Isaiah 59:16

The Lord Intervenes

59:16 He sees there is no advocate; ¹ 

he is shocked ²  that no one intervenes.

So he takes matters into his own hands; ³ 

his desire for justice drives him on. ⁴ 

Jeremiah 2:11

2:11 Has a nation ever changed its gods

(even though they are not really gods at all)?

But my people have exchanged me, their glorious God, ⁵ 

for a god that cannot help them at all! ⁶ 

Matthew 8:10

8:10 When ⁷  Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “I tell you the truth, ⁸  I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel!

John 9:30

9:30 The man replied, ⁹  “This is a remarkable thing, ¹⁰  that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see! ¹¹ 

¹ tn Heb “man” (so KJV, ASV); TEV “no one to help.”

² tn Or “appalled” (NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “disgusted.”

³ tn Heb “and his arm delivers for him.”

⁴ tn Heb “and his justice [or “righteousness”] supports him.”

⁵ tn Heb “have exchanged their glory [i.e., the God in whom they glory].” This is a case of a figure of speech where the attribute of a person or thing is put for the person or thing. Compare the common phrase in Isaiah, the Holy One of Israel, obviously referring to the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁶ tn Heb “what cannot profit.” The verb is singular and the allusion is likely to Baal. See the translator’s note on 2:8 for the likely pun or wordplay.

⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁸ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

⁹ tn Grk “The man answered and said to them.” This has been simplified in the translation to “The man replied.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “For in this is a remarkable thing.”

¹¹ tn Grk “and he opened my eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).