Isaiah 35:2

35:2 Let it richly bloom; ¹ 

let it rejoice and shout with delight! ² 

It is given the grandeur ³  of Lebanon,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.

They will see the grandeur of the Lord,

the splendor of our God.

Isaiah 37:24

37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, ⁴ 

‘With my many chariots I climbed up

the high mountains,

the slopes of Lebanon.

I cut down its tall cedars

and its best evergreens.

I invaded its most remote regions, ⁵ 

its thickest woods.

Isaiah 65:10

65:10 Sharon ⁶  will become a pasture for sheep,

and the Valley of Achor ⁷  a place where cattle graze; ⁸ 

they will belong to my people, who seek me. ⁹ 

Jeremiah 50:19-20

50:19 But I will restore the flock of Israel to their own pasture.

They will graze on Mount Carmel and the land of Bashan.

They will eat until they are full ¹⁰ 

on the hills of Ephraim and the land of Gilead. ¹¹ 

50:20 When that time comes,

no guilt will be found in Israel.

No sin will be found in Judah. ¹² 

For I will forgive those of them I have allowed to survive. ¹³ 

I, the Lord, affirm it!’” ¹⁴ 

Ezekiel 34:13-14

34:13 I will bring them out from among the peoples and gather them from foreign countries; I will bring them to their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams and all the inhabited places of the land. 34:14 In a good pasture I will feed them; the mountain heights of Israel will be their pasture. There they will lie down in a lush ¹⁵  pasture, and they will feed on rich grass on the mountains of Israel.

Zephaniah 3:13

3:13 The Israelites who remain ¹⁶  will not act deceitfully.

They will not lie,

and a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouth.

Indeed, they will graze peacefully like sheep ¹⁷  and lie down;

no one will terrify them.”

¹ tn The ambiguous verb form תִּפְרַח (tifrakh) is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel).

² tn Heb “and let it rejoice, yes [with] rejoicing and shouting.” גִּילַת (gilat) may be an archaic feminine nominal form (see GKC 421 §130.b).

³ tn Or “glory” (KJV, NIV, NRSV); also a second time later in this verse.

⁴ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

⁵ tn Heb “the height of its extremity”; ASV “its farthest height.”

⁶ sn Sharon was a plain located to the west, along the Mediterranean coast north of Joppa and south of Carmel.

⁷ sn The Valley of Achor (“Achor” means “trouble” in Hebrew) was the site of Achan’s execution. It was located to the east, near Jericho.

⁸ tn Heb “a resting place for cattle”; NASB, NIV “for herds.”

⁹ tn Heb “for my people who seek me.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “their soul [or hunger/appetite] will be satisfied.”

¹¹ sn The metaphor of Israel as a flock of sheep (v. 17) is continued here. The places named were all in Northern Israel and in the Transjordan, lands that were lost to the Assyrians in the period 738-722 b.c. All of these places were known for their fertility, for their woods and their pastures. The hills (hill country) of Ephraim formed the center of Northern Israel. Mount Carmel lies on the seacoast of the Mediterranean north and west of the hill country of Ephraim. Gilead formed the central part of Transjordan and was used to refer at times to the territory between the Yarmuk and Jabbok Rivers, at times to the territory between the Yarmuk and the Arnon Rivers, and at times for all of Israel in the Transjordan. Bashan refers to the territory north of Gilead.

¹² tn Heb “In those days and at that time, oracle of the Lord, the iniquity [or guilt] of Israel will be sought but there will be none and the sins of Judah but they will not be found.” The passive construction “will be sought” raises the question of who is doing the seeking which is not really the main point. The translation has avoided this question by simply referring to the result which is the main point.

¹³ sn Compare Jer 31:34 and 33:8.

¹⁴ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.” In this case it is necessary to place this in the first person because this is already in a quote whose speaker is identified as the Lord (v. 18).

¹⁵ tn Heb “good.”

¹⁶ tn Or “the remnant of Israel.”

¹⁷ tn The words “peacefully like sheep” are supplied in the translation for clarification.