tree whose leaves wither,
like an orchard 81 that is unwatered.
1:31 The powerful will be like 82 a thread of yarn,
their deeds like a spark;
both will burn together,
and no one will put out the fire.
5:1 I 83 will sing to my love –
a song to my lover about his vineyard. 84
My love had a vineyard
on a fertile hill. 85
5:2 He built a hedge around it, 86 removed its stones,
and planted a vine.
He built a tower in the middle of it,
and constructed a winepress.
He waited for it to produce edible grapes,
but it produced sour ones instead. 87
5:3 So now, residents of Jerusalem, 88
people 89 of Judah,
you decide between me and my vineyard!
5:4 What more can I do for my vineyard
beyond what I have already done?
When I waited for it to produce edible grapes,
why did it produce sour ones instead?
5:5 Now I will inform you
what I am about to do to my vineyard:
I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture, 90
I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there. 91
5:6 I will make it a wasteland;
no one will prune its vines or hoe its ground, 92
and thorns and briers will grow there.
I will order the clouds
not to drop any rain on it.
5:7 Indeed 93 Israel 94 is the vineyard of the Lord who commands armies,
the people 95 of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight.
He waited for justice, but look what he got – disobedience! 96
He waited for fairness, but look what he got – cries for help! 97
5:8 Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead, 98
those who also accumulate landed property 99
until there is no land left, 100
and you are the only landowners remaining within the land. 101
5:9 The Lord who commands armies told me this: 102
“Many houses will certainly become desolate,
large, impressive houses will have no one living in them. 103
5:10 Indeed, a large vineyard 104 will produce just a few gallons, 105
and enough seed to yield several bushels 106 will produce less than a bushel.” 107
5:11 Those who get up early to drink beer are as good as dead, 108
those who keep drinking long after dark
until they are intoxicated with wine. 109
5:12 They have stringed instruments, 110 tambourines, flutes,
and wine at their parties.
So they do not recognize what the Lord is doing,
they do not perceive what he is bringing about. 111
5:13 Therefore my 112 people will be deported 113
because of their lack of understanding.
Their 114 leaders will have nothing to eat, 115
their 116 masses will have nothing to drink. 117
5:14 So Death 118 will open up its throat,
and open wide its mouth; 119
Zion’s dignitaries and masses will descend into it,
including those who revel and celebrate within her. 120
5:15 Men will be humiliated,
they will be brought low;
the proud will be brought low. 121
5:16 The Lord who commands armies will be exalted 122 when he punishes, 123
the sovereign God’s authority will be recognized when he judges. 124
5:17 Lambs 125 will graze as if in their pastures,
amid the ruins the rich sojourners will graze. 126
5:18 Those who pull evil along using cords of emptiness are as good as dead, 127
who pull sin as with cart ropes. 128
5:19 They say, “Let him hurry, let him act quickly, 129
so we can see;
let the plan of the Holy One of Israel 130 take shape 131 and come to pass,
then we will know it!”
5:20 Those who call evil good and good evil are as good as dead, 132
who turn darkness into light and light into darkness,
who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter. 133
5:21 Those who think they are wise are as good as dead, 134
those who think they possess understanding. 135
5:22 Those who are champions 136 at drinking wine are as good as dead, 137
who display great courage when mixing strong drinks.
5:23 They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff,
they ignore the just cause of the innocent. 138
5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire 139 devours straw,
and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,
so their root will rot,
and their flower will blow away like dust. 140
For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,
they have spurned the commands 141 of the Holy One of Israel. 142
5:25 So the Lord is furious 143 with his people;
he lifts 144 his hand and strikes them.
The mountains shake,
and corpses lie like manure 145 in the middle of the streets.
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 146
5:26 He lifts a signal flag for a distant nation, 147
he whistles for it to come from the far regions of the earth.
Look, they 148 come quickly and swiftly.
5:27 None tire or stumble,
they don’t stop to nap or sleep.
They don’t loosen their belts,
or unstrap their sandals to rest. 149
5:28 Their arrows are sharpened,
and all their bows are prepared. 150
The hooves of their horses are hard as flint, 151
and their chariot wheels are like a windstorm. 152
5:29 Their roar is like a lion’s;
they roar like young lions.
