Discovery BoxIsaiah 13:1--35:10
Context13:1 1 This is a message about Babylon that God revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz: 2
13:2 3 On a bare hill raise a signal flag,
shout to them,
wave your hand,
so they might enter the gates of the princes!
13:3 I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; 4
I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, 5
my boasting, arrogant ones. 6
13:4 7 There is a loud noise on the mountains –
it sounds like a large army! 8
There is great commotion among the kingdoms 9 –
nations are being assembled!
The Lord who commands armies is mustering
forces for battle.
13:5 They come from a distant land,
from the horizon. 10
It is the Lord with his instruments of judgment, 11
coming to destroy the whole earth. 12
13:6 Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment 13 is near;
it comes with all the destructive power of the sovereign judge. 14
13:7 For this reason all hands hang limp, 15
every human heart loses its courage. 16
13:8 They panic –
cramps and pain seize hold of them
like those of a woman who is straining to give birth.
They look at one another in astonishment;
their faces are flushed red. 17
13:9 Look, the Lord’s day of judgment 18 is coming;
it is a day of cruelty and savage, raging anger, 19
and annihilating its sinners.
13:10 Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations
no longer give out their light; 22
the sun is darkened as soon as it rises,
and the moon does not shine. 23
13:11 24 I will punish the world for its evil, 25
and wicked people for their sin.
I will put an end to the pride of the insolent,
I will bring down the arrogance of tyrants. 26
13:12 I will make human beings more scarce than pure gold,
and people more scarce 27 than gold from Ophir.
13:13 So I will shake the heavens, 28
and the earth will shake loose from its foundation, 29
because of the fury of the Lord who commands armies,
in the day he vents his raging anger. 30
13:14 Like a frightened gazelle 31
or a sheep with no shepherd,
each will turn toward home, 32
each will run to his homeland.
13:15 Everyone who is caught will be stabbed;
everyone who is seized 33 will die 34 by the sword.
13:16 Their children will be smashed to pieces before their very eyes;
their houses will be looted
and their wives raped.
13:17 Look, I am stirring up the Medes to attack them; 35
they are not concerned about silver,
nor are they interested in gold. 36
13:18 Their arrows will cut young men to ribbons; 37
they have no compassion on a person’s offspring, 38
they will not 39 look with pity on children.
13:19 Babylon, the most admired 40 of kingdoms,
the Chaldeans’ source of honor and pride, 41
will be destroyed by God
just as Sodom and Gomorrah were. 42
13:20 No one will live there again;
no one will ever reside there again. 43
No bedouin 44 will camp 45 there,
no shepherds will rest their flocks 46 there.
13:21 Wild animals will rest there,
the ruined 47 houses will be full of hyenas. 48
Ostriches will live there,
wild goats will skip among the ruins. 49
13:22 Wild dogs will yip in her ruined fortresses,
jackals will yelp in the once-splendid palaces. 50
Her time is almost up, 51
her days will not be prolonged. 52
14:1 The Lord will certainly have compassion on Jacob; 53 he will again choose Israel as his special people 54 and restore 55 them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family 56 of Jacob. 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. 57 They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them. 14:3 When the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety, 58 and from the hard labor which you were made to perform, 14:4 you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: 59
“Look how the oppressor has met his end!
Hostility 60 has ceased!
14:5 The Lord has broken the club of the wicked,
the scepter of rulers.
14:6 It 61 furiously struck down nations
with unceasing blows. 62
It angrily ruled over nations,
oppressing them without restraint. 63
14:7 The whole earth rests and is quiet;
they break into song.
14:8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, 64
as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, 65
‘Since you fell asleep, 66
no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’ 67
14:9 Sheol 68 below is stirred up about you,
ready to meet you when you arrive.
It rouses 69 the spirits of the dead for you,
all the former leaders of the earth; 70
it makes all the former kings of the nations
rise from their thrones. 71
14:10 All of them respond to you, saying:
‘You too have become weak like us!
You have become just like us!
14:11 Your splendor 72 has been brought down to Sheol,
as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. 73
You lie on a bed of maggots,
with a blanket of worms over you. 74
14:12 Look how you have fallen from the sky,
O shining one, son of the dawn! 75
You have been cut down to the ground,
O conqueror 76 of the nations! 77
14:13 You said to yourself, 78
“I will climb up to the sky.
Above the stars of El 79
I will set up my throne.
I will rule on the mountain of assembly
on the remote slopes of Zaphon. 80
14:14 I will climb up to the tops 81 of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High!” 82
14:15 But you were brought down 83 to Sheol,
to the remote slopes of the pit. 84
14:16 Those who see you stare at you,
they look at you carefully, thinking: 85
“Is this the man who shook the earth,
the one who made kingdoms tremble?
14:17 Is this the one who made the world like a desert,
who ruined its 86 cities,
and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”’ 87
14:18 88 As for all the kings of the nations,
all of them 89 lie down in splendor, 90
each in his own tomb. 91
14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave
like a shoot that is thrown away. 92
You lie among 93 the slain,
among those who have been slashed by the sword,
among those headed for 94 the stones of the pit, 95
as if you were a mangled corpse. 96
14:20 You will not be buried with them, 97
because you destroyed your land
and killed your people.
The offspring of the wicked
will never be mentioned again.
14:21 Prepare to execute 98 his sons
for the sins their ancestors have committed. 99
They must not rise up and take possession of the earth,
or fill the surface of the world with cities.” 100
14:22 “I will rise up against them,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
“I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, 101
including the offspring she produces,” 102
says the Lord.
14:23 “I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals 103
and covered with pools of stagnant water.
I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,” 104
says the Lord who commands armies.
14:24 105 The Lord who commands armies makes this solemn vow:
“Be sure of this:
Just as I have intended, so it will be;
just as I have planned, it will happen.
14:25 I will break Assyria 106 in my land,
I will trample them 107 underfoot on my hills.
Their yoke will be removed from my people,
the burden will be lifted from their shoulders. 108
14:26 This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth;
my hand is ready to strike all the nations.” 109
14:27 Indeed, 110 the Lord who commands armies has a plan,
and who can possibly frustrate it?
His hand is ready to strike,
and who can possibly stop it? 111
14:28 In the year King Ahaz died, 112 this message was revealed: 113
14:29 Don’t be so happy, all you Philistines,
just because the club that beat you has been broken! 114
For a viper will grow out of the serpent’s root,
and its fruit will be a darting adder. 115
14:30 The poor will graze in my pastures; 116
the needy will rest securely.
But I will kill your root by famine;
it will put to death all your survivors. 117
14:31 Wail, O city gate!
Cry out, O city!
Melt with fear, 118 all you Philistines!
For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke,
and there are no stragglers in its ranks. 119
14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? 120
Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure;
the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.
15:1 Here is a message about Moab:
Indeed, in a night it is devastated,
Ar of Moab is destroyed!
Indeed, in a night it is devastated,
Kir of Moab is destroyed!
15:2 They went up to the temple, 121
the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. 122
Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, 123 Moab wails.
Every head is shaved bare,
every beard is trimmed off. 124
15:3 In their streets they wear sackcloth;
on their roofs and in their town squares
all of them wail,
they fall down weeping.
15:4 The people of 125 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out,
their voices are heard as far away as Jahaz.
For this reason Moab’s soldiers shout in distress;
their courage wavers. 126
15:5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, 127
and for the fugitives 128 stretched out 129 as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah.
For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith;
they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim. 130
15:6 For the waters of Nimrim are gone; 131
the grass is dried up,
the vegetation has disappeared,
and there are no plants.
15:7 For this reason what they have made and stored up,
they carry over the Stream of the Poplars.
15:8 Indeed, the cries of distress echo throughout Moabite territory;
their wailing can be heard in Eglaim and Beer Elim. 132
15:9 Indeed, the waters of Dimon 133 are full of blood!
Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. 134
A lion will attack 135 the Moabite fugitives
and the people left in the land.
16:1 Send rams as tribute to the ruler of the land, 136
from Sela in the desert 137
to the hill of Daughter Zion.
