Isaiah 10:13

10:13 For he says:

“By my strong hand I have accomplished this,

by my strategy that I devised.

I invaded the territory of nations, ¹ 

and looted their storehouses.

Like a mighty conqueror, ²  I brought down rulers. ³ 

Isaiah 11:10

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time ⁴  a root from Jesse ⁵  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ⁶  and his residence will be majestic.

Isaiah 14:2

14:2 Nations will take them and bring them back to their own place. Then the family of Jacob will make foreigners their servants as they settle in the Lord’s land. ⁷  They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them.

Isaiah 17:12

17:12 The many nations massing together are as good as dead, ⁸ 

those who make a commotion as loud as the roaring of the sea’s waves. ⁹ 

The people making such an uproar are as good as dead, ¹⁰ 

those who make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 30:28

30:28 His battle cry overwhelms like a flooding river ¹² 

that reaches one’s neck.

He shakes the nations in a sieve that isolates the chaff; ¹³ 

he puts a bit into the mouth of the nations and leads them to destruction. ¹⁴ 

Isaiah 51:4-5

51:4 Pay attention to me, my people!

Listen to me, my people!

For ¹⁵  I will issue a decree, ¹⁶ 

I will make my justice a light to the nations. ¹⁷ 

51:5 I am ready to vindicate, ¹⁸ 

I am ready to deliver, ¹⁹ 

I will establish justice among the nations. ²⁰ 

The coastlands ²¹  wait patiently for me;

they wait in anticipation for the revelation of my power. ²² 

[10:13]  ¹ tn Heb “removed the borders of nations”; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV “boundaries.”

[10:13]  ² tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has כְּאַבִּיר (kÿ’abir, “like a strong one”); the marginal reading (Qere) is כַּבִיר (kavir, “mighty one”).

[10:13]  ³ tn Heb “and I brought down, like a strong one, ones sitting [or “living”].” The participle יוֹשְׁבִים (yoshÿvim, “ones sitting”) could refer to the inhabitants of the nations, but the translation assumes that it refers to those who sit on thrones, i.e., rulers. See BDB 442 s.v. יָשַׁב and HALOT 444 s.v. ישׁב.

[11:10]  ⁴ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:10]  ⁵ sn See the note at v. 1.

[11:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “ a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].

[14:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the house of Jacob will take possession of them [i.e., the nations], on the land of the Lord, as male servants and female servants.”

[17:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Woe [to] the massing of the many nations.” The word הוֹי (hoy) could be translated as a simple interjection here (“ah!”), but since the following verses announce the demise of these nations, it is preferable to take הוֹי as a funeral cry. See the note on the first phrase of 1:4.

[17:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “like the loud noise of the seas, they make a loud noise.”

[17:12]  ¹² tn Heb “the uproar of the peoples.” The term הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse; the words “are as good as dead” are supplied in the translation to reflect this.

[17:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “like the uproar of mighty waters they are in an uproar.”

[30:28]  ¹³ tn Heb “his breath is like a flooding river.” This might picture the Lord breathing heavily as he runs down his enemy, but in light of the preceding verse, which mentions his lips and tongue, “breath” probably stands metonymically for the word or battle cry that he expels from his mouth as he shouts. In Isa 34:16 and Ps 33:6 the Lord’s “breath” is associated with his command.

[30:28]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “shaking nations in a sieve of worthlessness.” It is not certain exactly how שָׁוְא (shavÿ’, “emptiness, worthlessness”) modifies “sieve.” A sieve is used to separate grain from chaff and isolate what is worthless so that it might be discarded. Perhaps the nations are likened to such chaff; God’s judgment will sift them out for destruction.

[30:28]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and a bit that leads astray [is] in the jaws of the peoples.” Here the nations are likened to horse that can be controlled by a bit placed in its mouth. In this case the Lord uses his sovereign control over the “horse” to lead it to its demise.

[51:4]  ¹⁶ tn Or “certainly.”

[51:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “instruction [or “a law”] will go out from me.”

[51:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and my justice for a light to the nations I will cause to rest.”

[51:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”] is near.”

[51:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “my deliverance goes forth.”

[51:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “and my arms will judge [on behalf of] nations.”

[51:5]  ²² tn Or “islands” (NIV); TEV “Distant lands.”

[51:5]  ²³ tn Heb “for my arm” (so NIV, NRSV).