They growl and seize their prey;
they drag it away and no one can come to the rescue.
5:30 At that time 153 they will growl over their prey, 154
it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks. 155
One will look out over the land and see the darkness of disaster,
clouds will turn the light into darkness. 156
1 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
2 tn Heb “The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”
3 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
4 tn Heb “The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”
5 sn The personified heavens and earth are summoned to God’s courtroom as witnesses against God’s covenant people. Long before this Moses warned the people that the heavens and earth would be watching their actions (see Deut 4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1).
6 tn Or “sons” (NAB, NASB).
7 sn The normal word pair for giving birth to and raising children is יָלַד (yalad, “to give birth to”) and גָּדַל (gadal, “to grow, raise”). The pair גָּדַל and רוּם (rum, “to raise up”) probably occur here to highlight the fact that Yahweh made something important of Israel (cf. R. Mosis, TDOT 2:403).
8 sn Against the backdrop of Yahweh’s care for his chosen people, Israel’s rebellion represents abhorrent treachery. The conjunction prefixed to a nonverbal element highlights the sad contrast between Yahweh’s compassionate care for His people and Israel’s thankless rebellion.
9 sn To rebel carries the idea of “covenant treachery.” Although an act of פֶּשַׁע (pesha’, “rebellion”) often signifies a breach of the law, the legal offense also represents a violation of an existing covenantal relationship (E. Carpenter and M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 3:707).
7 tn Heb “and the donkey the feeding trough of its owner.” The verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.
8 tn Although both verbs have no object, the parallelism suggests that Israel fails to recognize the Lord as the one who provides for their needs. In both clauses, the placement of “Israel” and “my people” at the head of the clause focuses the reader’s attention on the rebellious nation (C. van der Merwe, J. Naudé, J. Kroeze, A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, 346-47).
9 sn Having summoned the witnesses and announced the Lord’s accusation against Israel, Isaiah mourns the nation’s impending doom. The third person references to the Lord in the second half of the verse suggest that the quotation from the Lord (cf. vv. 2-3) has concluded.
10 tn Heb “Woe [to the] sinful nation.” The Hebrew term הוֹי, (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death. In highly dramatic fashion the prophet acts out Israel’s funeral in advance, emphasizing that their demise is inevitable if they do not repent soon.
11 tn Or “sons” (NASB). The prophet contrasts four terms of privilege – nation, people, offspring, children – with four terms that depict Israel’s sinful condition in Isaiah’s day – sinful, evil, wrong, wicked (see J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, 43).
12 sn Holy One of Israel is one of Isaiah’s favorite divine titles for God. It pictures the Lord as the sovereign king who rules over his covenant people and exercises moral authority over them.
13 tn Heb “they are estranged backward.” The LXX omits this statement, which presents syntactical problems and seems to be outside the synonymous parallelistic structure of the verse.
11 sn In vv. 5-9 Isaiah addresses the battered nation (5-8) and speaks as their representative (9).
12 tn Heb “Why are you still beaten? [Why] do you continue rebellion?” The rhetorical questions express the prophet’s disbelief over Israel’s apparent masochism and obsession with sin. The interrogative construction in the first line does double duty in the parallelism. H. Wildberger (Isaiah, 1:18) offers another alternative by translating the two statements with one question: “Why do you still wish to be struck that you persist in revolt?”
13 tn Heb “all the head is ill”; NRSV “the whole head is sick”; CEV “Your head is badly bruised.”
14 tn Heb “and all the heart is faint.” The “heart” here stands for bodily strength and energy, as suggested by the context and usage elsewhere (see Jer 8:18; Lam 1:22).
13 tn Heb “there is not in it health”; NAB “there is no sound spot.”
14 tn Heb “pressed out.”
15 tn Heb “softened” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “soothed.”
16 sn This verse describes wounds like those one would receive in battle. These wounds are comprehensive and without remedy.
15 tn Heb “As for your land, before you foreigners are devouring it.”