16:2 At the fords of the Arnon 138
the Moabite women are like a bird
that flies about when forced from its nest. 139
16:3 “Bring a plan, make a decision! 140
Provide some shade in the middle of the day! 141
Hide the fugitives! Do not betray 142 the one who tries to escape!
16:4 Please let the Moabite fugitives live 143 among you.
Hide them 144 from the destroyer!”
Certainly 145 the one who applies pressure will cease, 146
the destroyer will come to an end,
those who trample will disappear 147 from the earth.
16:5 Then a trustworthy king will be established;
he will rule in a reliable manner,
this one from David’s family. 148
He will be sure to make just decisions
and will be experienced in executing justice. 149
16:6 We have heard about Moab’s pride,
their great arrogance,
their boasting, pride, and excess. 150
But their boastful claims are empty! 151
16:7 So Moab wails over its demise 152 –
they all wail!
Completely devastated, they moan
about what has happened to the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth. 153
16:8 For the fields of Heshbon are dried up,
as well as the vines of Sibmah.
The rulers of the nations trample all over its vines,
which reach Jazer and spread to the desert;
their shoots spread out and cross the sea.
16:9 So I weep along with Jazer 154
over the vines of Sibmah.
I will saturate you 155 with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh,
for the conquering invaders shout triumphantly
over your fruit and crops. 156
16:10 Joy and happiness disappear from the orchards,
and in the vineyards no one rejoices or shouts;
no one treads out juice in the wine vats 157 –
I have brought the joyful shouts to an end. 158
16:11 So my heart constantly sighs for Moab, like the strumming of a harp, 159
my inner being sighs 160 for Kir Hareseth. 161
16:12 When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, 162
and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective! 163
16:13 This is the message the Lord previously announced about Moab. 16:14 Now the Lord makes this announcement: “Within exactly three years 164 Moab’s splendor will disappear, along with all her many people; there will be just a few, insignificant survivors left.” 165
17:1 Here is a message about Damascus:
“Look, Damascus is no longer a city,
it is a heap of ruins!
17:2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned. 166
They will be used for herds,
which will lie down there in peace. 167
17:3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim,
and Damascus will lose its kingdom. 168
The survivors in Syria
will end up like the splendor of the Israelites,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
Jacob’s splendor will be greatly diminished, 170
and he will become skin and bones. 171
17:5 It will be as when one gathers the grain harvest,
and his hand gleans the ear of grain.
It will be like one gathering the ears of grain
in the Valley of Rephaim.
17:6 There will be some left behind,
like when an olive tree is beaten –
two or three ripe olives remain toward the very top,
four or five on its fruitful branches,”
says the Lord God of Israel.
17:7 At that time 172 men will trust in their creator; 173
they will depend on 174 the Holy One of Israel. 175
17:8 They will no longer trust in 176 the altars their hands made,
or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made. 177
17:9 At that time 178 their fortified cities will be
like the abandoned summits of the Amorites, 179
which they abandoned because of the Israelites;
there will be desolation.
17:10 For you ignore 180 the God who rescues you;
you pay no attention to your strong protector. 181
So this is what happens:
You cultivate beautiful plants
and plant exotic vines. 182
17:11 The day you begin cultivating, you do what you can to make it grow; 183
the morning you begin planting, you do what you can to make it sprout.
Yet the harvest will disappear 184 in the day of disease
and incurable pain.
17:12 The many nations massing together are as good as dead, 185
those who make a commotion as loud as the roaring of the sea’s waves. 186
The people making such an uproar are as good as dead, 187
those who make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves. 188
17:13 Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves, 189
when he shouts at 190 them, they will flee to a distant land,
driven before the wind like dead weeds on the hills,
or like dead thistles 191 before a strong gale.
17:14 In the evening there is sudden terror; 192
by morning they vanish. 193
This is the fate of those who try to plunder us,
the destiny of those who try to loot us! 194
18:1 The land of buzzing wings is as good as dead, 195
the one beyond the rivers of Cush,
18:2 that sends messengers by sea,
who glide over the water’s surface in boats made of papyrus.
Go, you swift messengers,
to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned people, 196
to a people that are feared far and wide, 197
to a nation strong and victorious, 198
whose land rivers divide. 199
18:3 All you who live in the world,
who reside on the earth,
you will see a signal flag raised on the mountains;
you will hear a trumpet being blown.
18:4 For this is what the Lord has told me:
“I will wait 200 and watch from my place,
like scorching heat produced by the sunlight, 201
like a cloud of mist 202 in the heat 203 of harvest.” 204
18:5 For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted,
and the ripening fruit appears, 205
he will cut off the unproductive shoots 206 with pruning knives;
he will prune the tendrils. 207
18:6 They will all be left 208 for the birds of the hills
and the wild animals; 209
the birds will eat them during the summer,
and all the wild animals will eat them during the winter.
18:7 At that time
tribute will be brought to the Lord who commands armies,
by a people that are tall and smooth-skinned,
a people that are feared far and wide,
a nation strong and victorious,
whose land rivers divide. 210
The tribute 211 will be brought to the place where the Lord who commands armies has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion. 212
19:1 Here is a message about Egypt:
Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud
and approaches Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him;
the Egyptians lose their courage. 213
19:2 “I will provoke civil strife in Egypt, 214
brothers will fight with each other,
as will neighbors,
cities, and kingdoms. 215
19:3 The Egyptians will panic, 216
and I will confuse their strategy. 217
They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead,
from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians. 218
19:4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master;
a powerful king will rule over them,”
says the sovereign master, 219 the Lord who commands armies.
19:5 The water of the sea will be dried up,
and the river will dry up and be empty. 220
19:6 The canals 221 will stink; 222
the streams of Egypt will trickle and then dry up;
the bulrushes and reeds will decay,
19:7 along with the plants by the mouth of the river. 223
All the cultivated land near the river
will turn to dust and be blown away. 224
19:8 The fishermen will mourn and lament,
all those who cast a fishhook into the river,
and those who spread out a net on the water’s surface will grieve. 225
19:9 Those who make clothes from combed flax will be embarrassed;
those who weave will turn pale. 226
19:10 Those who make cloth 227 will be demoralized; 228
all the hired workers will be depressed. 229
19:11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; 230
Pharaoh’s wise advisers give stupid advice.
How dare you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one of the sages,
one well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?” 231
19:12 But where, oh where, are your wise men? 232
Let them tell you, let them find out
what the Lord who commands armies has planned for Egypt.
19:13 The officials of Zoan are fools,
the officials of Memphis 233 are misled;
the rulers 234 of her tribes lead Egypt astray.
19:14 The Lord has made them undiscerning; 235
they lead Egypt astray in all she does,
so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit. 236
19:15 Egypt will not be able to do a thing,
head or tail, shoots and stalk. 237
19:16 At that time 238 the Egyptians 239 will be like women. 240 They will tremble and fear because the Lord who commands armies brandishes his fist against them. 241 19:17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord who commands armies is planning to do to them. 242
19:18 At that time five cities 243 in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord who commands armies. One will be called the City of the Sun. 244 19:19 At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt, as well as a sacred pillar 245 dedicated to the Lord at its border. 19:20 It 246 will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt of 247 the Lord who commands armies. When they cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a deliverer and defender 248 who will rescue them. 19:21 The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptians, and they 249 will acknowledge the Lord’s authority 250 at that time. 251 They will present sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. 19:22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to the Lord and he will listen to their prayers 252 and heal them.
19:23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. 253 19:24 At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing 254 in the earth. 255 19:25 The Lord who commands armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying, 256 “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession, 257 Israel!”
20:1 The Lord revealed the following message during the year in which King Sargon of Assyria sent his commanding general to Ashdod, and he fought against it and captured it. 258 20:2 At that time the Lord announced through 259 Isaiah son of Amoz: “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and take your sandals off your feet.” He did as instructed and walked around in undergarments 260 and barefoot. 20:3 Later the Lord explained, “In the same way that my servant Isaiah has walked around in undergarments and barefoot for the past three years, as an object lesson and omen pertaining to Egypt and Cush, 20:4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, both young and old. They will be in undergarments and barefoot, with the buttocks exposed; the Egyptians will be publicly humiliated. 261 20:5 Those who put their hope in Cush and took pride in Egypt will be afraid and embarrassed. 262 20:6 At that time 263 those who live on this coast 264 will say, ‘Look what has happened to our source of hope to whom we fled for help, expecting to be rescued from the king of Assyria! How can we escape now?’”
