28:18 Your treaty with death will be dissolved; 1
your agreement 2 with Sheol will not last. 3
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, 4
you will be overrun by it. 5
56:10 All their watchmen 6 are blind,
they are unaware. 7
All of them are like mute dogs,
unable to bark.
They pant, 8 lie down,
and love to snooze.
60:20 Your sun will no longer set;
your moon will not disappear; 9
the Lord will be your permanent source of light;
your time 10 of sorrow will be over.
1 tn On the meaning of כָּפַר (kafar) in this context, see HALOT 494 s.v. I כפר and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:515, n. 9.
2 tn Normally the noun חָזוּת (khazut) means “vision.” See the note at v. 15.
3 tn Or “will not stand” (NIV, NRSV).
4 tn See the note at v. 15.
5 tn Heb “you will become a trampling place for it.”
6 sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.
7 tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”
8 tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.
11 sn In this verse “sun” and “moon” refer to the Lord’s light, which will replace the sun and moon (see v. 19). Light here symbolizes the restoration of divine blessing and prosperity in conjunction with the Lord’s presence. See 30:26.
12 tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).