16 tn Heb “and [there is] devastation like an overthrow by foreigners.” The comparative preposition כְּ (kÿ, “like, as”) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the land has all the earmarks of a destructive foreign invasion because that is what has indeed happened. One could paraphrase, “it is desolate as it can only be when foreigners destroy.” On this use of the preposition in general, see GKC 376 §118.x. Many also prefer to emend “foreigners” here to “Sodom,” though there is no external attestation for such a reading in the
17 tn Heb “daughter of Zion” (so KJV, NASB, NIV). The genitive is appositional, identifying precisely which daughter is in view. By picturing Zion as a daughter, the prophet emphasizes her helplessness and vulnerability before the enemy.
18 tn Heb “like a city besieged.” Unlike the preceding two comparisons, which are purely metaphorical, this third one identifies the reality of Israel’s condition. In this case the comparative preposition, as in v. 7b, has the force, “in every way like,” indicating that all the earmarks of a siege are visible because that is indeed what is taking place. The verb form in MT is Qal passive participle of נָצַר (natsar, “guard”), but since this verb is not often used of a siege (see BDB 666 s.v. I נָצַר), some prefer to repoint the form as a Niphal participle from II צוּר (tsur, “besiege”). However, the latter is not attested elsewhere in the Niphal (see BDB 848 s.v. II צוּר).
19 tn Traditionally, “the Lord of hosts.” The title pictures God as the sovereign king who has at his disposal a multitude of attendants, messengers, and warriors to do his bidding. In some contexts, like this one, the military dimension of his rulership is highlighted. In this case, the title pictures him as one who leads armies into battle against his enemies.
20 tc The translation assumes that כִּמְעָט (kim’at, “quickly,” literally, “like a little”) goes with what follows, contrary to the MT accents, which take it with what precedes. In this case, one could translate the preceding line, “If the Lord who commands armies had not left us a few survivors.” If כִּמְעָט goes with the preceding line (following the MT accents), this expression highlights the idea that there would only be a few survivors (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:20; H. Zobel, TDOT 8:456). Israel would not be almost like Sodom but exactly like Sodom.
21 sn Building on the simile of v. 9, the prophet sarcastically addresses the leaders and people of Jerusalem as if they were leaders and residents of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah. The sarcasm is appropriate, for if the judgment is comparable to Sodom’s, that must mean that the sin which prompted the judgment is comparable as well.
22 tn Heb “to the instruction of our God.” In this context, which is highly accusatory and threatening, תּוֹרָה (torah, “law, instruction”) does not refer to mere teaching, but to corrective teaching and rebuke.
23 tn Heb “Why to me the multitude of your sacrifices?” The sarcastic rhetorical question suggests that their many sacrifices are of no importance to the Lord. This phrase answers the possible objection that an Israelite could raise in response to God’s indictment: “But we are offering the sacrifices you commanded!”
24 tn The verb שָׂבַע (sava’, “be satisfied, full”) is often used of eating and/or drinking one’s fill. See BDB 959 s.v. שָׂבַע. Here sacrifices are viewed, in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion, as food for the deity. God here declares that he has eaten and drunk, as it were, his fill.
25 sn In the chiastic structure of the verse, the verbs at the beginning and end highlight God’s displeasure, while the heaping up of references to animals, fat, and blood in the middle lines hints at why God wants no more of their sacrifices. They have, as it were, piled the food on his table and he needs no more.
25 tn Heb “When you come to appear before me, who requires this from your hand, trampling of my courtyards?” The rhetorical question sarcastically makes the point that God does not require this parade of livestock. The verb “trample” probably refers to the eager worshipers and their sacrificial animals walking around in the temple area.
27 tn Or “worthless” (NASB, NCV, CEV); KJV, ASV “vain.”
28 sn Notice some of the other practices that Yahweh regards as “detestable”: homosexuality (Lev 18:22-30; 20:13), idolatry (Deut 7:25; 13:15), human sacrifice (Deut 12:31), eating ritually unclean animals (Deut 14:3-8), sacrificing defective animals (Deut 17:1), engaging in occult activities (Deut 18:9-14), and practicing ritual prostitution (1 Kgs 14:23).
