4:7 I will transform the lame into the nucleus of a new nation, 1
and those far off 2 into a mighty nation.
The Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion,
from that day forward and forevermore.” 3
4:9 Jerusalem, why are you 4 now shouting so loudly? 5
Has your king disappeared? 6
Has your wise leader 7 been destroyed?
Is this why 8 pain grips 9 you as if you were a woman in labor?
5:1 (4:14) 10 But now slash yourself, 11 daughter surrounded by soldiers! 12
We are besieged!
With a scepter 13 they strike Israel’s ruler 14
on the side of his face.
1 tn Heb “make the lame into a remnant.”
2 tn The precise meaning of this difficult form is uncertain. The present translation assumes the form is a Niphal participle of an otherwise unattested denominative verb הָלָא (hala’, “to be far off”; see BDB 229 s.v.), but attractive emendations include הַנַּחֲלָה (hannakhalah, “the sick one[s]”) from חָלָה (khalah) and הַנִּלְאָה (hannil’ah, “the weary one[s]”) from לָאָה (la’ah).
3 tn Heb “from now until forever.”
4 tn The Hebrew form is feminine singular, indicating that Jerusalem, personified as a young woman, is now addressed (see v. 10). In v. 8 the tower/fortress was addressed with masculine forms, so there is clearly a shift in addressee here. “Jerusalem” has been supplied in the translation at the beginning of v. 9 to make this shift apparent.
5 tn Heb “Now why are you shouting [with] a shout.”
6 tn Heb “Is there no king over you?”
7 tn Traditionally, “counselor” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the king mentioned in the previous line; the title points to the king’s roles as chief strategist and policy maker, both of which required extraordinary wisdom.
8 tn Heb “that.” The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is used here in a resultative sense; for this use see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §450.
9 tn Heb “grabs hold of, seizes.”
7 sn Beginning with 5:1, the verse numbers through 5:15 in the English Bible differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 5:1 ET = 4:14 HT, 5:2 ET = 5:1 HT, 5:3 ET = 5:2 HT, etc., through 5:15 ET = 5:14 HT. From 6:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.
8 tn The Hebrew verb גָדַד (gadad) can be translated “slash yourself” or “gather in troops.” A number of English translations are based on the latter meaning (e.g., NASB, NIV, NLT).
9 tn Heb “daughter of a troop of warriors.”
10 tn Or “staff”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “rod”; CEV “stick”; NCV “club.”
11 tn Traditionally, “the judge of Israel” (so KJV, NASB).