21:1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: 265
Like strong winds blowing in the south, 266
one invades from the desert,
from a land that is feared.
21:2 I have received a distressing message: 267
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning!” 268
21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; 269
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed 270 by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
I shake in fear; 272
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
21:5 Arrange the table,
lay out 273 the carpet,
eat and drink! 274
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields! 275
21:6 For this is what the sovereign master 276 has told me:
“Go, post a guard!
He must report what he sees.
21:7 When he sees chariots,
teams of horses, 277
riders on donkeys,
riders on camels,
he must be alert,
very alert.”
21:8 Then the guard 278 cries out:
“On the watchtower, O sovereign master, 279
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
21:9 Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.” 280
When questioned, he replies, 281
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
21:10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor, 282
what I have heard
from the Lord who commands armies,
the God of Israel,
I have reported to you.
21:11 Here is a message about Dumah: 283
Someone calls to me from Seir, 284
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?” 285
21:12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but then night. 286
If you want to ask, ask;
come back again.” 287
21:13 Here is a message about Arabia:
In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,
you Dedanite caravans.
21:14 Bring out some water for the thirsty.
You who live in the land of Tema,
bring some food for the fugitives.
21:15 For they flee from the swords –
from the drawn sword
and from the battle-ready bow
and from the severity of the battle.
21:16 For this is what the sovereign master 288 has told me: “Within exactly one year 289 all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 21:17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.” 290 Indeed, 291 the Lord God of Israel has spoken.
22:1 Here is a message about the Valley of Vision: 292
What is the reason 293
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. 294
Your slain were not cut down by the sword;
they did not die in battle. 295
22:3 296 All your leaders ran away together –
they fled to a distant place;
all your refugees 297 were captured together –
they were captured without a single arrow being shot. 298
22:4 So I say:
“Don’t look at me! 299
I am weeping bitterly.
Don’t try 300 to console me
concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.” 301
22:5 For the sovereign master, 302 the Lord who commands armies,
has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion. 303
In the Valley of Vision 304 people shout 305
and cry out to the hill. 306
22:6 The Elamites picked up the quiver,
and came with chariots and horsemen; 307
the men of Kir 308 prepared 309 the shield. 310
22:7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots; 311
horsemen confidently took their positions 312 at the gate.
22:8 They 313 removed the defenses 314 of Judah.
At that time 315 you looked
for the weapons in the House of the Forest. 316
22:9 You saw the many breaks
in the walls of the city of David; 317
you stored up water in the lower pool.
22:10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem, 318
and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall. 319
22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the old pool –
but you did not trust in 320 the one who made it; 321
you did not depend on 322 the one who formed it long ago!
22:12 At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning,
for shaved heads and sackcloth. 323
22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! 324
You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,
eat meat and drink wine.
Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 325
22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: 326 “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” 327 says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.
22:15 This is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says:
“Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, 328 and tell him: 329
22:16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? 330
Why 331 do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here?
He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place,
he carves out his tomb on a cliff.
22:17 Look, the Lord will throw you far away, 332 you mere man! 333
He will wrap you up tightly. 334
22:18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball
and throw you into a wide, open land. 335
There you will die,
and there with you will be your impressive chariots, 336
which bring disgrace to the house of your master. 337
22:19 I will remove you from 338 your office;
you will be thrown down 339 from your position.
22:20 “At that time 340 I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. 22:21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. 341 He will become a protector of 342 the residents of Jerusalem and of the people 343 of Judah. 22:22 I will place the key 344 to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. 22:23 I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place; 345 he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family. 346 22:24 His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him, 347 including the offspring and the offshoots. 348 All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars will hang from this peg.’ 349
22:25 “At that time,” 350 says the Lord who commands armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.” 351 Indeed, 352 the Lord has spoken.
23:1 Here is a message about Tyre:
Wail, you large ships, 353
for the port is too devastated to enter! 354
From the land of Cyprus 355 this news is announced to them.
23:2 Lament, 356 you residents of the coast,
you merchants of Sidon 357 who travel over the sea,
whose agents sail over 23:3 the deep waters! 358
Grain from the Shihor region, 359
crops grown near the Nile 360 she receives; 361
she is the trade center 362 of the nations.
23:4 Be ashamed, O Sidon,
for the sea 363 says this, O fortress of the sea:
“I have not gone into labor
or given birth;
I have not raised young men
or brought up young women.” 364
23:5 When the news reaches Egypt,
they will be shaken by what has happened to Tyre. 365
23:6 Travel to Tarshish!
Wail, you residents of the coast!
23:7 Is this really your boisterous city 366
whose origins are in the distant past, 367
and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside?
23:8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, 368
whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are the dignitaries 369 of the earth?
23:9 The Lord who commands armies planned it –
to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty, 370
to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.
23:10 Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile;
there is no longer any marketplace in Tyre. 371
23:11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea, 372
he shook kingdoms;
he 373 gave the order
to destroy Canaan’s fortresses. 374
23:12 He said,
“You will no longer celebrate,
oppressed 375 virgin daughter Sidon!
Get up, travel to Cyprus,
but you will find no relief there.” 376
23:13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans,
these people who have lost their identity! 377
The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals.
They erected their siege towers, 378
demolished 379 its fortresses,
and turned it into a heap of ruins. 380
23:14 Wail, you large ships, 381
for your fortress is destroyed!
23:15 At that time 382 Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, 383 the typical life span of a king. 384 At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song: 385
23:16 “Take the harp,
go through the city,
forgotten prostitute!
Play it well,
play lots of songs,
so you’ll be noticed!” 386
23:17 At the end of seventy years 387 the Lord will revive 388 Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms. 389 23:18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes. 390
24:1 Look, the Lord is ready to devastate the earth
and leave it in ruins;
he will mar its surface
and scatter its inhabitants.
24:2 Everyone will suffer – the priest as well as the people, 391
the master as well as the servant, 392
the elegant lady as well as the female attendant, 393
the seller as well as the buyer, 394
the borrower as well as the lender, 395
the creditor as well as the debtor. 396
24:3 The earth will be completely devastated
and thoroughly ransacked.
For the Lord has decreed this judgment. 397
24:4 The earth 398 dries up 399 and withers,
the world shrivels up and withers;
the prominent people of the earth 400 fade away.
24:5 The earth is defiled by 401 its inhabitants, 402
for they have violated laws,
disregarded the regulation, 403
and broken the permanent treaty. 404
24:6 So a treaty curse 405 devours the earth;
its inhabitants pay for their guilt. 406
This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear, 407
and are reduced to just a handful of people. 408
24:7 The new wine dries up,
the vines shrivel up,
all those who like to celebrate 409 groan.
24:8 The happy sound 410 of the tambourines stops,
the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt,
the happy sound of the harp ceases.
24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; 411
the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.
24:10 The ruined town 412 is shattered;
all of the houses are shut up tight. 413
24:11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; 414
all joy turns to sorrow; 415
celebrations disappear from the earth. 416
24:12 The city is left in ruins; 417
the gate is reduced to rubble. 418
24:13 This is what will happen throughout 419 the earth,
among the nations.
It will be like when they beat an olive tree,
and just a few olives are left at the end of the harvest. 420
24:14 They 421 lift their voices and shout joyfully;
they praise 422 the majesty of the Lord in the west.
24:15 So in the east 423 extol the Lord,
along the seacoasts extol 424 the fame 425 of the Lord God of Israel.
24:16 From the ends of the earth we 426 hear songs –
the Just One is majestic. 427
But I 428 say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!
Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” 429
24:17 Terror, pit, and snare
are ready to overtake you inhabitants of the earth! 430
24:18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror
will fall into the pit; 431
the one who climbs out of the pit,
will be trapped by the snare.
For the floodgates of the heavens 432 are opened up 433
and the foundations of the earth shake.
24:19 The earth is broken in pieces,
the earth is ripped to shreds,
the earth shakes violently. 434
24:20 The earth will stagger around 435 like a drunk;
it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. 436
Its sin will weigh it down,
and it will fall and never get up again.