29 tn Heb “sin and assembly” (these two nouns probably represent a hendiadys). The point is that their attempts at worship are unacceptable to God because the people’s everyday actions in the socio-economic realm prove they have no genuine devotion to God (see vv. 16-17).
29 tn Heb “I close my eyes from you.”
30 sn This does not just refer to the blood of sacrificial animals, but also the blood, as it were, of their innocent victims. By depriving the poor and destitute of proper legal recourse and adequate access to the economic system, the oppressors have, for all intents and purposes, “killed” their victims.
31 sn Having demonstrated the people’s guilt, the Lord calls them to repentance, which will involve concrete action in the socio-economic realm, not mere emotion.
32 sn This phrase refers to Israel’s covenant treachery (cf. Deut 28:10; Jer 4:4; 21:12; 23:2, 22; 25:5; 26:3; 44:22; Hos 9:15; Ps 28:4). In general, the noun ַמעַלְלֵיכֶם (ma’alleykhem) can simply be a reference to deeds, whether good or bad. However, Isaiah always uses it with a negative connotation (cf. 3:8, 10).
33 tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The translation assumes an emendation of חָמוֹץ (khamots, “oppressor [?]”) to חָמוּץ (khamuts, “oppressed”), a passive participle from II חָמַץ (khamats, “oppress”; HALOT 329 s.v. II חמץ) and takes the verb II אָשַׁר (’ashar) in the sense of “make happy” (the delocutive Piel, meaning “call/pronounce happy,” is metonymic here, referring to actually effecting happiness). The parallelism favors this interpretation, for the next two lines speak of positive actions on behalf of the destitute. The other option is to retain the MT pointing and translate, “set right the oppressor,” but the nuance “set right” is not clearly attested elsewhere for the verb I אשׁר. This verb does appear as a participle in Isa 3:12 and 9:16 with the meaning “to lead or guide.” If it can mean to “lead” or “rebuke/redirect” in this verse, the prophet could be contrasting this appeal for societal reformation (v. 17c) with a command to reorder their personal lives (v. 17a-b). J. A. Motyer (The Prophecy of Isaiah, 47) suggests that these three statements (v. 17a-c) provide “the contrast between the two ends of imperfect society, the oppressor and the needy, the one inflicting and the other suffering the hurt. Isaiah looks for a transformed society wherever it needs transforming.”
34 tn This word refers to a woman who has lost her husband, by death or divorce. The orphan and widow are often mentioned in the OT as epitomizing the helpless and impoverished who have been left without the necessities of life due to the loss of a family provider.
35 sn The Lord concludes his case against Israel by offering them the opportunity to be forgiven and by setting before them the alternatives of renewed blessing (as a reward for repentance) and final judgment (as punishment for persistence in sin).
36 tn Traditionally, “let us reason together,” but the context suggests a judicial nuance. The Lord is giving the nation its options for the future.
37 tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.
38 tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.
39 tn Heb “though your sins are like red, they will become white like snow; though they are red like scarlet, they will be like wool.” The point is not that the sins will be covered up, though still retained. The metaphorical language must be allowed some flexibility and should not be pressed into a rigid literalistic mold. The people’s sins will be removed and replaced by ethical purity. The sins that are now as obvious as the color red will be washed away and the ones who are sinful will be transformed.
37 tn Heb “listen”; KJV “obedient”; NASB “If you consent and obey.”
39 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.
40 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).
41 tn Heb “How she has become a prostitute, the faithful city!” The exclamatory אֵיכָה (’ekhah, “how!”) is used several times as the beginning of a lament (see Lam 1:1; 2;1; 4:1-2). Unlike a number of other OT passages that link references to Israel’s harlotry to idolatry, Isaiah here makes the connection with social and moral violations.
42 tn Heb “filled with.”
43 tn Or “assassins.” This refers to the oppressive rich and/or their henchmen. R. Ortlund (Whoredom, 78) posits that it serves as a synecdoche for all varieties of criminals, the worst being mentioned to imply all lesser ones. Since Isaiah often addressed his strongest rebuke to the rulers and leaders of Israel, he may have in mind the officials who bore the responsibility to uphold justice and righteousness.
