19:1 Here is a message about Egypt:
Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud
and approaches Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him;
the Egyptians lose their courage. 1
19:11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; 2
Pharaoh’s wise advisers give stupid advice.
How dare you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one of the sages,
one well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?” 3
19:12 But where, oh where, are your wise men? 4
Let them tell you, let them find out
what the Lord who commands armies has planned for Egypt.
19:13 The officials of Zoan are fools,
the officials of Memphis 5 are misled;
the rulers 6 of her tribes lead Egypt astray.
57:16 For I will not be hostile 7 forever
or perpetually angry,
for then man’s spirit would grow faint before me, 8
the life-giving breath I created.
57:1 The godly 9 perish,
but no one cares. 10
Honest people disappear, 11
when no one 12 minds 13
that the godly 14 disappear 15 because of 16 evil. 17
25:1 O Lord, you are my God! 18
I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. 19
For you have done extraordinary things,
and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. 20
76:12 He humbles princes; 21
the kings of the earth regard him as awesome. 22
46:15 Why will your soldiers 23 be defeated? 24
They will not stand because I, the Lord, will thrust 25 them down.
1 tn Heb “and the heart of Egypt melts within it.”
2 tn Or “certainly the officials of Zoan are fools.” אַךְ (’akh) can carry the sense, “only, nothing but,” or “certainly, surely.”
3 tn Heb “A son of wise men am I, a son of ancient kings.” The term בֶּן (ben, “son of”) could refer to literal descent, but many understand the word, at least in the first line, in its idiomatic sense of “member [of a guild].” See HALOT 138 s.v. בֶּן and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:371. If this is the case, then one can take the word in a figurative sense in the second line as well, the “son of ancient kings” being one devoted to their memory as preserved in their literature.
4 tn Heb “Where are they? Where are your wise men?” The juxtaposition of the interrogative pronouns is emphatic. See HALOT 38 s.v. אֶי.
5 tn Heb “Noph” (so KJV); most recent English versions substitute the more familiar “Memphis.”
6 tn Heb “the cornerstone.” The singular form should be emended to a plural.
7 tn Or perhaps, “argue,” or “accuse” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
8 tn Heb “for a spirit from before me would be faint.”
9 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man”; TEV “Good people.”
10 tn Or perhaps, “understands.” Heb “and there is no man who sets [it] upon [his] heart.”
11 tn Heb “Men of loyalty are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”
12 tn The Hebrew term בְּאֵין (bÿ’en) often has the nuance “when there is no.” See Prov 8:24; 11;14; 14:4; 15:22; 26:20; 29:18.
13 tn Or “realizes”; Heb “understands” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
14 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man.”
15 tn Heb “are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”
16 tn The term מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne, “from the face of”) often has a causal nuance. It also appears with the Niphal of אָסַף (’asaph, “gather”) in 2 Chr 12:5: אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפוּ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַם מִפְּנֵי שִׁישָׁק (’asher-ne’esphu ’el-yÿrushalam mippÿney shishaq, “who had gathered at Jerusalem because of [i.e., due to fear of] Shishak”).
17 tn The translation assumes that this verse, in proverbial fashion, laments society’s apathy over the persecution of the godly. The second half of the verse observes that such apathy results in more widespread oppression. Since the next verse pictures the godly being taken to a place of rest, some interpret the second half of v. 1 in a more positive vein. According to proponents of this view, God removes the godly so that they might be spared suffering and calamity, a fact which the general populace fails to realize.
18 sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.
19 tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.
20 tn Heb “plans from long ago [in] faithfulness, trustworthiness.” The feminine noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness”) and masculine noun אֹמֶן (’omen, “trustworthiness”), both of which are derived from the root אָמַן (’aman), are juxtaposed to emphasize the basic idea conveyed by the synonyms. Here they describe the absolute reliability of the divine plans.
21 tn Heb “he reduces the spirit of princes.” According to HALOT 148 s.v. II בצר, the Hebrew verb בָּצַר (batsar) is here a hapax legomenon meaning “reduce, humble.” The statement is generalizing, with the imperfect tense highlighting God’s typical behavior.
22 tn Heb “[he is] awesome to the kings of the earth.”
23 tn The word translated “soldiers” (אַבִּירִים, ’abbirim) is not the Hebrew word that has been used of soldiers elsewhere in these oracles (גִּבּוֹרִים, gibborim). It is an adjective used as a noun that can apply to animals, i.e., of a bull (Ps 50:13) or a stallion (Judg 5:22). Moreover, the form is masculine plural and the verbs are singular. Hence, many modern commentaries and English versions follow the redivision of the first line presupposed by the Greek version, “Apis has fled” (נָס חַף, nas khaf) and see this as a reference to the bull god of Memphis. However, the noun is used of soldiers in Lam 1:15 and the plural could be the distributive plural, i.e., each and every one (cf. GKC 464 §145.l and compare usage in Gen 27:29).
24 tn The Hebrew word used here only occurs here (in the Niphal) and in Prov 28:3 (in the Qal) where it refers to a rain that beats down grain. That idea would fit nicely with the idea of the soldiers being beaten down, or defeated. It is possible that the rarity of this verb (versus the common verb נוּס, nus, “flee”) and the ready identification of Apis with the bull calf (אַבִּיר, ’abbir) has led to the reading of the Greek text (so C. von Orelli, Jeremiah, 327). The verbs in this verse and the following are in the perfect tense but should be understood as prophetic perfects since the text is dealing with what will happen when Nebuchadnezzar comes into Egypt. The text of vv. 18-24 shows a greater mixture with some perfects and some imperfects, sometimes even within the same verse (e.g., v. 22).
25 tn Heb “the
26 tn Heb “every spirit will be dim.”
27 sn This expression depicts in a very vivid way how they will be overcome with fear. See the note on the same phrase in 7:17.
28 tn Heb “stand.” The heart here stands for the emotions; Jerusalem would panic in the face of God’s judgment.
29 tn Heb “in the days when I act against you.”