Isaiah 1:8

1:8 Daughter Zion ¹  is left isolated,

like a hut in a vineyard,

or a shelter in a cucumber field;

she is a besieged city. ² 

Isaiah 17:5

17:5 It will be as when one gathers the grain harvest,

and his hand gleans the ear of grain.

It will be like one gathering the ears of grain

in the Valley of Rephaim.

Isaiah 49:19

49:19 Yes, your land lies in ruins;

it is desolate and devastated. ³ 

But now you will be too small to hold your residents,

and those who devoured you will be far away.

Isaiah 60:15

60:15 You were once abandoned

and despised, with no one passing through,

but I will make you ⁴  a permanent source of pride

and joy to coming generations.

Isaiah 62:12

62:12 They will be called, “The Holy People,

the Ones Protected ⁵  by the Lord.”

You will be called, “Sought After,

City Not Abandoned.”

[1:8]  ¹ tn Heb “daughter of Zion” (so KJV, NASB, NIV). The genitive is appositional, identifying precisely which daughter is in view. By picturing Zion as a daughter, the prophet emphasizes her helplessness and vulnerability before the enemy.

[1:8]  ² tn Heb “like a city besieged.” Unlike the preceding two comparisons, which are purely metaphorical, this third one identifies the reality of Israel’s condition. In this case the comparative preposition, as in v. 7b, has the force, “in every way like,” indicating that all the earmarks of a siege are visible because that is indeed what is taking place. The verb form in MT is Qal passive participle of נָצַר (natsar, “guard”), but since this verb is not often used of a siege (see BDB 666 s.v. I נָצַר), some prefer to repoint the form as a Niphal participle from II צוּר (tsur, “besiege”). However, the latter is not attested elsewhere in the Niphal (see BDB 848 s.v. II צוּר).

[49:19]  ³ tn Heb “Indeed your ruins and your desolate places, and the land of your destruction.” This statement is abruptly terminated in the Hebrew text and left incomplete.

[60:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”

[62:12]  ⁷ tn Or “the redeemed of the Lord” (KJV, NAB).