Isaiah 1:26-27

1:26 I will reestablish honest judges as in former times,

wise advisers as in earlier days. ¹ 

Then you will be called, ‘The Just City,

Faithful Town.’”

1:27 ² Zion will be freed by justice, ³ 

and her returnees by righteousness. ⁴ 

Isaiah 4:2-4

The Branch of the Lord

4:2 At that time ⁵ 

the crops given by the Lord will bring admiration and honor; ⁶ 

the produce of the land will be a source of pride and delight

to those who remain in Israel. ⁷ 

4:3 Those remaining in Zion, ⁸  those left in Jerusalem, ⁹ 

will be called “holy,” ¹⁰ 

all in Jerusalem who are destined to live. ¹¹ 

4:4 At that time ¹²  the sovereign master ¹³  will wash the excrement ¹⁴  from Zion’s women,

he will rinse the bloodstains from Jerusalem’s midst, ¹⁵ 

as he comes to judge

and to bring devastation. ¹⁶ 

Isaiah 32:1

Justice and Wisdom Will Prevail

32:1 Look, a king will promote fairness; ¹⁷ 

officials will promote justice. ¹⁸ 

Isaiah 32:15-18

32:15 This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven. ¹⁹ 

Then the desert will become an orchard

and the orchard will be considered a forest. ²⁰ 

32:16 Justice will settle down in the desert

and fairness will live in the orchard. ²¹ 

32:17 Fairness will produce peace ²² 

and result in lasting security. ²³ 

32:18 My people will live in peaceful settlements,

in secure homes,

and in safe, quiet places. ²⁴ 

Isaiah 52:1

52:1 Wake up! Wake up!

Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion!

Put on your beautiful clothes,

O Jerusalem, ²⁵  holy city!

For uncircumcised and unclean pagans

will no longer invade you.

Isaiah 54:11-14

54:11 “O afflicted one, driven away, ²⁶  and unconsoled!

Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony

and I lay your foundation with lapis-lazuli.

54:12 I will make your pinnacles out of gems, ²⁷ 

your gates out of beryl, ²⁸ 

and your outer wall ²⁹  out of beautiful ³⁰  stones.

54:13 All your children will be followers of the Lord,

and your children will enjoy great prosperity. ³¹ 

54:14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. ³² 

You will not experience oppression; ³³ 

indeed, you will not be afraid.

You will not be terrified, ³⁴ 

for nothing frightening ³⁵  will come near you.

Isaiah 60:21

60:21 All of your people will be godly; ³⁶ 

they will possess the land permanently.

I will plant them like a shoot;

they will be the product of my labor,

through whom I reveal my splendor. ³⁷ 

Isaiah 61:3

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ³⁸  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ³⁹  instead of discouragement. ⁴⁰ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ⁴¹ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ⁴² 

Isaiah 61:11--62:2

61:11 For just as the ground produces its crops

and a garden yields its produce,

so the sovereign Lord will cause deliverance ⁴³  to grow,

and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations. ⁴⁴ 

The Lord Takes Delight in Zion

62:1 “For the sake of Zion I will not be silent;

for the sake of Jerusalem ⁴⁵  I will not be quiet,

until her vindication shines brightly ⁴⁶ 

and her deliverance burns like a torch.”

62:2 Nations will see your vindication,

and all kings your splendor.

You will be called by a new name

that the Lord himself will give you. ⁴⁷ 

Isaiah 31:1

Egypt Will Disappoint

31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, ⁴⁸ 

those who rely on war horses,

and trust in Egypt’s many chariots ⁴⁹ 

and in their many, many horsemen. ⁵⁰ 

But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel ⁵¹ 

and do not seek help from the Lord.

Isaiah 31:1

Egypt Will Disappoint

31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, ⁵² 

those who rely on war horses,

and trust in Egypt’s many chariots ⁵³ 

and in their many, many horsemen. ⁵⁴ 

But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel ⁵⁵ 

and do not seek help from the Lord.

Romans 11:26

11:26 And so ⁵⁶  all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion;

he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.

[1:26]  ¹ tn Heb “I will restore your judges as in the beginning; and your counselors as in the beginning.” In this context, where social injustice and legal corruption are denounced (see v. 23), the “judges” are probably government officials responsible for making legal decisions, while the “advisers” are probably officials who helped the king establish policies. Both offices are also mentioned in 3:2.

