Discovery BoxIsaiah 10:28-32
Context10:28 1 They 2 attacked 3 Aiath,
moved through Migron,
depositing their supplies at Micmash.
10:29 They went through the pass,
spent the night at Geba.
Ramah trembled,
Gibeah of Saul ran away.
10:30 Shout out, daughter of Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah!
Answer her, Anathoth! 4
10:31 Madmenah flees,
the residents of Gebim have hidden.
10:32 This very day, standing in Nob,
they shake their fist at Daughter Zion’s mountain 5 –
at the hill of Jerusalem.
Isaiah 22:1-7
Context22:1 Here is a message about the Valley of Vision: 6
What is the reason 7
that all of you go up to the rooftops?
22:2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds;
the town is filled with revelry. 8
Your slain were not cut down by the sword;
they did not die in battle. 9
22:3 10 All your leaders ran away together –
they fled to a distant place;
all your refugees 11 were captured together –
they were captured without a single arrow being shot. 12
22:4 So I say:
“Don’t look at me! 13
I am weeping bitterly.
Don’t try 14 to console me
concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.” 15
22:5 For the sovereign master, 16 the Lord who commands armies,
has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion. 17
In the Valley of Vision 18 people shout 19
and cry out to the hill. 20
22:6 The Elamites picked up the quiver,
and came with chariots and horsemen; 21
the men of Kir 22 prepared 23 the shield. 24
22:7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots; 25
horsemen confidently took their positions 26 at the gate.
Isaiah 28:14-22
Context28:14 Therefore, listen to the Lord’s word,
you who mock,
you rulers of these people
who reside in Jerusalem! 27
28:15 For you say,
“We have made a treaty with death,
with Sheol 28 we have made an agreement. 29
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by 30
it will not reach us.
For we have made a lie our refuge,
we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.” 31
28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:
“Look, I am laying 32 a stone in Zion,
an approved 33 stone,
set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. 34
The one who maintains his faith will not panic. 35
28:17 I will make justice the measuring line,
fairness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, 36
the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.
28:18 Your treaty with death will be dissolved; 37
your agreement 38 with Sheol will not last. 39
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, 40
you will be overrun by it. 41
28:19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you;
indeed, 42 every morning it will sweep by,
it will come through during the day and the night.” 43
When this announcement is understood,
it will cause nothing but terror.
28:20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on,
and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. 44
28:21 For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, 45
he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, 46
to accomplish his work,
his peculiar work,
to perform his task,
his strange task. 47
28:22 So now, do not mock,
or your chains will become heavier!
For I have heard a message about decreed destruction,
from the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, against the entire land. 48
Isaiah 29:1-9
Context29:1 Ariel is as good as dead 49 –
Ariel, the town David besieged! 50
Keep observing your annual rituals,
celebrate your festivals on schedule. 51
29:2 I will threaten Ariel,
and she will mourn intensely
and become like an altar hearth 52 before me.
29:3 I will lay siege to you on all sides; 53
I will besiege you with troops; 54
I will raise siege works against you.
29:4 You will fall;
while lying on the ground 55 you will speak;
from the dust where you lie, your words will be heard. 56
Your voice will sound like a spirit speaking from the underworld; 57
from the dust you will chirp as if muttering an incantation. 58
29:5 But the horde of invaders will be like fine dust,
the horde of tyrants 59 like chaff that is blown away.
It will happen suddenly, in a flash.
29:6 Judgment will come from the Lord who commands armies, 60
accompanied by thunder, earthquake, and a loud noise,
by a strong gale, a windstorm, and a consuming flame of fire.
29:7 It will be like a dream, a night vision.
There will be a horde from all the nations that fight against Ariel,
those who attack her and her stronghold and besiege her.
29:8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming that he is eating,
only to awaken and find that his stomach is empty. 61
It will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he is drinking,
only to awaken and find that he is still weak and his thirst unquenched. 62
So it will be for the horde from all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.
