2:2 In the future 1
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure 2
as the most important of mountains,
and will be the most prominent of hills. 3
All the nations will stream to it,
28:19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you;
indeed, 4 every morning it will sweep by,
it will come through during the day and the night.” 5
When this announcement is understood,
it will cause nothing but terror.
31:9 They will surrender their stronghold 6 because of fear; 7
their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.” 8
This is what the Lord says –
the one whose fire is in Zion,
whose firepot is in Jerusalem. 9
40:2 “Speak kindly to 12 Jerusalem, 13 and tell her
that her time of warfare is over, 14
that her punishment is completed. 15
For the Lord has made her pay double 16 for all her sins.”
64:7 No one invokes 17 your name,
or makes an effort 18 to take hold of you.
For you have rejected us 19
and handed us over to our own sins. 20
1 tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.
2 tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).
3 tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.
4 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
5 tn The words “it will come through” are supplied in the translation. The verb “will sweep by” does double duty in the parallel structure.
7 tn Heb “rocky cliff” (cf. ASV, NASB “rock”), viewed metaphorically as a place of defense and security.
8 tn Heb “His rocky cliff, because of fear, will pass away [i.e., “perish”].”
9 tn Heb “and they will be afraid of the flag, his officers.”
10 sn The “fire” and “firepot” here symbolize divine judgment, which is heating up like a fire in Jerusalem, waiting to be used against the Assyrians when they attack the city.
10 sn Cherubim (singular “cherub”) refers to the images of winged angelic creatures that were above the ark of the covenant.
11 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
13 tn Heb “speak to the heart of Jerusalem.” Jerusalem is personified as a woman.
14 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
15 tn Heb “that she is filled [with] her warfare.” Some understand צָבָא (tsavah, “warfare”) as meaning “hard service” or “compulsory labor” in this context.
16 tn Heb “that her punishment is accepted [as satisfactory].”
17 tn Heb “for she has received from the hand of the Lord double.” The principle of the double portion in punishment is also seen in Jer 16:18; 17:18 and Rev 18:6. For examples of the double portion in Israelite law, see Exod 22:4, 7, 9 (double restitution by a thief) and Deut 21:17 (double inheritance portion for the firstborn).
16 tn Or “calls out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “calls on.”
17 tn Or “rouses himself”; NASB “arouses himself.”
18 tn Heb “for you have hidden your face from us.”
19 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and you caused us to melt in the hand of our sin.” The verb וַתְּמוּגֵנוּ (vattÿmugenu) is a Qal preterite 2nd person masculine singular with a 1st person common plural suffix from the root מוּג (mug, “melt”). However, elsewhere the Qal of this verb is intransitive. If the verbal root מוּג (mug) is retained here, the form should be emended to a Polel pattern (וַתְּמֹגְגֵנוּ, vattÿmogÿgenu). The translation assumes an emendation to וַתְּמַגְּנֵנוּ (vattÿmaggÿnenu, “and you handed us over”). This form is a Piel preterite 2nd person masculine singular with a 1st person common plural suffix from the verbal root מִגֵּן (miggen, “hand over, surrender”; see HALOT 545 s.v. מגן and BDB 171 s.v. מָגָן). The point is that God has abandoned them to their sinful ways and no longer seeks reconciliation.