48:13 Yes, my hand founded the earth;
my right hand spread out the sky.
I summon them;
they stand together.
49:8 This is what the Lord says:
“At the time I decide to show my favor, I will respond to you;
in the day of deliverance I will help you;
I will protect you 1 and make you a covenant mediator for people, 2
to rebuild 3 the land 4
and to reassign the desolate property.
75:3 When the earth and all its inhabitants dissolve in fear, 5
I make its pillars secure.” 6 (Selah)
1 tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצָר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצָר (yatsar, “form”).
2 tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. Here עָם (’am, “people”) appears to refer to Israel. See the note at 42:6.
3 tn The Hiphil of קוּם (qum, “arise”) is probably used here in the sense of “rebuild.”
4 tn The “land” probably stands by metonymy for the ruins within it.
5 tn Heb “melt.”
6 tn The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically prevents the world from being overrun by chaos. One could take this as referring to an anticipated event, “I will make its pillars secure.”