Discovery BoxIsaiah 13:5
Context13:5 They come from a distant land,
from the horizon. 1
It is the Lord with his instruments of judgment, 2
coming to destroy the whole earth. 3
Isaiah 21:1
Context21:1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: 4
Like strong winds blowing in the south, 5
one invades from the desert,
from a land that is feared.
Isaiah 49:12
Context49:12 Look, they come from far away!
Look, some come from the north and west,
and others from the land of Sinim! 6
Isaiah 55:9
Context55:9 for just as the sky 7 is higher than the earth,
so my deeds 8 are superior to 9 your deeds
and my plans 10 superior to your plans.
[13:5] 1 tn Heb “from the end of the sky.”
[13:5] 2 tn Or “anger”; cf. KJV, ASV “the weapons of his indignation.”
[13:5] 3 tn Or perhaps, “land” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NLT). Even though the heading and subsequent context (see v. 17) indicate Babylon’s judgment is in view, the chapter has a cosmic flavor that suggests that the coming judgment is universal in scope. Perhaps Babylon’s downfall occurs in conjunction with a wider judgment, or the cosmic style is poetic hyperbole used to emphasize the magnitude and importance of the coming event.
[21:1] 4 sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “desert” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like a desolate desert.
[21:1] 5 tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
[49:12] 7 tc The MT reads “Sinim” here; the Dead Sea Scrolls read “Syene,” a location in Egypt associated with modern Aswan. A number of recent translations adopt this reading: “Syene” (NAB, NRSV); “Aswan” (NIV); “Egypt” (NLT).
[55:9] 10 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[55:9] 11 tn Heb “ways” (so many English versions).
