Isaiah 10:20-21
Context10:20 At that time 1 those left in Israel, those who remain of the family 2 of Jacob, will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them. 3 Instead they will truly 4 rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 5 10:21 A remnant will come back, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 6
[10:20] 1 tn Or “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[10:20] 2 tn Heb “house” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[10:20] 3 tn Heb “on one who strikes him down.” This individual is the king (“foreign leader”) of the oppressing nation (which NLT specifies as “the Assyrians”).
[10:20] 4 tn Or “sincerely”; KJV, ASV, NAB, NRSV “in truth.”
[10:20] 5 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[10:21] 6 tn The referent of אֵל גִּבּוֹר (’el gibbor, “mighty God”) is uncertain. The title appears only here and in 9:6, where it is one of the royal titles of the coming ideal Davidic king. (Similar titles appear in Deut 10:17 and Neh 9:32 [“the great, mighty, and awesome God”] and in Jer 32:18 [“the great and mighty God”]. Both titles refer to God.) Though Hos 3:5 pictures Israel someday seeking “David their king,” and provides some support for a messianic interpretation of Isa 10:21, the Davidic king is not mentioned in the immediate context of Isa 10:21 (see Isa 11, however). The preceding verse mentions Israel relying on the Lord, so it is likely that the title refers to God here.