24:21 At that time 437 the Lord will punish 438
the heavenly forces in the heavens 439
and the earthly kings on the earth.
24:22 They will be imprisoned in a pit, 440
locked up in a prison,
and after staying there for a long time, 441 they will be punished. 442
24:23 The full moon will be covered up, 443
the bright sun 444 will be darkened; 445
for the Lord who commands armies will rule 446
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem 447
in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor. 448
25:1 O Lord, you are my God! 449
I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. 450
For you have done extraordinary things,
and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. 451
25:2 Indeed, 452 you have made the city 453 into a heap of rubble,
the fortified town into a heap of ruins;
the fortress of foreigners 454 is no longer a city,
it will never be rebuilt.
25:3 So a strong nation will extol you;
the towns of 455 powerful nations will fear you.
25:4 For you are a protector for the poor,
a protector for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm,
a shade from the heat.
Though the breath of tyrants 456 is like a winter rainstorm, 457
25:5 like heat 458 in a dry land,
you humble the boasting foreigners. 459
Just as the shadow of a cloud causes the heat to subside, 460
so he causes the song of tyrants to cease. 461
25:6 The Lord who commands armies will hold a banquet for all the nations on this mountain. 462
At this banquet there will be plenty of meat and aged wine –
tender meat and choicest wine. 463
25:7 On this mountain he will swallow up
the shroud that is over all the peoples, 464
the woven covering that is over all the nations; 465
25:8 he will swallow up death permanently. 466
The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face,
and remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.
Indeed, the Lord has announced it! 467
25:9 At that time they will say, 468
“Look, here 469 is our God!
We waited for him and he delivered us.
Here 470 is the Lord! We waited for him.
Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!”
25:10 For the Lord’s power will make this mountain secure. 471
Moab will be trampled down where it stands, 472
as a heap of straw is trampled down in 473 a manure pile.
25:11 Moab 474 will spread out its hands in the middle of it, 475
just as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim;
the Lord 476 will bring down Moab’s 477 pride as it spreads its hands. 478
25:12 The fortified city (along with the very tops of your 479 walls) 480 he will knock down,
he will bring it down, he will throw it down to the dusty ground. 481
26:1 At that time 482 this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city!
The Lord’s 483 deliverance, like walls and a rampart, makes it secure. 484
26:2 Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter –
one that remains trustworthy.
26:3 You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith,
for they trust in you. 485
26:4 Trust in the Lord from this time forward, 486
even in Yah, the Lord, an enduring protector! 487
26:5 Indeed, 488 the Lord knocks down those who live in a high place,
he brings down an elevated town;
he brings it down to the ground, 489
he throws it down to the dust.
26:6 It is trampled underfoot
by the feet of the oppressed,
by the soles of the poor.”
26:7 490 The way of the righteous is level,
the path of the righteous that you make is straight. 491
26:8 Yes, as your judgments unfold, 492
O Lord, we wait for you.
We desire your fame and reputation to grow. 493
26:9 I 494 look for 495 you during the night,
my spirit within me seeks you at dawn,
for when your judgments come upon the earth,
those who live in the world learn about justice. 496
26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy,
they do not learn about justice. 497
Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; 498
they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.
26:11 O Lord, you are ready to act, 499
but they don’t even notice.
They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind, 500
yes, fire will consume your enemies. 501
26:12 O Lord, you make us secure, 502
for even all we have accomplished, you have done for us. 503
26:13 O Lord, our God,
masters other than you have ruled us,
but we praise your name alone.
26:14 The dead do not come back to life,
the spirits of the dead do not rise. 504
That is because 505 you came in judgment 506 and destroyed them,
you wiped out all memory of them.
26:15 You have made the nation larger, 507 O Lord,
you have made the nation larger and revealed your splendor, 508
you have extended all the borders of the land.
26:16 O Lord, in distress they looked for you;
they uttered incantations because of your discipline. 509
26:17 As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver
and strains and cries out because of her labor pains,
so were we because of you, O Lord.
26:18 We were pregnant, we strained,
we gave birth, as it were, to wind. 510
We cannot produce deliverance on the earth;
people to populate the world are not born. 511
26:19 512 Your dead will come back to life;
your corpses will rise up.
Wake up and shout joyfully, you who live in the ground! 513
For you will grow like plants drenched with the morning dew, 514
and the earth will bring forth its dead spirits. 515
26:20 Go, my people! Enter your inner rooms!
Close your doors behind you!
Hide for a little while,
until his angry judgment is over! 516
26:21 For look, the Lord is coming out of the place where he lives, 517
to punish the sin of those who live on the earth.
The earth will display the blood shed on it;
it will no longer cover up its slain. 518
27:1 At that time 519 the Lord will punish
with his destructive, 520 great, and powerful sword
Leviathan the fast-moving 521 serpent,
Leviathan the squirming serpent;
he will kill the sea monster. 522
27:2 When that time comes, 523
sing about a delightful vineyard! 524
27:3 I, the Lord, protect it; 525
I water it regularly. 526
I guard it night and day,
so no one can harm it. 527
27:4 I am not angry.
I wish I could confront some thorns and briers!
Then I would march against them 528 for battle;
I would set them 529 all on fire,
27:5 unless they became my subjects 530
and made peace with me;
let them make peace with me. 531
27:6 The time is coming when Jacob will take root; 532
Israel will blossom and grow branches.
The produce 533 will fill the surface of the world. 534
27:7 Has the Lord struck down Israel like he did their oppressors? 535
Has Israel been killed like their enemies? 536
27:8 When you summon her for divorce, you prosecute her; 537
he drives her away 538 with his strong wind in the day of the east wind. 539
27:9 So in this way Jacob’s sin will be forgiven, 540
and this is how they will show they are finished sinning: 541
They will make all the stones of the altars 542
like crushed limestone,
and the Asherah poles and the incense altars will no longer stand. 543
27:10 For the fortified city 544 is left alone;
it is a deserted settlement
and abandoned like the desert.
Calves 545 graze there;
they lie down there
and eat its branches bare. 546
27:11 When its branches get brittle, 547 they break;
women come and use them for kindling. 548
For these people lack understanding, 549
therefore the one who made them has no compassion on them;
the one who formed them has no mercy on them.
27:12 At that time 550 the Lord will shake the tree, 551 from the Euphrates River 552 to the Stream of Egypt. Then you will be gathered up one by one, O Israelites. 553 27:13 At that time 554 a large 555 trumpet will be blown, and the ones lost 556 in the land of Assyria will come, as well as the refugees in 557 the land of Egypt. They will worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. 558
28:1 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed, 559
the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, 560
situated 561 at the head of a rich valley,
the crown of those overcome with wine. 562
28:2 Look, the sovereign master 563 sends a strong, powerful one. 564
With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, 565
with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, 566
he will knock that crown 567 to the ground with his hand. 568
28:3 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards
will be trampled underfoot.
28:4 The withering flower, its beautiful splendor,
situated at the head of a rich valley,
will be like an early fig before harvest –
as soon as someone notices it,
he grabs it and swallows it. 569
28:5 At that time 570 the Lord who commands armies will become a beautiful crown
and a splendid diadem for the remnant of his people.
28:6 He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions,
and strength to those who defend the city from attackers. 571
28:7 Even these men 572 stagger because of wine,
they stumble around because of beer –
priests and prophets stagger because of beer,
they are confused 573 because of wine,
they stumble around because of beer;
they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, 574
they totter while making legal decisions. 575
28:8 Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit;
no place is untouched. 576
28:9 Who is the Lord 577 trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining a message? 578
Those just weaned from milk!
Those just taken from their mother’s breast! 579
28:10 Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish,
senseless babbling,
a syllable here, a syllable there. 580
28:11 For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue
he will speak to these people. 581
28:12 In the past he said to them, 582
“This is where security can be found.
Provide security for the one who is exhausted!
This is where rest can be found.” 583
But they refused to listen.
