48:4 I did this 1 because I know how stubborn you are.
Your neck muscles are like iron
and your forehead like bronze. 2
48:18 If only you had obeyed my 3 commandments,
prosperity would have flowed to you like a river, 4
deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea. 5
1 tn The words “I did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 4 is subordinated to v. 3.
2 sn The image is that of a person who has tensed the muscles of the face and neck as a sign of resolute refusal.
3 tn Heb “paid attention to” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “had listened to.”
4 tn Heb “like a river your peace would have been.” שָׁלוֹם (shalom) probably refers here to the peace and prosperity which God promised in return for obedience to the covenant.
5 tn Heb “and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) probably refers here to divine deliverance from enemies. See v. 19.