29:9 You will be shocked and amazed! 63
You are totally blind! 64
They are drunk, 65 but not because of wine;
they stagger, 66 but not because of beer.
Isaiah 36:1--37:38
Context36:1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, 67 King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser 68 from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, 69 along with a large army. The chief adviser 70 stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 71 36:3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet him.
36:4 The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence? 72 36:5 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. 73 In whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me? 36:6 Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him! 36:7 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar.’ 36:8 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 36:9 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 74 36:10 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this land to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March up against this land and destroy it!’”’” 75
36:11 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic, 76 for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect 77 in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 36:12 But the chief adviser said, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. 78 His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you!” 79
36:13 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, 80 “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 36:14 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you! 36:15 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 36:16 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. 81 Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 36:17 until I come and take you to a land just like your own – a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 36:18 Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 82 36:19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? 83 Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria 84 from my power? 85 36:20 Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” 86 36:21 They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”
36:22 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief 87 and reported to him what the chief adviser had said. 37:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, 88 he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple. 37:2 Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, 89 clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 37:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: 90 ‘This is a day of distress, insults, 91 and humiliation, 92 as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 93 37:4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. 94 When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. 95 So pray for this remnant that remains.’” 96
37:5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah, 37:6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard – these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me. 97 37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; 98 he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down 99 with a sword in his own land.”’”
37:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. 100 37:9 The king 101 heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia 102 was marching out to fight him. 103 He again sent 104 messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 37:10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 37:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. 105 Do you really think you will be rescued? 106 37:12 Were the nations whom my predecessors 107 destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? 108 37:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair, 109 Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
37:14 Hezekiah took the letter 110 from the messengers and read it. 111 Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. 37:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: 37:16 “O Lord who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! 112 You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky 113 and the earth. 37:17 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! 114 37:18 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations 115 and their lands. 37:19 They have burned the gods of the nations, 116 for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. 117 37:20 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” 118
37:21 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria, 119 37:22 this is what the Lord says about him: 120
“The virgin daughter Zion 121
despises you – she makes fun of you;
daughter Jerusalem
shakes her head after you. 122
37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?
At whom have you shouted
and looked so arrogantly? 123
At the Holy One of Israel! 124
37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, 125
‘With my many chariots I climbed up
the high mountains,
the slopes of Lebanon.
I cut down its tall cedars
and its best evergreens.
I invaded its most remote regions, 126
its thickest woods.
37:25 I dug wells
and drank water. 127
With the soles of my feet I dried up
all the rivers of Egypt.’
37:26 128 Certainly you must have heard! 129
Long ago I worked it out,
in ancient times I planned 130 it,
and now I am bringing it to pass.
The plan is this:
Fortified cities will crash
into heaps of ruins. 131
37:27 Their residents are powerless; 132
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field
or green vegetation. 133
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops 134
when it is scorched by the east wind. 135
37:28 I know where you live
and everything you do
and how you rage against me. 136
37:29 Because you rage against me
and the uproar you create has reached my ears, 137
I will put my hook in your nose, 138
and my bridle between your lips,
and I will lead you back
the way you came.”
37:30 139 “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: 140 This year you will eat what grows wild, 141 and next year 142 what grows on its own. But the year after that 143 you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 144 37:31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. 145
37:32 “For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies 146 will accomplish this.
37:33 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
‘He will not enter this city,
nor will he shoot an arrow here. 147
He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, 148
nor will he build siege works against it.
37:34 He will go back the way he came –
he will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.
37:35 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”’” 149
37:36 The Lord’s messenger 150 went out and killed 185,000 troops 151 in the Assyrian camp. When they 152 got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses! 153 37:37 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. 154 37:38 One day, 155 as he was worshiping 156 in the temple of his god Nisroch, 157 his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. 158 They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.
[10:28] 1 sn Verses 28-31 display a staccato style; the statements are short and disconnected (no conjunctions appear in the Hebrew text). The translation to follow strives for a choppy style that reflects the mood of the speech.