28:13 So the Lord’s word to them will sound like
meaningless gibberish,
senseless babbling,
a syllable here, a syllable there. 584
As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, 585
and be injured, ensnared, and captured. 586
28:14 Therefore, listen to the Lord’s word,
you who mock,
you rulers of these people
who reside in Jerusalem! 587
28:15 For you say,
“We have made a treaty with death,
with Sheol 588 we have made an agreement. 589
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by 590
it will not reach us.
For we have made a lie our refuge,
we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.” 591
28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:
“Look, I am laying 592 a stone in Zion,
an approved 593 stone,
set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. 594
The one who maintains his faith will not panic. 595
28:17 I will make justice the measuring line,
fairness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, 596
the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.
28:18 Your treaty with death will be dissolved; 597
your agreement 598 with Sheol will not last. 599
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, 600
you will be overrun by it. 601
28:19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you;
indeed, 602 every morning it will sweep by,
it will come through during the day and the night.” 603
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. 604
28:21 For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, 605
he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, 606
to accomplish his work,
his peculiar work,
to perform his task,
his strange task. 607
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. 608
28:23 Pay attention and listen to my message! 609
Be attentive and listen to what I have to say! 610
28:24 Does a farmer just keep on plowing at planting time? 611
Does he keep breaking up and harrowing his ground?
28:25 Once he has leveled its surface,
does he not scatter the seed of the caraway plant,
sow the seed of the cumin plant,
and plant the wheat, barley, and grain in their designated places? 612
28:26 His God instructs him;
he teaches him the principles of agriculture. 613
28:27 Certainly 614 caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin seed. 615
Certainly caraway seed is beaten with a stick,
and cumin seed with a flail.
28:28 Grain is crushed,
though one certainly does not thresh it forever.
The wheel of one’s wagon rolls over it,
but his horses do not crush it.
28:29 This also comes from the Lord who commands armies,
who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom. 616
29:1 Ariel is as good as dead 617 –
Ariel, the town David besieged! 618
Keep observing your annual rituals,
celebrate your festivals on schedule. 619
29:2 I will threaten Ariel,
and she will mourn intensely
and become like an altar hearth 620 before me.
29:3 I will lay siege to you on all sides; 621
I will besiege you with troops; 622
I will raise siege works against you.
29:4 You will fall;
while lying on the ground 623 you will speak;
from the dust where you lie, your words will be heard. 624
Your voice will sound like a spirit speaking from the underworld; 625
from the dust you will chirp as if muttering an incantation. 626
29:5 But the horde of invaders will be like fine dust,
the horde of tyrants 627 like chaff that is blown away.
It will happen suddenly, in a flash.
29:6 Judgment will come from the Lord who commands armies, 628
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. 629
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. 630
So it will be for the horde from all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.
29:9 You will be shocked and amazed! 631
You are totally blind! 632
They are drunk, 633 but not because of wine;
they stagger, 634 but not because of beer.
29:10 For the Lord has poured out on you
a strong urge to sleep deeply. 635
He has shut your eyes (the prophets),
and covered your heads (the seers).
29:11 To you this entire prophetic revelation 636 is like words in a sealed scroll. When they hand it to one who can read 637 and say, “Read this,” he responds, “I can’t, because it is sealed.” 29:12 Or when they hand the scroll to one who can’t read 638 and say, “Read this,” he says, “I can’t read.” 639
29:13 The sovereign master 640 says,
“These people say they are loyal to me; 641
they say wonderful things about me, 642
but they are not really loyal to me. 643
Their worship consists of
nothing but man-made ritual. 644
29:14 Therefore I will again do an amazing thing for these people –
an absolutely extraordinary deed. 645
Wise men will have nothing to say,
the sages will have no explanations.” 646
29:15 Those who try to hide their plans from the Lord are as good as dead, 647
who do their work in secret and boast, 648
“Who sees us? Who knows what we’re doing?” 649
29:16 Your thinking is perverse! 650
Should the potter be regarded as clay? 651
Should the thing made say 652 about its maker, “He didn’t make me”?
Or should the pottery say about the potter, “He doesn’t understand”?
29:17 In just a very short time 653
Lebanon will turn into an orchard,
and the orchard will be considered a forest. 654
29:18 At that time 655 the deaf will be able to hear words read from a scroll,
and the eyes of the blind will be able to see through deep darkness. 656
29:19 The downtrodden will again rejoice in the Lord;
the poor among humankind will take delight 657 in the Holy One of Israel. 658
29:20 For tyrants will disappear,
those who taunt will vanish,
and all those who love to do wrong will be eliminated 659 –
29:21 those who bear false testimony against a person, 660
who entrap the one who arbitrates at the city gate 661
and deprive the innocent of justice by making false charges. 662
29:22 So this is what the Lord, the one who delivered Abraham, says to the family of Jacob: 663
“Jacob will no longer be ashamed;
their faces will no longer show their embarrassment. 664
29:23 For when they see their children,
whom I will produce among them, 665
they will honor 666 my name.
They will honor the Holy One of Jacob; 667
they will respect 668 the God of Israel.
29:24 Those who stray morally will gain understanding; 669
those who complain will acquire insight. 670
30:1 “The rebellious 671 children are as good as dead,” 672 says the Lord,
“those who make plans without consulting me, 673
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, 674
and thereby compound their sin. 675
30:2 They travel down to Egypt
without seeking my will, 676
seeking Pharaoh’s protection,
and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade. 677
30:3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame,
and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.
30:4 Though his 678 officials are in Zoan
and his messengers arrive at Hanes, 679
30:5 all will be put to shame 680
because of a nation that cannot help them,
who cannot give them aid or help,
but only shame and disgrace.”
30:6 This is a message 681 about the animals in the Negev:
Through a land of distress and danger,
inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, 682
by snakes and darting adders, 683
they transport 684 their wealth on the backs of donkeys,
their riches on the humps of camels,
to a nation that cannot help them. 685
30:7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping. 686
For this reason I call her
‘Proud one 687 who is silenced.’” 688
30:8 Now go, write it 689 down on a tablet in their presence, 690
inscribe it on a scroll,
so that it might be preserved for a future time
as an enduring witness. 691
30:9 For these are rebellious people –
they are lying children,
children unwilling to obey the Lord’s law. 692
30:10 They 693 say to the visionaries, “See no more visions!”
and to the seers, “Don’t relate messages to us about what is right! 694
Tell us nice things,
relate deceptive messages. 695
30:11 Turn aside from the way,
stray off the path. 696
Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.” 697
30:12 For this reason this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“You have rejected this message; 698
you trust instead in your ability to oppress and trick, 699
and rely on that kind of behavior. 700
30:13 So this sin will become your downfall.
You will be like a high wall
that bulges and cracks and is ready to collapse;
it crumbles suddenly, in a flash. 701
30:14 It shatters in pieces like a clay jar,
so shattered to bits that none of it can be salvaged. 702
Among its fragments one cannot find a shard large enough 703
to scoop a hot coal from a fire 704
or to skim off water from a cistern.” 705
30:15 For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says:
“If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; 706
if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, 707
but you are unwilling.
30:16 You say, ‘No, we will flee on horses,’
so you will indeed flee.
You say, ‘We will ride on fast horses,’
so your pursuers will be fast.
30:17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; 708
at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, 709
until the remaining few are as isolated 710
as a flagpole on a mountaintop
or a signal flag on a hill.”
30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;
he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. 711
Indeed, the Lord is a just God;
all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. 712
30:19 For people will live in Zion;
in Jerusalem 713 you will weep no more. 714
When he hears your cry of despair, he will indeed show you mercy;
when he hears it, he will respond to you. 715
30:20 The sovereign master 716 will give you distress to eat
and suffering to drink; 717
but your teachers will no longer be hidden;
your eyes will see them. 718
30:21 You 719 will hear a word spoken behind you, saying,
“This is the correct 720 way, walk in it,”
whether you are heading to the right or the left.
30:22 You will desecrate your silver-plated idols 721
and your gold-plated images. 722
You will throw them away as if they were a menstrual rag,
saying to them, “Get out!”
30:23 He will water the seed you plant in the ground,
and the ground will produce crops in abundance. 723
At that time 724 your cattle will graze in wide pastures.
