72:8 May he rule 1 from sea to sea, 2
and from the Euphrates River 3 to the ends of the earth!
72:9 Before him the coastlands 4 will bow down,
and his enemies will lick the dust. 5
72:10 The kings of Tarshish 6 and the coastlands will offer gifts;
the kings of Sheba 7 and Seba 8 will bring tribute.
72:11 All kings will bow down to him;
all nations will serve him.
19:18 At that time five cities 9 in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord who commands armies. One will be called the City of the Sun. 10 19:19 At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt, as well as a sacred pillar 11 dedicated to the Lord at its border. 19:20 It 12 will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt of 13 the Lord who commands armies. When they cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a deliverer and defender 14 who will rescue them. 19:21 The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptians, and they 15 will acknowledge the Lord’s authority 16 at that time. 17 They will present sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. 19:22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to the Lord and he will listen to their prayers 18 and heal them.
19:23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. 19 19:24 At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing 20 in the earth. 21 19:25 The Lord who commands armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying, 22 “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession, 23 Israel!”
45:14 This is what the Lord says:
“The profit 24 of Egypt and the revenue 25 of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you 26 and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. 27
They will bow down to you
and pray to you: 28
‘Truly God is with 29 you; he has no peer; 30
there is no other God!’”
60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, 31
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
All the merchants of Sheba 32 will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing praises to the Lord. 33
60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. 34
They will go up on my altar acceptably, 35
and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.
1 tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.
2 sn From sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.
3 tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.
4 tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those people who dwell in these regions.
5 sn As they bow down before him, it will appear that his enemies are licking the dust.
6 sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.
7 sn Sheba was located in Arabia.
8 sn Seba was located in Africa.
9 sn The significance of the number “five” in this context is uncertain. For a discussion of various proposals, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:376-77.
10 tc The Hebrew text has עִיר הַהֶרֶס (’ir haheres, “City of Destruction”; cf. NASB, NIV) but this does not fit the positive emphasis of vv. 18-22. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and some medieval Hebrew
11 tn This word is sometimes used of a sacred pillar associated with pagan worship, but here it is associated with the worship of the Lord.
12 tn The masculine noun מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbbeakh, “altar”) in v. 19 is probably the subject of the masculine singular verb הָיָה (hayah) rather than the feminine noun מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “sacred pillar”), also in v. 19.
13 tn Heb “a sign and a witness to the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] in the land of Egypt.”
14 tn רָב (rav) is a substantival participle (from רִיב, riv) meaning “one who strives, contends.”
15 tn Heb “Egypt.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, the present translation uses the pronoun (“they”) here.
16 tn Heb “will know the Lord.”
17 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of vv. 23 and 24.
18 tn Heb “he will be entreated.” The Niphal has a tolerative sense here, “he will allow himself to be entreated.”
19 tn The text could be translated, “and Egypt will serve Assyria” (cf. NAB), but subjugation of one nation to the other does not seem to be a theme in vv. 23-25. Rather the nations are viewed as equals before the Lord (v. 25). Therefore it is better to take אֶת (’et) in v. 23b as a preposition, “together with,” rather than the accusative sign. The names of the two countries are understood to refer by metonymy to their respective inhabitants.
20 tn Heb “will be a blessing” (so NCV).
21 tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB).
22 tn Heb “which the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] will bless [it], saying.” The third masculine singular suffix on the form בֵּרֲכוֹ (berakho) should probably be emended to a third feminine singular suffix בֵּרֲכָהּ (berakhah), for its antecedent would appear to be the feminine noun אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) at the end of v. 24.
23 tn Or “my inheritance” (NAB, NASB, NIV).
24 tn Heb “labor,” which stands metonymically for the fruits of labor, either “monetary profit,” or “products.”
25 tn Or perhaps, “merchandise” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “the gain of Ethiopia”; CEV “the treasures of Ethiopia.”
26 tn Heb “they will pass over to you”; NASB, NIV “will come over to you”; CEV “will belong to you.”
27 sn Restored Israel is depicted here in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion as an imperial power that receives riches and slaves as tribute.
28 sn Israel’s vassals are portrayed as so intimidated and awed that they treat Israel as an intermediary to God or sub-deity.
29 tn Or perhaps, “among.” Cf. KJV, ASV “Surely God is in thee.”
30 tn Heb “there is no other” (so NIV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs at the end of v. 18, in v. 21, and at the end of v. 22.
31 tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”
32 tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”
33 tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”
34 tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.
35 tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).
36 tn Heb “and I will set a sign among them.” The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Elsewhere “to set a sign” means “perform a mighty act” (Ps 78:43; Jer 32:20), “make [someone] an object lesson” (Ezek 14:8), and “erect a [literal] standard” (Ps 74:4).
37 tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).
38 sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).
39 tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).
40 sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).
41 tn Or “islands” (NIV).