Isaiah 51:13

51:13 Why do you forget ¹  the Lord, who made you,

who stretched out the sky ² 

and founded the earth?

Why do you constantly tremble all day long ³ 

at the anger of the oppressor,

when he makes plans to destroy?

Where is the anger of the oppressor? ⁴ 

Zechariah 9:8

9:8 Then I will surround my temple ⁵  to protect it like a guard ⁶  from anyone crossing back and forth; so no one will cross over against them anymore as an oppressor, for now I myself have seen it.

¹ tn Heb “and that you forget.”

² tn Or “the heavens” (also in v. 16). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

³ tn Heb “and that you tremble constantly all the day.”

⁴ tn The question anticipates the answer, “Ready to disappear!” See v. 14.

⁵ tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

⁶ tn Though a hapax legomenon, the מִצָּבָה (mitsavah) of the MT (from נָצַב, natsav, “take a stand”) is preferable to the suggestion מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”) or even מִצָּבָא (mitsava’, “from” or “against the army”). The context favors the idea of the Lord as a protector.