43 tn The pronoun is feminine singular; personified Jerusalem (see v. 21) is addressed.
44 tn Or “dross.” The word refers to the scum or impurites floating on the top of melted metal.
45 sn The metaphors of silver becoming impure and beer being watered down picture the moral and ethical degeneration that had occurred in Jerusalem.
45 tn Or “stubborn”; CEV “have rejected me.”
46 tn Heb “and companions of” (so KJV, NASB); CEV “friends of crooks.”
47 tn Heb “pursue”; NIV “chase after gifts.”
48 sn Isaiah may have chosen the word for gifts (שַׁלְמוֹנִים, shalmonim; a hapax legomena here), as a sarcastic pun on what these rulers should have been doing. Instead of attending to peace and wholeness (שָׁלוֹם, shalom), they sought after payoffs (שַׁלְמוֹנִים).
49 sn See the note at v. 17.
50 sn The rich oppressors referred to in Isaiah and the other eighth century prophets were not rich capitalists in the modern sense of the word. They were members of the royal military and judicial bureaucracies in Israel and Judah. As these bureaucracies grew, they acquired more and more land and gradually commandeered the economy and legal system. At various administrative levels bribery and graft become commonplace. The common people outside the urban administrative centers were vulnerable to exploitation in such a system, especially those, like widows and orphans, who had lost their family provider through death. Through confiscatory taxation, conscription, excessive interest rates, and other oppressive governmental measures and policies, they were gradually disenfranchised and lost their landed property, and with it, their rights as citizens. The socio-economic equilibrium envisioned in the law of Moses was radically disturbed.
47 tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at v. 9.
48 tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Israel.”
49 tn Heb “console myself” (i.e., by getting revenge); NRSV “pour out my wrath on.”
50 sn The Lord here identifies with the oppressed and comes as their defender and vindicator.
49 tn Heb “turn my hand against you.” The second person pronouns in vv. 25-26 are feminine singular. Personified Jerusalem is addressed. The idiom “turn the hand against” has the nuance of “strike with the hand, attack,” in Ps 81:15 HT (81:14 ET); Ezek 38:12; Am 1:8; Zech 13:7. In Jer 6:9 it is used of gleaning grapes.
50 tn Heb “I will purify your dross as [with] flux.” “Flux” refers here to minerals added to the metals in a furnace to prevent oxides from forming. For this interpretation of II בֹּר (bor), see HALOT 153 s.v. II בֹּר and 750 s.v. סִיג.
51 sn The metaphor comes from metallurgy; slag is the substance left over after the metallic ore has been refined.
51 tn Heb “I will restore your judges as in the beginning; and your counselors as in the beginning.” In this context, where social injustice and legal corruption are denounced (see v. 23), the “judges” are probably government officials responsible for making legal decisions, while the “advisers” are probably officials who helped the king establish policies. Both offices are also mentioned in 3:2.
53 sn The third person reference to the Lord in v. 28 indicates that the prophet is again (see vv. 21-24a) speaking. Since v. 27 is connected to v. 28 by a conjunction, it is likely that the prophet’s words begin with v. 27.
54 tn Heb “Zion will be ransomed with justice.” Both cola in this verse end with similar terms: justice and righteousness (and both are preceded by a בְּ [bet] preposition). At issue is whether these virtues describe the means or result of the deliverance and whether they delineate God’s justice/righteousness or that of the covenant people. If the righteousness of Israelite returnees is in view, the point seems to be that the reestablishment of Zion as a center of justice (God’s people living in conformity with God’s demand for equity and justice) will deliver the city from its past humiliation and restore it to a place of prominence (see 2:2-4; cf. E. Kissane, Isaiah, 1:19). Most scholars conclude that “righteousness and “justice” refers to God alone (J. Ridderbos, Isaiah [BSC], 50; J. Watts, Isaiah [WBC], 1:25; E. J. Young, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:89; cf. NLT, TEV) or serves as a double reference to both divine and human justice and righteousness (J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, 51; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:10; H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:72). If it refers to both sides of the coin, these terms highlight the objective divine work of redemption and the subjective human response of penitence (Motyer, 51).
