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 2:20

2:20 At that time ³  men will throw

their silver and gold idols,

which they made for themselves to worship, ⁴ 

into the caves where rodents and bats live, ⁵ 

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. ⁶ 

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 ⁷  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 ⁸  by the Lord.”

You will be called, “Sought After,

City Not Abandoned.”

Isaiah 65:11

65:11 But as for you who abandon the Lord

and forget about worshiping at ⁹  my holy mountain,

who prepare a feast for the god called ‘Fortune,’ ¹⁰ 

and fill up wine jugs for the god called ‘Destiny’ ¹¹  –

[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).

[2:20]  ³ tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[2:20]  ⁴ tn Or “bow down to.”

[2:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “to the shrews and to the bats.” On the meaning of חֲפַרְפָּרָה (khafarparah, “shrew”), see HALOT 341 s.v. חֲפַרְפָּרָה. The BHS text as it stands (לַחְפֹּר פֵּרוֹת, perot lakhpor), makes no sense. Based on Theodotion’s transliteration and a similar reading in the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a, most scholars suggest that the MT mistakenly divided a noun (a hapax legomenon) that should be translated “moles,” “shrews,” or “rodents.”

[49:19]  ⁵ 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]  ⁷ tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”

[62:12]  ⁹ tn Or “the redeemed of the Lord” (KJV, NAB).

[65:11]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text has simply, “forget.” The words “about worshiping at” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[65:11]  ¹² tn The Hebrew has לַגַּד (laggad, “for Gad”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 176 s.v. II גַּד 2.

[65:11]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew has לַמְנִי (lamni, “for Meni”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 602 s.v. מְגִי.