[1:27]  ² sn The third person reference to the Lord in v. 28 indicates that the prophet is again (see vv. 21-24a) speaking. Since v. 27 is connected to v. 28 by a conjunction, it is likely that the prophet’s words begin with v. 27.

[1:27]  ³ tn Heb “Zion will be ransomed with justice.” Both cola in this verse end with similar terms: justice and righteousness (and both are preceded by a בְּ [bet] preposition). At issue is whether these virtues describe the means or result of the deliverance and whether they delineate God’s justice/righteousness or that of the covenant people. If the righteousness of Israelite returnees is in view, the point seems to be that the reestablishment of Zion as a center of justice (God’s people living in conformity with God’s demand for equity and justice) will deliver the city from its past humiliation and restore it to a place of prominence (see 2:2-4; cf. E. Kissane, Isaiah, 1:19). Most scholars conclude that “righteousness and “justice” refers to God alone (J. Ridderbos, Isaiah [BSC], 50; J. Watts, Isaiah [WBC], 1:25; E. J. Young, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:89; cf. NLT, TEV) or serves as a double reference to both divine and human justice and righteousness (J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, 51; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:10; H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:72). If it refers to both sides of the coin, these terms highlight the objective divine work of redemption and the subjective human response of penitence (Motyer, 51).

[1:27]  ⁴ tc The Hebrew text has, “her repentant ones/returnees with righteousness.” The form שָׁבֶיהָ (shaveha, “her repentant ones”), as pointed in MT, is a masculine plural Qal participle from שׁוּב (shuv, “return”). Used substantivally, it refers to the “returning (i.e., repentant) ones.” It is possible that the parallel line (with its allusion to being freed by a ransom payment) suggests that the form be repointed to שִׁבְיָהּ (shivyah, “her captivity”), a reading that has support from the LXX. Some slightly emend the form to read וְשָׁבָה (vÿshavah, “and will return”). According to this view, the verb from the first line applies to the second line as well with the following translation as a result: “she will be released when fairness is restored.” Regardless, it makes best sense in the context to regard this as a reference to repentant Israelites returning to the land of promise. This understanding provides a better contrast with the rebels and sinners in 1:28.

[4:2]  ⁵ tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[4:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the vegetation of the Lord will become beauty and honor.” Many English versions understand the phrase צֶמַח יְהוָה (tsemakh yÿhvah) as a messianic reference and render it, “the Branch of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT, and others). Though צֶמַח (tsemakh) is used by later prophets of a royal descendant (Jer 23;5; 33:15; Zech 3:8; 6:12), those passages contain clear contextual indicators that a human ruler is in view and that the word is being used in a metaphorical way of offspring. However, in Isa 4:2 there are no such contextual indicators. To the contrary, in the parallel structure of the verse צֶמַח יְהוָה corresponds to “produce of the land,” a phrase that refers elsewhere exclusively to literal agricultural produce (see Num 13:20, 26; Deut 1:25). In the majority of its uses צֶמַח refers to literal crops or vegetation (in Ps 65:10 the Lord is the source of this vegetation). A reference to the Lord restoring crops would make excellent sense in Isa 4 and the prophets frequently included this theme in their visions of the future age (see Isa 30:23-24; 32:20; Jer 31:12; Ezek 34:26-29; and Amos 9:13-14).

[4:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the fruit of the land will become pride and beauty for the remnant of Israel.”

[4:3]  ⁸ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[4:3]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:3]  ¹⁰ tn Or “set apart,” cf. CEV “special.”

[4:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “all who are written down for life in Jerusalem.” A city register is envisioned; everyone whose name appears on the roll will be spared. This group comprises the remnant of the city referred to earlier in the verse.

[4:4]  ¹² tn Heb “when” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); CEV “after”; NRSV “once.”

[4:4]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

[4:4]  ¹⁴ tn The word refers elsewhere to vomit (Isa 28:8) and fecal material (Isa 36:12). Many English versions render this somewhat euphemistically as “filth” (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV). Ironically in God’s sight the beautiful jewelry described earlier is nothing but vomit and feces, for it symbolizes the moral decay of the city’s residents (cf. NLT “moral filth”).

[4:4]  ¹⁵ sn See 1:21 for a related concept.