[10:28] 2 tn Heb “he,” that is, the Assyrians (as the preceding context suggests). Cf. NCV “The army of Assyria.”
[10:28] 3 tn Heb “came against,” or “came to.”
[10:30] 4 tc The Hebrew text reads “Poor [is] Anathoth.” The parallelism is tighter if עֲנִיָּה (’aniyyah,“poor”) is emended to עֲנִיהָ (’aniha, “answer her”). Note how the preceding two lines have an imperative followed by a proper name.
[10:32] 5 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has “a mountain of a house (בֵּית, bet), Zion,” but the marginal reading (Qere) correctly reads “the mountain of the daughter (בַּת, bat) of Zion.” On the phrase “Daughter Zion,” see the note on the same phrase in 1:8.
[22:1] 6 sn The following message pertains to Jerusalem. The significance of referring to the city as the Valley of Vision is uncertain. Perhaps the Hinnom Valley is in view, but why it is associated with a prophetic revelatory “vision” is not entirely clear. Maybe the Hinnom Valley is called this because the destruction that will take place there is the focal point of this prophetic message (see v. 5).
[22:1] 7 tn Heb “What to you, then?”
[22:2] 8 tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.
[22:2] 9 sn Apparently they died from starvation during the siege that preceded the final conquest of the city. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:409.
[22:3] 10 tn Verse 3 reads literally, “All your leaders ran away, apart from a bow they were captured, all your found ones were captured together, to a distant place they fled.” J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:403, n. 3) suggests that the lines of the verse are arranged chiastically; lines 1 and 4 go together, while lines 2 and 3 are parallel. To translate the lines in the order they appear in the Hebrew text is misleading to the English reader, who is likely unfamiliar with, or at least insensitive to, chiastic parallelism. Consequently, the translation above arranges the lines as follows: line 1 (Hebrew) = line 1 (in translation); line 2 (Hebrew) = line 4 (in translation); line 3 (Hebrew) = line 3 (in translation); line 4 (Hebrew) = line 2 (in translation).
[22:3] 11 tn Heb “all your found ones.” To achieve tighter parallelism (see “your leaders”) some prefer to emend the form to אַמִּיצַיִךְ (’ammitsayikh, “your strong ones”) or to נֶאֱמָצַיִךְ (ne’ematsayikh, “your strengthened ones”).
[22:3] 12 tn Heb “apart from [i.e., without] a bow they were captured”; cf. NAB, NRSV “without the use of a bow.”
[22:4] 13 tn Heb “look away from me” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).
[22:4] 14 tn Heb “don’t hurry” (so NCV).
[22:4] 15 tn Heb “the daughter of my people.” “Daughter” is here used metaphorically to express the speaker’s emotional attachment to his people, as well as their vulnerability and weakness.
[22:5] 16 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 12, 14, 15 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[22:5] 17 tn Heb “For [there is] a day of panic, and trampling, and confusion for the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
[22:5] 18 tn The traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests that this phrase goes with what precedes.
[22:5] 19 tn The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Some take קִר (qir) as “wall” and interpret the verb to mean “tear down.” However, tighter parallelism (note the reference to crying for help in the next line) is achieved if one takes both the verb and noun from a root, attested in Ugaritic and Arabic, meaning “make a sound.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:404, n. 5.
[22:5] 20 sn Perhaps “the hill” refers to the temple mount.
[22:6] 21 tn Heb “[with] the chariots of men, horsemen.”
[22:6] 22 sn A distant region in the direction of Mesopotamia; see Amos 1:5; 9:7.
[22:6] 23 tn Heb “Kir uncovers” (so NAB, NIV).
[22:6] 24 sn The Elamites and men of Kir may here symbolize a fierce army from a distant land. If this oracle anticipates a Babylonian conquest of the city (see 39:5-7), then the Elamites and men of Kir are perhaps viewed here as mercenaries in the Babylonian army. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:410.
