14:21 Prepare to execute 1 his sons
for the sins their ancestors have committed. 2
They must not rise up and take possession of the earth,
or fill the surface of the world with cities.” 3
34:11 Owls and wild animals 4 will live there, 5
all kinds of wild birds 6 will settle in it.
The Lord 7 will stretch out over her
the measuring line of ruin
and the plumb line 8 of destruction. 9
34:17 He assigns them their allotment; 10
he measures out their assigned place. 11
They will live there 12 permanently;
they will settle in it through successive generations.
57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols 13 help you!
The wind blows them all away, 14
a breeze carries them away. 15
But the one who looks to me for help 16 will inherit the land
and will have access to 17 my holy mountain.”
61:7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion; 18
instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive. 19
Yes, 20 they will possess a double portion in their land
and experience lasting joy.
1 tn Or “the place of slaughter for.”
2 tn Heb “for the sin of their fathers.”
3 sn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:320, n. 10) suggests that the garrison cities of the mighty empire are in view here.
4 tn קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (cf. Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). קִפּוֹד (qippod) may also refer to a type of bird (NAB “hoot owl”; NIV “screech owl”; TEV “ravens”), but some have suggested a rodent may be in view (cf. NCV “small animals”; ASV “porcupine”; NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”).
5 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV).
6 tn The Hebrew text has יַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב (yanshof vÿ’orev). Both the יַנְשׁוֹף (“owl”; see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16) and עֹרֵב (“raven”; Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) were types of wild birds.
7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “stones,” i.e., the stones used in a plumb bob.
9 sn The metaphor in v. 11b emphasizes that God has carefully planned Edom’s demise.
7 tn Heb “and he causes the lot to fall for them.” Once again the pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
8 tn Heb “and his hand divides for them with a measuring line.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) now switches to masculine plural, referring to all the animals and birds mentioned in vv. 11-15, some of which were identified with masculine nouns. This signals closure for this portion of the speech, which began in v. 11. The following couplet (v. 17b) forms an inclusio with v. 11a through verbal repetition.
9 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV); NCV “they will own that land forever.”
10 tn The Hebrew text has קִבּוּצַיִךְ (qibbutsayikh, “your gatherings”), an otherwise unattested noun from the verbal root קָבַץ (qavats, “gather”). Perhaps this alludes to their religious assemblies and by metonymy to their rituals. Since idolatry is a prominent theme in the context, some understand this as a reference to a collection of idols. The second half of the verse also favors this view.
11 tn Heb “all of them a wind lifts up.”
12 tn Heb “a breath takes [them] away.”
13 tn Or “seeks refuge in me.” “Seeking refuge” is a metonymy for “being loyal to.”
14 tn Heb “possess, own.” The point seems to be that he will have free access to God’s presence, as if God’s temple mount were his personal possession.
13 tn Heb “instead of your shame, a double portion.”
14 tn Heb “and [instead of] humiliation they will rejoice [over] their portion.” The term תָחָת (takhat, “instead of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
15 tn Heb “therefore” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “and so.”