Isaiah 1:3

1:3 An ox recognizes its owner,

a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food; ¹ 

but Israel does not recognize me, ² 

my people do not understand.”

Isaiah 59:9

Israel Confesses its Sin

59:9 For this reason deliverance ³  is far from us ⁴ 

and salvation does not reach us.

We wait for light, ⁵  but see only darkness; ⁶ 

we wait for ⁷  a bright light, ⁸  but live ⁹  in deep darkness. ¹⁰ 

[1:3]  ¹ tn Heb “and the donkey the feeding trough of its owner.” The verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.

[1:3]  ² tn Although both verbs have no object, the parallelism suggests that Israel fails to recognize the Lord as the one who provides for their needs. In both clauses, the placement of “Israel” and “my people” at the head of the clause focuses the reader’s attention on the rebellious nation (C. van der Merwe, J. Naudé, J. Kroeze, A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, 346-47).

[59:9]  ³ tn מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), which refers to “justice” in the earlier verses, here refers to “justice from God,” or “vindication.” Because the people are unjust, God refuses to vindicate them before their enemies. See v. 11.

[59:9]  ⁴ sn The prophet speaks on behalf of the sinful nation and confesses its sins.

[59:9]  ⁵ sn Light here symbolizes prosperity and blessing.

[59:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “but, look, darkness”; NIV “but all is darkness.”

[59:9]  ⁷ tn The words “we wait for” are supplied in the translation; the verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[59:9]  ⁸ tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.

[59:9]  ⁹ tn Or “walk about”; NCV “all we have is darkness.”

[59:9]  ¹⁰ tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.