[22:7] 25 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[22:7] 26 tn Heb “taking a stand, take their stand.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following finite verb. The translation attempts to bring out this emphasis with the adverb “confidently.”
[28:14] 27 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[28:15] 28 sn Sheol is the underworld, land of the dead, according to the OT world view.
[28:15] 29 tn Elsewhere the noun חֹזֶה (khozeh) refers to a prophet who sees visions. In v. 18 the related term חָזוּת (khazut, “vision”) is used. The parallelism in both verses (note “treaty”) seems to demand a meaning “agreement” for both nouns. Perhaps חֹזֶה and חזוּת are used in a metonymic sense in vv. 15 and 18. Another option is to propose a homonymic root. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:514, and HALOT 301 s.v. II חֹזֶה.
[28:15] 30 tn Heb “the overwhelming scourge, when it passes by” (NRSV similar).
[28:15] 31 sn “Lie” and “deceitful word” would not be the terms used by the people. They would likely use the words “promise” and “reliable word,” but the prophet substitutes “lie” and “deceitful word” to emphasize that this treaty with death will really prove to be disappointing.
[28:16] 32 tc The Hebrew text has a third person verb form, which does not agree with the first person suffix that precedes. The form should be emended to יֹסֵד (yosed), a Qal active participle used in a present progressive or imminent future sense.
[28:16] 33 tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved.
[28:16] 34 sn The reality behind the metaphor is not entirely clear from the context. The stone appears to represent someone or something that gives Zion stability. Perhaps the ideal Davidic ruler is in view (see 32:1). Another option is that the image of beginning a building project by laying a precious cornerstone suggests that God is about to transform Zion through judgment and begin a new covenant community that will experience his protection (see 4:3-6; 31:5; 33:20-24; 35:10).
[28:16] 35 tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.
[28:17] 36 tn Heb “[the] refuge, [the] lie.” See v. 15.
[28:18] 37 tn On the meaning of כָּפַר (kafar) in this context, see HALOT 494 s.v. I כפר and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:515, n. 9.
[28:18] 38 tn Normally the noun חָזוּת (khazut) means “vision.” See the note at v. 15.
[28:18] 39 tn Or “will not stand” (NIV, NRSV).
[28:18] 40 tn See the note at v. 15.
[28:18] 41 tn Heb “you will become a trampling place for it.”
[28:19] 42 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[28:19] 43 tn The words “it will come through” are supplied in the translation. The verb “will sweep by” does double duty in the parallel structure.
[28:20] 44 sn The bed and blanket probably symbolize their false sense of security. A bed that is too short and a blanket that is too narrow may promise rest and protection from the cold, but in the end they are useless and disappointing. In the same way, their supposed treaty with death will prove useless and disappointing.
[28:21] 45 sn This probably alludes to David’s victory over the Philistines at Baal Perazim. See 2 Sam 5:20.
[28:21] 46 sn This probably alludes to the Lord’s victory over the Canaanites at Gibeon, during the days of Joshua. See Josh 10:10-11.
[28:21] 47 sn God’s judgment of his own people is called “his peculiar work” and “his strange task,” because he must deal with them the way he treated their enemies in the past.
[28:22] 48 tn Or “the whole earth” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NCV).
[29:1] 49 tn Heb “Woe [to] Ariel.” The meaning of the name “Ariel” is uncertain. The name may mean “altar hearth” (see v. 2) or, if compound, “lion of God.” The name is used here as a title for Mount Zion/Jerusalem (see v. 8).
[29:1] 50 tn Heb “the town where David camped.” The verb חָנָה (khanah, “camp”) probably has the nuance “lay siege to” here. See v. 3. Another option is to take the verb in the sense of “lived, settled.”
[29:1] 51 tn Heb “Add year to year, let your festivals occur in cycles.” This is probably a sarcastic exhortation to the people to keep up their religious rituals, which will not prevent the coming judgment. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:527.