30:24 The oxen and donkeys used in plowing 725
will eat seasoned feed winnowed with a shovel and pitchfork. 726
30:25 On every high mountain
and every high hill
there will be streams flowing with water,
at the time of 727 great slaughter when the fortified towers collapse.
30:26 The light of the full moon will be like the sun’s glare
and the sun’s glare will be seven times brighter,
like the light of seven days, 728
when the Lord binds up his people’s fractured bones 729
and heals their severe wound. 730
30:27 Look, the name 731 of the Lord comes from a distant place
in raging anger and awesome splendor. 732
He speaks angrily
and his word is like destructive fire. 733
30:28 His battle cry overwhelms like a flooding river 734
that reaches one’s neck.
He shakes the nations in a sieve that isolates the chaff; 735
he puts a bit into the mouth of the nations and leads them to destruction. 736
30:29 You will sing
as you do in the evening when you are celebrating a festival.
You will be happy like one who plays a flute
as he goes to the mountain of the Lord, the Rock who shelters Israel. 737
30:30 The Lord will give a mighty shout 738
and intervene in power, 739
with furious anger and flaming, destructive fire, 740
with a driving rainstorm and hailstones.
30:31 Indeed, the Lord’s shout will shatter Assyria; 741
he will beat them with a club.
30:32 Every blow from his punishing cudgel, 742
with which the Lord will beat them, 743
will be accompanied by music from the 744 tambourine and harp,
and he will attack them with his weapons. 745
30:33 For 746 the burial place is already prepared; 747
it has been made deep and wide for the king. 748
The firewood is piled high on it. 749
The Lord’s breath, like a stream flowing with brimstone,
will ignite it.
31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, 750
those who rely on war horses,
and trust in Egypt’s many chariots 751
and in their many, many horsemen. 752
But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel 753
and do not seek help from the Lord.
31:2 Yet he too is wise 754 and he will bring disaster;
he does not retract his decree. 755
He will attack the wicked nation, 756
and the nation that helps 757 those who commit sin. 758
31:3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God;
their horses are made of flesh, not spirit.
The Lord will strike with 759 his hand;
the one who helps will stumble
and the one being helped will fall.
Together they will perish. 760
31:4 Indeed, this is what the Lord says to me:
“The Lord will be like a growling lion,
like a young lion growling over its prey. 761
Though a whole group of shepherds gathers against it,
it is not afraid of their shouts
or intimidated by their yelling. 762
In this same way the Lord who commands armies will descend
to do battle on Mount Zion and on its hill. 763
31:5 Just as birds hover over a nest, 764
so the Lord who commands armies will protect Jerusalem. 765
He will protect and deliver it;
as he passes over 766 he will rescue it.
31:6 You Israelites! Return to the one against whom you have so blatantly rebelled! 767 31:7 For at that time 768 everyone will get rid of 769 the silver and gold idols your hands sinfully made. 770
31:8 Assyria will fall by a sword, but not one human-made; 771
a sword not made by humankind will destroy them. 772
They will run away from this sword 773
and their young men will be forced to do hard labor.
31:9 They will surrender their stronghold 774 because of fear; 775
their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.” 776
This is what the Lord says –
the one whose fire is in Zion,
whose firepot is in Jerusalem. 777
32:1 Look, a king will promote fairness; 778
officials will promote justice. 779
32:2 Each of them 780 will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from a rainstorm;
like streams of water in a dry region
and like the shade of a large cliff in a parched land.
32:3 Eyes 781 will no longer be blind 782
and ears 783 will be attentive.
32:4 The mind that acts rashly will possess discernment 784
and the tongue that stutters will speak with ease and clarity.
32:5 A fool will no longer be called honorable;
a deceiver will no longer be called principled.
32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; 785
his mind plans out sinful deeds. 786
He commits godless deeds 787
and says misleading things about the Lord;
he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite 788
and gives the thirsty nothing to drink. 789
32:7 A deceiver’s methods are evil; 790
he dreams up evil plans 791
to ruin the poor with lies,
even when the needy are in the right. 792
32:8 An honorable man makes honorable plans;
his honorable character gives him security. 793
32:9 You complacent 794 women,
get up and listen to me!
You carefree 795 daughters,
pay attention to what I say!
you carefree ones will shake with fear,
for the grape 797 harvest will fail,
and the fruit harvest will not arrive.
32:11 Tremble, you complacent ones!
Shake with fear, you carefree ones!
Strip off your clothes and expose yourselves –
put sackcloth on your waist! 798
32:12 Mourn over the field, 799
over the delightful fields
and the fruitful vine!
32:13 Mourn 800 over the land of my people,
which is overgrown with thorns and briers,
and over all the once-happy houses 801
in the city filled with revelry. 802
32:14 For the fortress is neglected;
the once-crowded 803 city is abandoned.
Hill 804 and watchtower
are permanently uninhabited. 805
Wild donkeys love to go there,
and flocks graze there. 806
32:15 This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven. 807
Then the desert will become an orchard
and the orchard will be considered a forest. 808
32:16 Justice will settle down in the desert
and fairness will live in the orchard. 809
32:17 Fairness will produce peace 810
and result in lasting security. 811
32:18 My people will live in peaceful settlements,
in secure homes,
and in safe, quiet places. 812
32:19 Even if the forest is destroyed 813
and the city is annihilated, 814
32:20 you will be blessed,
you who plant seed by all the banks of the streams, 815
you who let your ox and donkey graze. 816
33:1 The destroyer is as good as dead, 817
you who have not been destroyed!
The deceitful one is as good as dead, 818
the one whom others have not deceived!
When you are through destroying, you will be destroyed;
when you finish 819 deceiving, others will deceive you!
33:2 Lord, be merciful to us! We wait for you.
Give us strength each morning! 820
Deliver us when distress comes. 821
33:3 The nations run away when they hear a loud noise; 822
the nations scatter when you spring into action! 823
33:4 Your plunder 824 disappears as if locusts were eating it; 825
they swarm over it like locusts! 826
indeed, 828 he lives in heaven; 829
he fills Zion with justice and fairness.
33:6 He is your constant source of stability; 830
he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; 831
he gives all this to those who fear him. 832
33:7 Look, ambassadors 833 cry out in the streets;
messengers sent to make peace 834 weep bitterly.
there are no travelers. 836
Treaties are broken, 837
witnesses are despised, 838
human life is treated with disrespect. 839
33:9 The land 840 dries up 841 and withers away;
the forest of Lebanon shrivels up 842 and decays.
Sharon 843 is like the desert; 844
Bashan and Carmel 845 are parched. 846
33:10 “Now I will rise up,” says the Lord.
“Now I will exalt myself;
now I will magnify myself. 847
you give birth to chaff;
your breath is a fire that destroys you. 849
33:12 The nations will be burned to ashes; 850
like thorn bushes that have been cut down, they will be set on fire.
33:13 You who are far away, listen to what I have done!
You who are close by, recognize my strength!”
33:14 Sinners are afraid in Zion;
panic 851 grips the godless. 852
They say, 853 ‘Who among us can coexist with destructive fire?
Who among us can coexist with unquenchable 854 fire?’
33:15 The one who lives 855 uprightly 856
and speaks honestly;
the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures
and rejects a bribe; 857
the one who does not plot violent crimes 858
and does not seek to harm others 859 –
33:16 This is the person who will live in a secure place; 860
he will find safety in the rocky, mountain strongholds; 861
he will have food
and a constant supply of water.
33:17 You will see a king in his splendor; 862
you will see a wide land. 863
33:18 Your mind will recall the terror you experienced, 864
and you will ask yourselves, 865 “Where is the scribe?
Where is the one who weighs the money?
Where is the one who counts the towers?” 866
33:19 You will no longer see a defiant 867 people
whose language you do not comprehend, 868
whose derisive speech you do not understand. 869
33:20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals!
You 870 will see Jerusalem, 871
a peaceful settlement,
a tent that stays put; 872
its stakes will never be pulled up;
none of its ropes will snap in two.
33:21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king. 873
Rivers and wide streams will flow through it; 874
no war galley will enter; 875
no large ships will sail through. 876
33:22 For the Lord, our ruler,
the Lord, our commander,
the Lord, our king –
he will deliver us.
