Isaiah 37:30

37:30 ¹ “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: ²  This year you will eat what grows wild, ³  and next year ⁴  what grows on its own. But the year after that ⁵  you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. ⁶ 

Isaiah 11:11

11:11 At that time ⁷  the sovereign master ⁸  will again lift his hand ⁹  to reclaim ¹⁰  the remnant of his people ¹¹  from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, ¹²  Cush, ¹³  Elam, Shinar, ¹⁴  Hamath, and the seacoasts. ¹⁵ 

¹ tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 22-29) ends and the Lord again addresses Hezekiah and the people directly (see v. 21).

² tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) is a future reminder of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.

³ sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.

⁴ tn Heb “and in the second year” (so ASV).

⁵ tn Heb “in the third year” (so KJV, NAB).

⁶ tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 30b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity.

⁷ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

⁸ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

⁹ tc The Hebrew text reads, “the sovereign master will again, a second time, his hand.” The auxiliary verb יוֹסִיף (yosif), which literally means “add,” needs a main verb to complete it. Consequently many emend שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”) to an infinitive. Some propose the form שַׁנֹּת (shannot, a Piel infinitive construct from שָׁנָה, shanah) and relate it semantically to an Arabic cognate meaning “to be high.” If the Hebrew text is retained a verb must be supplied. “Second time” would allude back to the events of the Exodus (see vv. 15-16).

¹⁰ tn Or “acquire”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “recover.”

¹¹ tn Heb “the remnant of his people who remain.”

¹² sn Perhaps a reference to Upper (i.e., southern) Egypt (so NIV, NLT; NCV “South Egypt”).

¹³ tn Or “Ethiopia” (NAB, NRSV, NLT).

¹⁴ tn Or “Babylonia” (NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).

¹⁵ tn Or perhaps, “the islands of the sea.”