55 tc The Hebrew text has, “her repentant ones/returnees with righteousness.” The form שָׁבֶיהָ (shaveha, “her repentant ones”), as pointed in MT, is a masculine plural Qal participle from שׁוּב (shuv, “return”). Used substantivally, it refers to the “returning (i.e., repentant) ones.” It is possible that the parallel line (with its allusion to being freed by a ransom payment) suggests that the form be repointed to שִׁבְיָהּ (shivyah, “her captivity”), a reading that has support from the LXX. Some slightly emend the form to read וְשָׁבָה (vÿshavah, “and will return”). According to this view, the verb from the first line applies to the second line as well with the following translation as a result: “she will be released when fairness is restored.” Regardless, it makes best sense in the context to regard this as a reference to repentant Israelites returning to the land of promise. This understanding provides a better contrast with the rebels and sinners in 1:28.
55 tn Heb “and [there will be] a shattering of rebels and sinners together.”
57 tc The Hebrew text (and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa) has the third person here, though a few Hebrew
58 tn The second person pronouns in vv. 29-30 are masculine plural, indicating that the rebellious sinners (v. 28) are addressed.
59 tn Or “gardens” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “groves.”
59 tn Or “a garden” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
61 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
63 tn It is uncertain who is speaking here. Possibly the prophet, taking the role of best man, composes a love song for his friend on the occasion of his wedding. If so, יָדִיד (yadid) should be translated “my friend.” The present translation assumes that Israel is singing to the Lord. The word דוֹד (dod, “lover”) used in the second line is frequently used by the woman in the Song of Solomon to describe her lover.
64 sn Israel, viewing herself as the Lord’s lover, refers to herself as his vineyard. The metaphor has sexual connotations, for it pictures her capacity to satisfy his appetite and to produce children. See Song 8:12.
65 tn Heb “on a horn, a son of oil.” Apparently קֶרֶן (qeren, “horn”) here refers to the horn-shaped peak of a hill (BDB 902 s.v.) or to a mountain spur, i.e., a ridge that extends laterally from a mountain (HALOT 1145 s.v. קֶרֶן; H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:180). The expression “son of oil” pictures this hill as one capable of producing olive trees. Isaiah’s choice of קֶרֶן, a rare word for hill, may have been driven by paronomastic concerns, i.e., because קֶרֶן sounds like כֶּרֶם (kerem, “vineyard”).
65 tn Or, “dug it up” (so NIV); KJV “fenced it.’ See HALOT 810 s.v. עזק.
66 tn Heb “wild grapes,” i.e., sour ones (also in v. 4).
67 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
68 tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.
69 tn Heb “and it will become [a place for] grazing.” בָּעַר (ba’ar, “grazing”) is a homonym of the more often used verb “to burn.”
70 tn Heb “and it will become a trampled place” (NASB “trampled ground”).
71 tn Heb “it will not be pruned or hoed” (so NASB); ASV and NRSV both similar.
73 tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
74 tn Heb “the house of Israel” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
75 tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.
76 tn Heb “but, look, disobedience.” The precise meaning of מִשְׂפָּח (mishpakh), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Some have suggested a meaning “bloodshed.” The term is obviously chosen for its wordplay value; it sounds very much like מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “justice”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.
77 tn Heb “but, look, a cry for help.” The verb (“he waited”) does double duty in the parallelism. צְעָקָה (tsa’qah) refers to the cries for help made by the oppressed. It sounds very much like צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.
75 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who make a house touch a house.” The exclamation הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death.
76 tn Heb “[who] bring a field near a field.”
77 tn Heb “until the end of the place”; NASB “until there is no more room.”
78 tn Heb “and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.”
77 tn Heb “in my ears, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
78 tn Heb “great and good [houses], without a resident.”
79 tn Heb “a ten-yoke vineyard.” The Hebrew term צֶמֶד (tsemed, “yoke”) is here a unit of square measure. Apparently a ten-yoke vineyard covered the same amount of land it would take ten teams of oxen to plow in a certain period of time. The exact size is unknown.
