Isaiah 1:20

1:20 But if you refuse and rebel,

you will be devoured ¹  by the sword.”

Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. ² 

Isaiah 19:7

19:7 along with the plants by the mouth of the river. ³ 

All the cultivated land near the river

will turn to dust and be blown away. ⁴ 

Isaiah 30:2

30:2 They travel down to Egypt

without seeking my will, ⁵ 

seeking Pharaoh’s protection,

and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade. ⁶ 

Isaiah 40:5

40:5 The splendor ⁷  of the Lord will be revealed,

and all people ⁸  will see it at the same time.

For ⁹  the Lord has decreed it.” ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 48:3

48:3 “I announced events beforehand, ¹¹ 

I issued the decrees and made the predictions; ¹² 

suddenly I acted and they came to pass.

Isaiah 49:2

49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,

he hid me in the hollow of his hand;

he made me like a sharpened ¹³  arrow,

he hid me in his quiver. ¹⁴ 

[1:20]  ¹ sn The wordplay in the Hebrew draws attention to the options. The people can obey, in which case they will “eat” v. 19 (תֹּאכֵלוּ [to’khelu], Qal active participle of אָכַל) God’s blessing, or they can disobey, in which case they will be devoured (Heb “eaten,” תְּאֻכְּלוּ, [tÿ’ukkÿlu], Qal passive/Pual of אָכַל) by God’s judgment.

[1:20]  ² tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the option chosen by the people will become reality (it is guaranteed by the divine word).

[19:7]  ³ tn Heb “the plants by the river, by the mouth of the river.”

[19:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “will dry up, [being] scattered, and it will vanish.”

[30:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”

[30:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”

[40:5]  ⁷ tn Or “glory.” The Lord’s “glory” is his theophanic radiance and royal splendor (see Isa 6:3; 24:23; 35:2; 60:1; 66:18-19).

[40:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); NAB, NIV “mankind”; TEV “the whole human race.”

[40:5]  ⁹ tn Or “indeed.”

[40:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[48:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “the former things beforehand I declared.”

[48:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and from my mouth they came forth and I caused them to be heard.”

[49:2]  ¹¹ tn Or perhaps, “polished” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NASB “a select arrow.”

[49:2]  ¹² sn The figurative language emphasizes the servant’s importance as the Lord’s effective instrument. The servant’s mouth, which stands metonymically for his words, is compared to a sharp sword because he will be an effective spokesman on God’s behalf (see 50:4). The Lord holds his hand on the servant, ready to draw and use him at the appropriate time. The servant is like a sharpened arrow reserved in a quiver for just the right moment.