33:23 Though at this time your ropes are slack, 877
the mast is not secured, 878
and the sail 879 is not unfurled,
at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot; 880
even the lame will drag off plunder. 881
33:24 No resident of Zion 882 will say, “I am ill”;
the people who live there will have their sin forgiven.
34:1 Come near, you nations, and listen!
Pay attention, you people!
The earth and everything it contains must listen,
the world and everything that lives in it. 883
34:2 For the Lord is angry at all the nations
and furious with all their armies.
He will annihilate them and slaughter them.
34:3 Their slain will be left unburied, 884
their corpses will stink; 885
the hills will soak up their blood. 886
34:4 All the stars in the sky will fade away, 887
the sky will roll up like a scroll;
all its stars will wither,
like a leaf withers and falls from a vine
or a fig withers and falls from a tree. 888
34:5 He says, 889 “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. 890
Look, it now descends on Edom, 891
on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”
34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,
it is covered 892 with fat;
it drips 893 with the blood of young rams and goats
and is covered 894 with the fat of rams’ kidneys.
For the Lord is holding a sacrifice 895 in Bozrah, 896
a bloody 897 slaughter in the land of Edom.
34:7 Wild oxen will be slaughtered 898 along with them,
as well as strong bulls. 899
Their land is drenched with blood,
their soil is covered with fat.
34:8 For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, 900
a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. 901
34:9 Edom’s 902 streams will be turned into pitch
and her soil into brimstone;
her land will become burning pitch.
34:10 Night and day it will burn; 903
its smoke will ascend continually.
Generation after generation it will be a wasteland
and no one will ever pass through it again.
34:11 Owls and wild animals 904 will live there, 905
all kinds of wild birds 906 will settle in it.
The Lord 907 will stretch out over her
the measuring line of ruin
and the plumb line 908 of destruction. 909
34:12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom
and all her officials will disappear. 910
34:13 Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns;
thickets and weeds will grow 911 in her fortified cities.
Jackals will settle there;
ostriches will live there. 912
34:14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; 913
wild goats will bleat to one another. 914
Yes, nocturnal animals 915 will rest there
and make for themselves a nest. 916
34:15 Owls 917 will make nests and lay eggs 918 there;
they will hatch them and protect them. 919
Yes, hawks 920 will gather there,
each with its mate.
34:16 Carefully read the scroll of the Lord! 921
Not one of these creatures will be missing, 922
none will lack a mate. 923
For the Lord has issued the decree, 924
and his own spirit gathers them. 925
34:17 He assigns them their allotment; 926
he measures out their assigned place. 927
They will live there 928 permanently;
they will settle in it through successive generations.
35:1 Let the desert and dry region be happy; 929
let the wilderness 930 rejoice and bloom like a lily!
let it rejoice and shout with delight! 932
It is given the grandeur 933 of Lebanon,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the grandeur of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
35:3 Strengthen the hands that have gone limp,
steady the knees that shake! 934
35:4 Tell those who panic, 935
“Be strong! Do not fear!
Look, your God comes to avenge!
With divine retribution he comes to deliver you.” 936
35:5 Then blind eyes will open,
deaf ears will hear.
35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,
the mute tongue will shout for joy;
for water will flow 937 in the desert,
streams in the wilderness. 938
35:7 The dry soil will become a pool of water,
the parched ground springs of water.
Where jackals once lived and sprawled out,
grass, reeds, and papyrus will grow.
35:8 A thoroughfare will be there –
it will be called the Way of Holiness. 939
The unclean will not travel on it;
it is reserved for those authorized to use it 940 –
fools 941 will not stray into it.
35:9 No lions will be there,
no ferocious wild animals will be on it 942 –
they will not be found there.
Those delivered from bondage will travel on it,
35:10 those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way. 943
They will enter Zion with a happy shout.
Unending joy will crown them, 944
happiness and joy will overwhelm 945 them;
grief and suffering will disappear. 946
[13:1] 1 sn Isa 13-23 contains a series of judgment oracles against various nations. It is likely that Israel, not the nations mentioned, actually heard these oracles. The oracles probably had a twofold purpose. For those leaders who insisted on getting embroiled in international politics, these oracles were a reminder that Judah need not fear foreign nations or seek international alliances for security reasons. For the righteous remnant within the nation, these oracles were a reminder that Israel’s God was indeed the sovereign ruler of the earth, worthy of his people’s trust.
[13:1] 2 tn Heb “The message [traditionally, “burden”] [about] Babylon which Isaiah son of Amoz saw.”
[13:2] 3 sn The Lord is speaking here (see v. 3).
[13:3] 4 tn Heb “my consecrated ones,” i.e., those who have been set apart by God for the special task of carrying out his judgment.
[13:3] 5 tn Heb “my warriors with respect to my anger.”
[13:3] 6 tn Heb “the boasting ones of my pride”; cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV “my proudly exulting ones.”
[13:4] 7 sn In vv. 4-10 the prophet appears to be speaking, since the Lord is referred to in the third person. However, since the Lord refers to himself in the third person later in this chapter (see v. 13), it is possible that he speaks throughout the chapter.
[13:4] 8 tn Heb “a sound, a roar [is] on the mountains, like many people.”
[13:4] 9 tn Heb “a sound, tumult of kingdoms.”
[13:5] 10 tn Heb “from the end of the sky.”
[13:5] 11 tn Or “anger”; cf. KJV, ASV “the weapons of his indignation.”
[13:5] 12 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.
[13:6] 13 tn Heb “the day of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB).
[13:6] 14 tn Heb “like destruction from the sovereign judge it comes.” The comparative preposition (כְּ, kÿ) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the destruction unleashed will have all the earmarks of divine judgment. One could paraphrase, “it comes as only destructive divine judgment can.” On this use of the preposition in general, see GKC 376 §118.x.
[13:7] 15 tn Heb “drop”; KJV “be faint”; ASV “be feeble”; NAB “fall helpless.”
[13:7] 16 tn Heb “melts” (so NAB).
[13:8] 17 tn Heb “their faces are faces of flames.” Their faces are flushed with fear and embarrassment.
[13:9] 18 tn Heb “the day of the Lord.”
[13:9] 19 tn Heb “[with] cruelty, and fury, and rage of anger.” Three synonyms for “anger” are piled up at the end of the line to emphasize the extraordinary degree of divine anger that will be exhibited in this judgment.
[13:9] 20 tn Heb “making desolate.”
[13:9] 21 tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT).
[13:10] 22 tn Heb “do not flash forth their light.”
[13:10] 23 tn Heb “does not shed forth its light.”
[13:11] 24 sn The Lord is definitely speaking (again?) at this point. See the note at v. 4.
[13:11] 25 tn Or “I will bring disaster on the world.” Hebrew רָעָה (ra’ah) could refer to the judgment (i.e., disaster, calamity) or to the evil that prompts it. The structure of the parallel line favors the latter interpretation.
[13:11] 26 tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; cf. NASB, NIV “the ruthless.”
[13:12] 27 tn The verb is supplied in the translation from the first line. The verb in the first line (“I will make scarce”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse.
[13:13] 28 tn Or “the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[13:13] 29 tn Heb “from its place” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV).
[13:13] 30 tn Heb “and in the day of the raging of his anger.”
[13:14] 31 tn Or “like a gazelle being chased.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[13:14] 32 tn Heb “his people” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “his nation” (cf. TEV “their own countries”).
[13:15] 33 tn Heb “carried off,” i.e., grabbed from the fleeing crowd. See HALOT 764 s.v. ספה.
[13:15] 34 tn Heb “will fall” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NLT “will be run through with a sword.”
[13:17] 35 tn Heb “against them”; NLT “against Babylon.”
[13:17] 36 sn They cannot be bought off, for they have a lust for bloodshed.
[13:18] 37 tn Heb “and bows cut to bits young men.” “Bows” stands by metonymy for arrows.
[13:18] 38 tn Heb “the fruit of the womb.”
[13:18] 39 tn Heb “their eye does not.” Here “eye” is a metonymy for the whole person.
[13:19] 40 tn Or “most beautiful” (NCV, TEV).
[13:19] 41 tn Heb “the beauty of the pride of the Chaldeans.”