[4:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.” The precise meaning of the second half of the verse is uncertain. רוּחַ (ruakh) can be understood as “wind” in which case the passage pictures the Lord using a destructive wind as an instrument of judgment. However, this would create a mixed metaphor, for the first half of the verse uses the imagery of washing and rinsing to depict judgment. Perhaps the image would be that of a windstorm accompanied by heavy rain. רוּחַ can also mean “spirit,” in which case the verse may be referring to the Lord’s Spirit or, more likely, to a disposition that the Lord brings to the task of judgment. It is also uncertain if בָּעַר (ba’ar) here means “burning” or “sweeping away, devastating.”

[32:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “will reign according to fairness.”

[32:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “will rule according to justice.”

[32:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “until a spirit is emptied out on us from on high.” The words “this desolation will continue” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic purposes. The verb עָרָה (’arah), used here in the Niphal, normally means “lay bare, expose.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is often understood here as a reference to the divine spirit (cf. 44:3 and NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT), but it appears here without an article (cf. NRSV “a spirit”), pronominal suffix, or a genitive (such as “of the Lord”). The translation assumes that it carries an impersonal nuance “vivacity, vigor” in this context.

[32:15]  ²⁰ sn The same statement appears in 29:17b, where, in conjunction with the preceding line, it appears to picture a reversal. Here it seems to depict supernatural growth. The desert will blossom into an orchard, and the trees of the orchard will multiply and grow tall, becoming a forest.

[32:16]  ²¹ sn This new era of divine blessing will also include a moral/ethical transformation, as justice and fairness fill the land and replace the social injustice so prevalent in Isaiah’s time.

[32:17]  ²² tn Heb “and the product of fairness will be peace.”

[32:17]  ²³ tn Heb “and the work of fairness [will be] calmness and security forever.”

[32:18]  ²⁴ tn Or “in safe resting places”; NAB, NRSV “quiet resting places.”

[52:1]  ²⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[54:11]  ²⁶ tn Or, more literally, “windblown, storm tossed.”

[54:12]  ²⁷ tn Perhaps, “rubies” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[54:12]  ²⁸ tn On the meaning of אֶקְדָּח (’eqdakh), which occurs only here, see HALOT 82 s.v.

[54:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “border” (so ASV); NASB “your entire wall.”

[54:12]  ³⁰ tn Heb “delightful”; KJV “pleasant.”

[54:13]  ³¹ tn Heb “and great [will be] the peace of your sons.”

[54:14]  ³² tn Heb “in righteousness [or “vindication”] you will be established.” The precise meaning of צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) here is uncertain. It could mean “righteousness, justice,” indicating that the city will be a center for justice. But the context focuses on deliverance, suggesting that the term means “deliverance, vindication” here.

[54:14]  ³³ tn Heb “Be far from oppression!” The imperative is used here in a rhetorical manner to express certainty and assurance. See GKC 324 §110.c.

[54:14]  ³⁴ tn Heb “from terror.” The rhetorical command, “be far” is understood by ellipsis here. Note the preceding context.

[54:14]  ³⁵ tn Heb “it,” i.e., the “terror” just mentioned.

[60:21]  ³⁶ tn Or “righteous” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “just.”

[60:21]  ³⁷ tn Heb “a shoot of his planting, the work of my hands, to reveal splendor.”

[61:3]  ³⁸ tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ³⁹ tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ⁴¹ tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”

[61:3]  ⁴² tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[61:11]  ⁴³ tn Or perhaps, “righteousness,” but the context seems to emphasize deliverance and restoration (see v. 10 and 62:1).

[61:11]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and praise before all the nations.”

[62:1]  ⁴⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[62:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “goes forth like brightness.”

[62:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “which the mouth of the Lord will designate.”

[31:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”

[31:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”

[31:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”

[31:1]  ⁵¹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[31:1]  ⁵² tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”

[31:1]  ⁵³ tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”

[31:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”

[31:1]  ⁵⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[11:26]  ⁵⁶ tn It is not clear whether the phrase καὶ οὕτως (kai Joutws, “and so”) is to be understood in a modal sense (“and in this way”) or in a temporal sense (“and in the end”). Neither interpretation is conclusive from a grammatical standpoint, and in fact the two may not be mutually exclusive. Some, like H. Hübner, who argue strongly against the temporal reading, nevertheless continue to give the phrase a temporal significance, saying that God will save all Israel in the end (Gottes Ich und Israel [FRLANT], 118).