[29:2] 52 tn The term אֲרִיאֵל (’ari’el, “Ariel”) is the word translated “altar hearth” here. The point of the simile is not entirely clear. Perhaps the image likens Jerusalem’s coming crisis to a sacrificial fire.
[29:3] 53 tc The Hebrew text has כַדּוּר (khadur, “like a circle”), i.e., “like an encircling wall.” Some emend this phrase to כְּדָוִד (kÿdavid, “like David”), which is supported by the LXX (see v. 1). However, the rendering in the LXX could have arisen from a confusion of the dalet (ד) and resh (ר).
[29:3] 54 tn The meaning of מֻצָּב (mutsav) is not certain. Because of the parallelism (note “siege works”), some translate “towers.” The noun is derived from נָצַב (natsav, “take one’s stand”) and may refer to the troops stationed outside the city to prevent entrance or departure.
[29:4] 55 tn Heb “from the ground” (so NIV, NCV).
[29:4] 56 tn Heb “and from the dust your word will be low.”
[29:4] 57 tn Heb “and your voice will be like a ritual pit from the earth.” The Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. See the note on “incantations” in 8:19. Here the word is used metonymically for the voice that emerges from such a pit.
[29:4] 58 tn Heb “and from the dust your word will chirp.” The words “as if muttering an incantation” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the parallelism and 8:19.
[29:5] 59 tn Or “violent men”; cf. NASB “the ruthless ones.”
[29:6] 60 tn Heb “from the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] there will be visitation.” The third feminine singular passive verb form תִּפָּקֵד (tippaqed, “she/it will be visited”) is used here in an impersonal sense. See GKC 459 §144.b.
[29:8] 61 tn Or “that he [or “his appetite”] is unsatisfied.”
[29:8] 62 tn Or “that he is faint and that he [or “his appetite”] longs [for water].”
[29:9] 63 tn The form הִתְמַהְמְהוּ (hitmahmÿhu) is a Hitpalpel imperative from מָהַהּ (mahah, “hesitate”). If it is retained, one might translate “halt and be amazed.” The translation assumes an emendation to הִתַּמְּהוּ (hittammÿhu), a Hitpael imperative from תָּמַה (tamah, “be amazed”). In this case, the text, like Hab 1:5, combines the Hitpael and Qal imperatival forms of תָּמַה (tamah). A literal translation might be “Shock yourselves and be shocked!” The repetition of sound draws attention to the statement. The imperatives here have the force of an emphatic assertion. On this use of the imperative in Hebrew, see GKC 324 §110.c and IBHS 572 §34.4c.
[29:9] 64 tn Heb “Blind yourselves and be blind!” The Hitpalpel and Qal imperatival forms of שָׁעַע (sha’a’, “be blind”) are combined to draw attention to the statement. The imperatives have the force of an emphatic assertion.
[29:9] 65 tc Some prefer to emend the perfect form of the verb to an imperative (e.g., NAB, NCV, NRSV), since the people are addressed in the immediately preceding and following contexts.
[29:9] 66 tc Some prefer to emend the perfect form of the verb to an imperative (e.g., NAB, NCV, NRSV), since the people are addressed in the immediately preceding and following contexts.
[36:1] 67 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[36:2] 68 sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.
[36:2] 69 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:2] 70 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[36:2] 71 tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[36:4] 72 tn Heb “What is this object of trust in which you are trusting?”
[36:5] 73 tn Heb “you say only a word of lips, counsel and might for battle.” Sennacherib’s message appears to be in broken Hebrew at this point. The phrase “word of lips” refers to mere or empty talk in Prov 14:23.
[36:9] 74 tn Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 8-9 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 6. His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”
[36:10] 75 sn In v. 10 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 7. He claims that Hezekiah has offended the Lord and that the Lord has commissioned Assyria as his instrument of discipline and judgment.
[36:11] 76 sn Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the Assyrian empire.
[36:11] 77 tn Or “in Hebrew” (NIV, NCV, NLT); NAB, NASB “in Judean.”
