“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful, 4
Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”
16:10 You will not abandon me 9 to Sheol; 10
you will not allow your faithful follower 11 to see 12 the Pit. 13
89:18 For our shield 14 belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel. 15
145:17 The Lord is just in all his actions, 16
and exhibits love in all he does. 17
30:11 Turn aside from the way,
stray off the path. 20
Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.” 21
41:14 Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, 22
men of 23 Israel.
I am helping you,” says the Lord,
your protector, 24 the Holy One of Israel. 25
41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;
the wind will scatter them.
You will rejoice in the Lord;
you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
41:20 I will do this so 26 people 27 will observe and recognize,
so they will pay attention and understand
that the Lord’s power 28 has accomplished this,
and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.” 29
47:4 says our protector –
the Lord who commands armies is his name,
the Holy One of Israel. 30
48:17 This is what the Lord, your protector, 31 says,
the Holy One of Israel: 32
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you how to succeed,
who leads you in the way you should go.
49:7 This is what the Lord,
the protector 33 of Israel, their Holy One, 34 says
to the one who is despised 35 and rejected 36 by nations, 37
a servant of rulers:
“Kings will see and rise in respect, 38
princes will bow down,
because of the faithful Lord,
the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”
54:5 For your husband is the one who made you –
the Lord who commands armies is his name.
He is your protector, 39 the Holy One of Israel. 40
He is called “God of the entire earth.”
55:5 Look, you will summon nations 41 you did not previously know;
nations 42 that did not previously know you will run to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, 43
for he bestows honor on you.
1 tn Grk “six wings apiece,” but this is redundant with “each one” in English.
2 tn Some translations render ἔσωθεν (eswqen) as “under [its] wings,” but the description could also mean “filled all around on the outside and on the inside with eyes.” Since the referent is not available to the interpreter, the exact force is difficult to determine.
3 tn Or “They never stop saying day and night.”
4 tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”
5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
6 tn Grk “voice, saying”; the participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.
7 tn The expression ἕως πότε (ews pote) was translated “how long.” Cf. BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.γ.
8 tn The Greek term here is δεσπότης (despoths; see L&N 37.63).
9 tn Or “my life.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
10 sn In ancient Israelite cosmology Sheol is the realm of the dead, viewed as being under the earth’s surface. See L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 165-76.
11 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד [khasid], traditionally rendered “holy one”) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10). The psalmist here refers to himself, as the parallel line (“You will not abandon me to Sheol”) indicates.
12 tn That is, “experience.” The psalmist is confident that the Lord will protect him in his present crisis (see v. 1) and prevent him from dying.
13 tn The Hebrew word שָׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 30:9; 49:9; 55:24; 103:4). Note the parallelism with the previous line.
14 tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “our king" here and with “your anointed one” in Ps 84:9.
15 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the
16 tn Heb “in all his ways.”
17 tn Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.”
18 tn Some have seen a reference to the Trinity in the seraphs’ threefold declaration, “holy, holy, holy.” This proposal has no linguistic or contextual basis and should be dismissed as allegorical. Hebrew sometimes uses repetition for emphasis. (See IBHS 233-34 §12.5a; and GKC 431-32 §133.k.) By repeating the word “holy,” the seraphs emphasize the degree of the Lord’s holiness. For another example of threefold repetition for emphasis, see Ezek 21:27 (Heb. v. 32). (Perhaps Jer 22:29 provides another example.)
19 tn Perhaps in this context, the title has a less militaristic connotation and pictures the Lord as the ruler of the heavenly assembly. See the note at 1:9.
20 sn The imagery refers to the way or path of truth, as revealed by God to the prophet.
21 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
22 tn Heb “O worm Jacob” (NAB, NIV). The worm metaphor suggests that Jacob is insignificant and despised.
23 tn On the basis of the parallelism (note “worm”) and an alleged Akkadian cognate, some read “louse” or “weevil.” Cf. NAB “O maggot Israel”; NRSV “you insect Israel.”
24 tn Heb “your kinsman redeemer.” A גָּאַל (ga’al, “kinsman redeemer”) was a protector of the extended family’s interests.
25 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
26 tn The words “I will do this” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text has here simply, “in order that.”
27 tn Heb “they”; NAB, NRSV “that all may see”; CEV, NLT “Everyone will see.”
28 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
29 tn Or “created it” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “has made it happen.”
30 tc The Hebrew text reads, “Our redeemer – the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] is his name, the Holy One of Israel.” The ancient Greek version adds “says” before “our redeemer.” אָמַר (’amar) may have accidentally dropped from the text by virtual haplography. Note that the preceding word אָדָם (’adam) is graphically similar.
31 tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
32 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
33 tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
34 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
35 tc The Hebrew text reads literally “to [one who] despises life.” It is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa לבזוי, which should be vocalized as a passive participle, לִבְזוּי (livzuy, “to the one despised with respect to life” [נֶפֶשׁ is a genitive of specification]). The consonantal sequence וי was probably misread as ה in the MT tradition. The contextual argument favors the 1QIsaa reading. As J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:294) points out, the three terse phrases “convey a picture of lowliness, worthlessness, and helplessness.”
36 tn MT’s Piel participle (“to the one who rejects”) does not fit contextually. The form should be revocalized as a Pual, “to the one rejected.”
37 tn Parallelism (see “rulers,” “kings,” “princes”) suggests that the singular גּוֹי (goy) be emended to a plural or understood in a collective sense (see 55:5).
38 tn For this sense of קוּם (qum), see Gen 19:1; 23:7; 33:10; Lev 19:32; 1 Sam 20:41; 25:41; 1 Kgs 2:19; Job 29:8.
39 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
40 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
41 tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs in the next line indicate (note that both “know” and “run” are third plural forms).
42 tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs that follow indicate.
43 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
44 tn Grk “What to us and to you?” This is an idiom meaning, “We have nothing to do with one another,” or “Why bother us!” The phrase τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί (ti Jhmin kai soi) is Semitic in origin, though it made its way into colloquial Greek (BDAG 275 s.v. ἐγώ). The equivalent Hebrew expression in the OT had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his own, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) merely implies disengagement. BDAG suggests the following as glosses for this expression: What have I to do with you? What have we in common? Leave me alone! Never mind! Hostility between Jesus and the demons is certainly to be understood in this context, hence the translation: “Leave me alone….” For a very similar expression see Lk 8:28 and (in a different context) John 2:4.
45 sn The confession of Jesus as the Holy One here is significant, coming from an unclean spirit. Jesus, as the Holy One of God, who bears God’s Spirit and is the expression of holiness, comes to deal with uncleanness and unholiness.
46 tn Grk “What to us and to you?” This is an idiom meaning, “We have nothing to do with one another,” or “Why bother us!” The phrase τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί (ti Jhmin kai soi) is Semitic in origin, though it made its way into colloquial Greek (BDAG 275 s.v. ἐγώ). The equivalent Hebrew expression in the Old Testament had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12; 2 Chr 35:21; 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13; Hos 14:8). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) merely implies disengagement. BDAG suggests the following as glosses for this expression: What have I to do with you? What have we in common? Leave me alone! Never mind! Hostility between Jesus and the demons is certainly to be understood in this context, hence the translation: “Leave me alone….” For a very similar expression, see Luke 8:28 and (in a different context) John 2:4.
47 sn The confession of Jesus as the Holy One here is significant, coming from an unclean spirit. Jesus, as the Holy One of God, who bears God’s Spirit and is the expression of holiness, comes to deal with uncleanness and unholiness.
48 tn Or “denied,” “disowned.”