Isaiah 13:2

13:2 ¹ On a bare hill raise a signal flag,

shout to them,

wave your hand,

so they might enter the gates of the princes!

Isaiah 27:8

27:8 When you summon her for divorce, you prosecute her; ² 

he drives her away ³  with his strong wind in the day of the east wind. ⁴ 

Isaiah 41:4

41:4 Who acts and carries out decrees? ⁵ 

Who ⁶  summons the successive generations from the beginning?

I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning,

and at the very end – I am the one. ⁷ 

Isaiah 45:4

45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,

Israel, my chosen one,

I call you by name

and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize ⁸  me.

Isaiah 49:1

Ideal Israel Delivers the Exiles

49:1 Listen to me, you coastlands! ⁹ 

Pay attention, you people who live far away!

The Lord summoned me from birth; ¹⁰ 

he commissioned me when my mother brought me into the world. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 51:2

51:2 Look at Abraham, your father,

and Sarah, who gave you birth. ¹² 

When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, ¹³ 

but I blessed him ¹⁴  and gave him numerous descendants. ¹⁵ 

[13:2]  ¹ sn The Lord is speaking here (see v. 3).

[27:8]  ² tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “in [?], in sending her away, you oppose her.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. The form בְּסַאסְּאָה (bÿsa’ssÿ’ah) is taken as an infinitive from סַאסְּאָה (sa’ssÿ’ah) with a prepositional prefix and a third feminine singular suffix. (The MT does not have a mappiq in the final he [ה], however). According to HALOT 738 s.v. סַאסְּאָה the verb is a Palpel form from an otherwise unattested root cognate with an Arabic verb meaning “to gather beasts with a call.” Perhaps it means “to call, summon” here, but this is a very tentative proposal. בְּשַׁלְחָהּ (bÿshalkhah, “in sending her away”) appears to be a Piel infinitive with a prepositional prefix and a third feminine singular suffix. Since the Piel of שָׁלָח (shalakh) can sometimes mean “divorce” (HALOT 1514-15 s.v.) and the following verb רִיב (riv, “oppose”) can be used in legal contexts, it is possible that divorce proceedings are alluded to here. This may explain why Israel is referred to as feminine in this verse, in contrast to the masculine forms used in vv. 6-7 and 9.

[27:8]  ³ tn The Hebrew text has no object expressed, but one can understand a third feminine singular pronominal object and place a mappiq in the final he (ה) of the form to indicate the suffix.

[27:8]  ⁴ sn The “east wind” here symbolizes violent divine judgment.

[41:4]  ³ tn Heb “Who acts and accomplishes?”; NASB “Who has performed and accomplished it.”

[41:4]  ⁴ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[41:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “I, the Lord, [am with] the first, and with the last ones I [am] he.”

[45:4]  ⁴ tn Or “know” (NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT); NIV “acknowledge.”

[49:1]  ⁵ tn Or “islands” (NASB, NIV); NLT “in far-off lands.”

[49:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “called me from the womb.”

[49:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “from the inner parts of my mother he mentioned my name.”

[51:2]  ⁶ sn Although Abraham and Sarah are distant ancestors of the people the prophet is addressing, they are spoken of as the immediate parents.

[51:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “one”; NLT “was alone”; TEV “was childless.”

[51:2]  ⁸ tn “Bless” may here carry the sense of “endue with potency, reproductive power.” See Gen 1:28.

[51:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “and I made him numerous.”