80 tn Heb “one bath.” A bath was a liquid measure. Estimates of its modern equivalent range from approximately six to twelve gallons.
81 tn Heb “a homer.” A homer was a dry measure, the exact size of which is debated. Cf. NCV “ten bushels”; CEV “five bushels.”
82 tn Heb “an ephah.” An ephah was a dry measure; there were ten ephahs in a homer. So this verse envisions major crop failure, where only one-tenth of the anticipated harvest is realized.
81 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who arise early in the morning, [who] chase beer.”
82 tn Heb “[who] delay until dark, [until] wine enflames them.”
83 tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).
84 tn Heb “the work of the Lord they do not look at, and the work of his hands they do not see.” God’s “work” can sometimes be his creative deeds, but in this context it is the judgment that he is planning to bring upon his people (cf. vv. 19, 26; 10:12; 28:21).
85 sn It is not certain if the prophet or the Lord is speaking at this point.
86 tn The suffixed (perfect) form of the verb is used; in this way the coming event is described for rhetorical effect as occurring or as already completed.
87 tn The third masculine singular suffix refers back to “my people.”
88 tn Heb “Their glory will be men of hunger.” כָּבוֹד (kavod, “glory”) is in opposition to הָמוֹן (hamon, “masses”) and refers here to the rich and prominent members of the nation. Some prefer to repoint מְתֵי (mÿtey, “men of”) as מִתֵי (mitey, “dead ones of”).
89 tn The third masculine singular suffix refers back to “my people.”
90 tn Heb “and their masses will be parched [by] thirst.”
87 tn Heb “Sheol” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV); the underworld, the land of the dead, according to the OT world view. Cf. NAB “the nether world”; TEV, CEV “the world of the dead”; NLT “the grave.”
88 tn Heb “so Sheol will make wide its throat, and open its mouth without limit.”
89 tn Heb “and her splendor and her masses will go down, and her tumult and the one who exults in her.” The antecedent of the four feminine singular pronominal suffixes used in v. 14b is unclear. The likely referent is personified Zion/Jerusalem (see 3:25-26; 4:4-5).
89 tn Heb “men are brought down, men are brought low, the eyes of pride are brought low.”
91 tn Or “elevated”; TEV “the Lord Almighty shows his greatness.”
92 tn Heb “by judgment/justice.” When God justly punishes the evildoers denounced in the preceding verses, he will be recognized as a mighty warrior.
93 tn Heb “The holy God will be set apart by fairness.” In this context God’s holiness is his sovereign royal authority, which implies a commitment to justice (see the note on the phrase “the sovereign king of Israel” in 1:4). When God judges evildoers as they deserve, his sovereignty will be acknowledged.
93 tn Or “young rams”; NIV, NCV “sheep”; NLT “flocks.”
94 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and ruins, fatlings, resident aliens, will eat.” This part of the verse has occasioned various suggestions of emendation. The parallelism is tighter if the second line refers to animals grazing. The translation, “amid the ruins the fatlings and young sheep graze,” assumes an emendation of “resident aliens” (גָּרִים, garim) to “young goats/sheep” (גְּדַיִם, gÿdayim) – confusion of dalet and resh is quite common – and understands “fatlings” and “young sheep” taken as a compound subject or as in apposition as the subject of the verb. However, no emendations are necessary if the above translation is correct. The meaning of מֵחִים (mekhim) has a significant impact on one’s textual decision and translation. The noun can refer to a sacrificial (“fat”) animal as it does in its only other occurrence (Ps 66:15). However, it could signify the rich of the earth (“the fat ones of the earth”; Ps 22:29 [MT 30]) using a different word for “fatness” (דָּשֶׁן, dashen). If so, it serves a figurative reference to the rich. Consequently, the above translation coheres with the first half of the verse. Just as the sheep are out of place grazing in these places (“as in their pasture”), the sojourners would not have expected to have the chance to eat in these locations. Both animals and itinerant foreigners would eat in places not normal for them.
95 sn See the note at v. 8.
