22:6 The Elamites picked up the quiver,
and came with chariots and horsemen; 1
the men of Kir 2 prepared 3 the shield. 4
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 5 arrow,
he hid me in his quiver. 6
1 tn Heb “[with] the chariots of men, horsemen.”
2 sn A distant region in the direction of Mesopotamia; see Amos 1:5; 9:7.
3 tn Heb “Kir uncovers” (so NAB, NIV).
4 sn The Elamites and men of Kir may here symbolize a fierce army from a distant land. If this oracle anticipates a Babylonian conquest of the city (see 39:5-7), then the Elamites and men of Kir are perhaps viewed here as mercenaries in the Babylonian army. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:410.
5 tn Or perhaps, “polished” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NASB “a select arrow.”
6 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.