[36:12] 78 tn Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
[36:12] 79 tn Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.”
[36:13] 80 tn The Hebrew text includes “and he said.”
[36:16] 81 tn Heb “make with me a blessing and come out to me.”
[36:18] 82 tn Heb “Have the gods of the nations rescued, each his land, from the hand of the king of Assyria?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not!”
[36:19] 83 tn The rhetorical questions in v. 34a suggest the answer, “Nowhere, they seem to have disappeared in the face of Assyria’s might.”
[36:19] 84 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[36:19] 85 tn Heb “that they rescued Samaria from my hand?” But this gives the impression that the gods of Sepharvaim were responsible for protecting Samaria, which is obviously not the case. The implied subject of the plural verb “rescued” must be the generic “gods of the nations/lands” (vv. 18, 20).
[36:20] 86 tn Heb “that the Lord might rescue Jerusalem from my hand?” The logic runs as follows: Since no god has ever been able to withstand the Assyrian onslaught, how can the people of Jerusalem possibly think the Lord will rescue them?
[36:22] 87 tn Heb “with their clothes torn”; the words “in grief” have been supplied in the translation to indicate that this was done as a sign of grief and mourning.
[37:1] 88 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[37:2] 89 tn Heb “elders of the priests” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NCV “the older priests”; NRSV, TEV, CEV “the senior priests.”
[37:3] 90 tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him” (cf. NRSV).
[37:3] 91 tn Or “rebuke” (KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “correction.”
[37:3] 92 tn Or “contempt”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “disgrace.”
[37:3] 93 tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”
[37:4] 94 tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”
[37:4] 95 tn Heb “and rebuke the words which the Lord your God hears.”
[37:4] 96 tn Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”
[37:6] 97 tn Heb “by which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me.”
[37:7] 98 tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the Lord’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.
[37:7] 99 tn Heb “cause him to fall” (so KJV, ASV, NAB), that is, “kill him.”
[37:8] 100 tn Heb “and the chief adviser returned and he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.”
[37:9] 101 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:9] 102 tn Heb “Cush” (so NASB); NIV, NCV “the Cushite king of Egypt.”
[37:9] 103 tn Heb “heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, ‘He has come out to fight with you.’”
[37:9] 104 tn The Hebrew text has, “and he heard and he sent,” but the parallel in 2 Kgs 19:9 has וַיָּשָׁב וַיִּשְׁלַח (vayyashav vayyishlakh, “and he returned and he sent”), i.e., “he again sent.”
[37:11] 105 tn Heb “Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, annihilating them.”
[37:11] 106 tn Heb “and will you be rescued?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No, of course not!”
[37:12] 107 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “forefathers”; NCV “ancestors.”
[37:12] 108 tn Heb “Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed rescue them – Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who are in Telassar?”
[37:13] 109 sn Lair was a city located in northeastern Babylon. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 235.
[37:14] 110 tc The Hebrew text has the plural, “letters.” The final mem (ם) may be dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular. If so, one still has to deal with the yod that is part of the plural ending. J. N. Oswalt refers to various commentators who have suggested ways to understand the plural form (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:652).
[37:14] 111 tn In the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:14 the verb has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”).
[37:16] 112 sn Cherubim (singular “cherub”) refers to the images of winged angelic creatures that were above the ark of the covenant.
[37:16] 113 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[37:17] 114 tn Heb “Hear all the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”
[37:18] 115 tn The Hebrew text here has “all the lands,” but the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:17 has “the nations.”
[37:19] 116 tn Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”
[37:19] 117 tn Heb “so they destroyed them” (NASB similar).
[37:20] 118 tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:19 reads, “that you, Lord, are the only God.”
[37:21] 119 tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:20 reads, “That which you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” The verb “I have heard” does not appear in Isa 37:21, where אֲשֶׁר (’asher) probably has a causal sense: “because.”
[37:22] 120 tn Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”
[37:22] 121 sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.
[37:22] 122 sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.