96 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “Woe to those who pull evil with the ropes of emptiness, and, as [with] ropes of a cart, sin.” Though several textual details are unclear, the basic idea is apparent. The sinners are so attached to their sinful ways (compared here to a heavy load) that they strain to drag them along behind them. If שָׁוְא (shavÿ’, “emptiness”) is retained, it makes a further comment on their lifestyle, denouncing it as one that is devoid of what is right and destined to lead to nothing but destruction. Because “emptiness” does not form a very tight parallel with “cart” in the next line, some emend שָׁוְא to שֶׂה (she, “sheep”) and עֲגָלָה (’agalah, “cart”) to עֵגֶל (’egel, “calf”): “Those who pull evil along with a sheep halter are as good as dead who pull sin with a calf rope” (following the lead of the LXX and improving the internal parallelism of the verse). In this case, the verse pictures the sinners pulling sin along behind them as one pulls an animal with a halter. For a discussion of this view, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:163, n. 1. Nevertheless, this emendation is unnecessary. The above translation emphasizes the folly of the Israelites who hold on to their sin (and its punishment) even while they hope for divine intervention.
97 tn Heb “let his work hurry, let it hasten.” The pronoun “his” refers to God, as the parallel line makes clear. The reference to his “work” alludes back to v. 12, which refers to his ‘work” of judgment. With these words the people challenged the prophet’s warning of approaching judgment. They were in essence saying that they saw no evidence that God was about to work in such a way.
98 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
99 tn Heb “draw near” (so NASB); NRSV “hasten to fulfillment.”
99 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who call.” See the note at v. 8.
100 sn In this verse the prophet denounces the perversion of moral standards. Darkness and bitterness are metaphors for evil; light and sweetness symbolize uprightness.
101 tn Heb “Woe [to] the wise in their own eyes.” See the note at v. 8.
102 tn Heb “[who] before their faces are understanding.”
103 tn The language used here is quite sarcastic and paves the way for the shocking description of the enemy army in vv. 25-30. The rich leaders of Judah are nothing but “party animals” who are totally incapable of withstanding real warriors.
104 tn Heb “Woe [to]….” See the note at v. 8.
105 tn Heb “and the just cause of the innocent ones they turn aside from him.”
107 tn Heb “a tongue of fire” (so NASB), referring to a tongue-shaped flame.
108 sn They are compared to a flowering plant that withers quickly in a hot, arid climate.
109 tn Heb “the word.”
110 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
109 tn Heb “the anger of the Lord rages.”
110 tn Or “extends”; KJV, ASV “he hath stretched forth.”
111 tn Or “garbage” (NCV, CEV, NLT); NAB, NASB, NIV “refuse.”
112 tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched.”
111 tc The Hebrew text has literally, “for nations from a distance.” The following verses use singular forms to describe this nation, so the final mem (ם) on לְגּוֹיִם (lÿgoyim) may be enclitic or dittographic. In the latter case one could read לְגוֹי מֵרָחוֹק (lÿgoy merakhoq, “for a nation from a distance”; see Deut 28:49; Joel 3:8). Another possibility is to emend the text from לַגּוֹיִם מֵרָחוֹק (laggoyim merakhoq) to לְגוֹי מִמֶּרְחָק (lÿgoy mimmerkhaq, “for a nation from a distant place”) a phrase which occurs in Jer 5:15. In this case an error of misdivision has occurred in MT, the mem of the prefixed preposition being accidentally taken as a plural ending on the preceding word.
112 tn Heb “he.” Singular forms are used throughout vv. 26-30 to describe this nation, but for stylistic reasons the translation uses the plural for these collective singulars.
113 tn Heb “and the belt on his waist is not opened, and the thong of his sandals is not torn in two.”
115 tn Heb “bent” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “are strung.”
116 tn Heb “regarded like flint.”
117 sn They are like a windstorm in their swift movement and in the way they kick up dust.
117 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
118 tn Heb “over it”; the referent (the prey) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
119 tn Heb “like the growling of the sea.”
120 tn Heb “and one will gaze toward the land, and look, darkness of distress, and light will grow dark by its [the land’s?] clouds.”