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 37:31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. 7
37:32 “For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies 8 will accomplish this.
37:33 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
‘He will not enter this city,
nor will he shoot an arrow here. 9
He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, 10
nor will he build siege works against it.
37:34 He will go back the way he came –
he will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.
37:35 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”’” 11
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 Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”
8 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to protect and restore them.
9 tn Heb “there” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). In terms of English style “here” is expected in collocation with “this” in the previous line.
10 tn Heb “[with] a shield” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV).
11 tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”