55:4 Look, I made him a witness to nations, 1
a ruler and commander of nations.”
17:12 The many nations massing together are as good as dead, 2
those who make a commotion as loud as the roaring of the sea’s waves. 3
The people making such an uproar are as good as dead, 4
those who make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves. 5
17:13 Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves, 6
when he shouts at 7 them, they will flee to a distant land,
driven before the wind like dead weeds on the hills,
or like dead thistles 8 before a strong gale.
43:9 All nations gather together,
the peoples assemble.
Who among them announced this?
Who predicted earlier events for us? 9
Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right;
let them listen and affirm, ‘It is true.’
49:1 Listen to me, you coastlands! 10
Pay attention, you people who live far away!
The Lord summoned me from birth; 11
he commissioned me when my mother brought me into the world. 12
60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth
and deep darkness covers 13 the nations,
but the Lord shines on you;
his splendor 14 appears over you.
1 sn Ideally the Davidic king was to testify to the nations of God’s greatness (cf. Pss 18:50 HT [18:49 ET]; 22:28 HT [22:27 ET]). See J. H. Eaton, Kingship in the Psalms (SBT), 182-84.
2 tn Heb “Woe [to] the massing of the many nations.” The word הוֹי (hoy) could be translated as a simple interjection here (“ah!”), but since the following verses announce the demise of these nations, it is preferable to take הוֹי as a funeral cry. See the note on the first phrase of 1:4.
3 tn Heb “like the loud noise of the seas, they make a loud noise.”
4 tn Heb “the uproar of the peoples.” The term הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse; the words “are as good as dead” are supplied in the translation to reflect this.
5 tn Heb “like the uproar of mighty waters they are in an uproar.”
3 tn Heb “the peoples are in an uproar like the uproar of mighty waters.”
4 tn Or “rebukes.” The verb and related noun are used in theophanies of God’s battle cry which terrifies his enemies. See, for example, Pss 18:15; 76:7; 106:9; Isa 50:2; Nah 1:4, and A. Caquot, TDOT 3:49-53.
5 tn Or perhaps “tumbleweed” (NAB, NIV, CEV); KJV “like a rolling thing.”
4 tn Heb “and the former things was causing us to hear?”
5 tn Or “islands” (NASB, NIV); NLT “in far-off lands.”
6 tn Heb “called me from the womb.”
7 tn Heb “from the inner parts of my mother he mentioned my name.”
6 tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
7 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”