[37:23] 123 tn Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?” Cf. NIV “lifted your eyes in pride”; NRSV “haughtily lifted your eyes.”
[37:23] 124 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[37:24] 125 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[37:24] 126 tn Heb “the height of its extremity”; ASV “its farthest height.”
[37:25] 127 tc The Hebrew text has simply, “I dug and drank water.” But the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:24 has “foreign waters.” זָרִים (zarim, “foreign”) may have accidentally dropped out of the Isaianic text by homoioteleuton (cf. NCV, NIV, NLT). Note that the preceding word, מַיִם (mayim, “water) also ends in mem (ם). The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has “foreign waters” for this line. However, in several other passages the 1QIsaa scroll harmonizes with 2 Kgs 19 against the MT (Isa 36:5; 37:9, 20). Since the addition of “foreign” to this text in Isaiah by a later scribe would be more likely than its deletion, the MT reading should be accepted.
[37:26] 128 tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.
[37:26] 129 tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.
[37:26] 130 tn Heb “formed” (so KJV, ASV).
[37:26] 131 tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.
[37:27] 132 tn Heb “short of hand”; KJV, ASV “of small power”; NASB “short of strength.”
[37:27] 133 tn Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8, 24.
[37:27] 134 tn Heb “[they are] grass on the rooftops.” See the preceding note.
[37:27] 135 tc The Hebrew text has “scorched before the standing grain” (perhaps meaning “before it reaches maturity”), but it is preferable to emend קָמָה (qamah, “standing grain”) to קָדִים (qadim, “east wind”) with the support of 1Q Isaa; cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:657, n. 8.
[37:28] 136 tc Heb “your going out and your coming in and how you have raged against me.” Several scholars have suggested that this line is probably dittographic (note the beginning of the next line). However, most English translations include the statement in question at the end of v. 28 and the beginning of v. 29. Interestingly, the LXX does not have this clause at the end of v. 28 and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa does not have it at the beginning of v. 29. In light of this ambiguous manuscript evidence, it appears best to retain the clause in both verses.
[37:29] 137 tc Heb “and your complacency comes up into my ears.” The parallelism is improved if שַׁאֲנַנְךָ (sha’anankha, “your complacency”) is emended to שְׁאוֹנְךָ (shÿ’onÿkha, “your uproar”). See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 237-38. However, the LXX seems to support the MT and Sennacherib’s cavalier dismissal of Yahweh depicts an arrogant complacency (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:658, n. 10).
[37:29] 138 sn The word-picture has a parallel in Assyrian sculpture. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 238.
[37:30] 139 tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 22-29) ends and the Lord again addresses Hezekiah and the people directly (see v. 21).
[37:30] 140 tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) is a future reminder of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.
[37:30] 141 sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.
[37:30] 142 tn Heb “and in the second year” (so ASV).
[37:30] 143 tn Heb “in the third year” (so KJV, NAB).
[37:30] 144 tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 30b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity.
[37:31] 145 tn Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”
[37:32] 146 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to protect and restore them.
[37:33] 147 tn Heb “there” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). In terms of English style “here” is expected in collocation with “this” in the previous line.
[37:33] 148 tn Heb “[with] a shield” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[37:35] 149 tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”
[37:36] 150 tn Traditionally, “the angel of the Lord” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[37:36] 151 tn The word “troops” is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.
[37:36] 152 tn This refers to the Israelites and/or the rest of the Assyrian army.
[37:36] 153 tn Heb “look, all of them were dead bodies”; NLT “they found corpses everywhere.”
[37:37] 154 tn Heb “and Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned and lived in Nineveh.”
[37:38] 155 sn The assassination of King Sennacherib probably took place in 681
[37:38] 156 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[37:38] 157 sn No such Mesopotamian god is presently known. Perhaps the name Nisroch is a corruption of Nusku.
[37:38] 158 sn Extra-biblical sources also mention the assassination of Sennacherib, though they refer to only one assassin. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 239-40.
