Genesis 21:22

21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you ¹  in all that you do.

Isaiah 45:14

The Lord is the Nations’ Only Hope

45:14 This is what the Lord says:

“The profit ²  of Egypt and the revenue ³  of Ethiopia,

along with the Sabeans, those tall men,

will be brought to you ⁴  and become yours.

They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. ⁵ 

They will bow down to you

and pray to you: ⁶ 

‘Truly God is with ⁷  you; he has no peer; ⁸ 

there is no other God!’”

Isaiah 45:1

45:1 This is what the Lord says to his chosen ⁹  one,

to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold ¹⁰ 

in order to subdue nations before him,

and disarm kings, ¹¹ 

to open doors before him,

so gates remain unclosed:

Isaiah 3:1-2

A Coming Leadership Crisis

3:1 Look, the sovereign Lord who commands armies ¹² 

is about to remove from Jerusalem ¹³  and Judah

every source of security, including ¹⁴ 

all the food and water, ¹⁵ 

3:2 the mighty men and warriors,

judges and prophets,

omen readers and leaders, ¹⁶ 

[21:22]  ¹ sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.

[45:14]  ² tn Heb “labor,” which stands metonymically for the fruits of labor, either “monetary profit,” or “products.”

[45:14]  ³ tn Or perhaps, “merchandise” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “the gain of Ethiopia”; CEV “the treasures of Ethiopia.”

[45:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “they will pass over to you”; NASB, NIV “will come over to you”; CEV “will belong to you.”

[45:14]  ⁵ sn Restored Israel is depicted here in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion as an imperial power that receives riches and slaves as tribute.

[45:14]  ⁶ sn Israel’s vassals are portrayed as so intimidated and awed that they treat Israel as an intermediary to God or sub-deity.

[45:14]  ⁷ tn Or perhaps, “among.” Cf. KJV, ASV “Surely God is in thee.”

[45:14]  ⁸ 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.

[45:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “anointed” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “his appointed king.”

[45:1]  ¹⁰ sn The “right hand” is a symbol of activity and strength; the Lord directs Cyrus’ activities and assures his success.

[45:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the belts of kings I will loosen”; NRSV “strip kings of their robes”; NIV “strip kings of their armor.”

[3:1]  ¹² tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at 1:9.

[3:1]  ¹³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “support and support.” The masculine and feminine forms of the noun are placed side-by-side to emphasize completeness. See GKC 394 §122.v.

[3:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “all the support of food, and all the support of water.”

[3:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “elder” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NCV “older leaders.”