[13:19] 42 tn Heb “and Babylon…will be like the overthrow by God of Sodom and Gomorrah.” On מַהְפֵּכַת (mahpekhat, “overthrow”) see the note on the word “destruction” in 1:7.
[13:20] 43 tn Heb “she will not be inhabited forever, and she will not be dwelt in to generation and generation (i.e., forever).” The Lord declares that Babylon, personified as a woman, will not be inhabited. In other words, her people will be destroyed and the Chaldean empire will come to a permanent end.
[13:20] 44 tn Or “Arab” (NAB, NASB, NIV); cf. CEV, NLT “nomads.”
[13:20] 45 tn יַהֵל (yahel) is probably a corrupted form of יֶאֱהַל (ye’ehal). See GKC 186 §68.k.
[13:20] 46 tn The words “their flocks” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text does not supply the object here, but see Jer 33:12.
[13:21] 47 tn The word “ruined” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[13:21] 48 tn The precise referent of this word in uncertain. See HALOT 29 s.v. *אֹחַ. Various English versions translate as “owls” (e.g., NAB, NASB), “wild dogs” (NCV); “jackals” (NIV); “howling creatures” (NRSV, NLT).
[13:21] 49 tn Heb “will skip there.”
[13:22] 50 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “wild dogs will yip among his widows, and jackals in the palaces of pleasure.” The verb “yip” is supplied in the second line; it does double duty in the parallel structure. “His widows” makes little sense in this context; many emend the form (אַלְמנוֹתָיו, ’almnotayv) to the graphically similar אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ (’armÿnoteha, “her fortresses”), a reading that is assumed in the present translation. The use of “widows” may represent an intentional wordplay on “fortresses,” indicating that the fortresses are like dejected widows (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:308, n. 1).
[13:22] 51 tn Heb “near to come is her time.”
[13:22] 52 sn When was the prophecy of Babylon’s fall fulfilled? Some argue that the prophecy was fulfilled in 689
[14:1] 53 tn The sentence begins with כִּי (ki), which is understood as asseverative (“certainly”) in the translation. Another option is to translate, “For the Lord will have compassion.” In this case one of the reasons for Babylon’s coming demise (13:22b) is the Lord’s desire to restore his people.
[14:1] 54 tn The words “as his special people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:1] 55 tn Or “settle” (NASB, NIV, NCV, NLT).
[14:2] 57 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.”
[14:3] 58 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[14:4] 59 tn Heb “you will lift up this taunt over the king of Babylon, saying.”
[14:4] 60 tc The word in the Hebrew text (מַדְהֵבָה, madhevah) is unattested elsewhere and of uncertain meaning. Many (following the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa) assume a dalet-resh (ד-ר) confusion and emend the form to מַרְהֵבָה (marhevah, “onslaught”). See HALOT 548 s.v. II *מִדָּה and HALOT 633 s.v. *מַרְהֵבָה.
[14:6] 61 tn Or perhaps, “he” (cf. KJV; NCV “the king of Babylon”). The present translation understands the referent of the pronoun (“it”) to be the “club/scepter” of the preceding line.
[14:6] 62 tn Heb “it was striking down nations in fury [with] a blow without ceasing.” The participle (“striking down”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
[14:6] 63 tn Heb “it was ruling in anger nations [with] oppression without restraint.” The participle (“ruling”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
[14:8] 64 tn Heb “concerning you.”
[14:8] 65 tn The word “singing” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Note that the personified trees speak in the second half of the verse.
[14:8] 66 tn Heb “lay down” (in death); cf. NAB “laid to rest.”
[14:8] 67 tn Heb “the [wood]cutter does not come up against us.”
[14:9] 68 sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.
[14:9] 69 tn Heb “arousing.” The form is probably a Polel infinitive absolute, rather than a third masculine singular perfect, for Sheol is grammatically feminine (note “stirred up”). See GKC 466 §145.t.
[14:9] 70 tn Heb “all the rams of the earth.” The animal epithet is used metaphorically here for leaders. See HALOT 903 s.v. *עַתּוּד.
[14:9] 71 tn Heb “lifting from their thrones all the kings of the nations.” הֵקִים (heqim, a Hiphil perfect third masculine singular) should be emended to an infinitive absolute (הָקֵים, haqem). See the note on “rouses” earlier in the verse.
[14:11] 72 tn Or “pride” (NCV, CEV); KJV, NIV, NRSV “pomp.”
[14:11] 73 tn Or “harps” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[14:11] 74 tn Heb “under you maggots are spread out, and worms are your cover.”
[14:12] 75 tn The Hebrew text has הֵילֵל בֶּן־שָׁחַר (helel ben-shakhar, “Helel son of Shachar”), which is probably a name for the morning star (Venus) or the crescent moon. See HALOT 245 s.v. הֵילֵל.
[14:12] 76 tn Some understand the verb to from חָלַשׁ (khalash, “to weaken”), but HALOT 324 s.v. II חלשׁ proposes a homonym here, meaning “to defeat.”
[14:12] 77 sn In this line the taunting kings hint at the literal identity of the king, after likening him to the god Helel and a tree. The verb גָדַע (gada’, “cut down”) is used of chopping down trees in 9:10 and 10:33.
[14:13] 78 tn Heb “you, you said in your heart.”
[14:13] 79 sn In Canaanite mythology the stars of El were astral deities under the authority of the high god El.
[14:13] 80 sn Zaphon, the Canaanite version of Olympus, was the “mountain of assembly” where the gods met.
[14:14] 81 tn Heb “the high places.” This word often refers to the high places where pagan worship was conducted, but here it probably refers to the “backs” or tops of the clouds. See HALOT 136 s.v. בָּמָה.
[14:14] 82 sn Normally in the OT the title “Most High” belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El.
[14:15] 83 tn The prefixed verb form is taken as a preterite. Note the use of perfects in v. 12 to describe the king’s downfall.
[14:15] 84 tn The Hebrew term בּוּר (bor, “cistern”) is sometimes used metaphorically to refer to the place of the dead or the entrance to the underworld.
[14:16] 85 tn The word “thinking” is supplied in the translation in order to make it clear that the next line records their thoughts as they gaze at him.
[14:17] 86 tc The pronominal suffix is masculine, even though its antecedent appears to be the grammatically feminine noun “world.” Some have suggested that the form עָרָיו (’arayv, plural noun with third masculine singular suffix) should be emended to עָרֶיהָ (’areha, plural noun with third feminine singular suffix). This emendation may be unnecessary in light of other examples of lack of agreement a suffix and its antecedent noun.
[14:17] 87 tn Heb “and his prisoners did not let loose to [their] homes.” This really means, “he did not let loose his prisoners and send them back to their homes.’ On the elliptical style, see GKC 366 §117.o.
[14:18] 88 sn It is unclear where the quotation of the kings, begun in v. 10b, ends. However, the reference to the “kings of the nations” in v. 18 (see also v. 9) seems to indicate that the quotation has ended at this point and that Israel’s direct taunt (cf. vv. 4b-10a) has resumed. In fact the references to the “kings of the nations” may form a stylistic inclusio or frame around the quotation.
[14:18] 89 tc The phrase “all of them” does not appear in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa.
[14:18] 90 sn This refers to the typically extravagant burial of kings.
[14:18] 91 tn Heb “house” (so KJV, ASV), but in this context a tomb is in view. Note the verb “lie down” in the preceding line and the reference to a “grave” in the next line.
[14:19] 92 tn Heb “like a shoot that is abhorred.” The simile seems a bit odd; apparently it refers to a small shoot that is trimmed from a plant and tossed away. Some prefer to emend נֵצֶר (netser, “shoot”); some propose נֵפֶל (nefel, “miscarriage”). In this case one might paraphrase: “like a horrible-looking fetus that is delivered when a woman miscarries.”
[14:19] 93 tn Heb “are clothed with.”
[14:19] 94 tn Heb “those going down to.”
[14:19] 95 tn בּוֹר (bor) literally means “cistern”; cisterns were constructed from stones. On the metaphorical use of “cistern” for the underworld, see the note at v. 15.
[14:19] 96 tn Heb “like a trampled corpse.” Some take this line with what follows.
[14:20] 97 tn Heb “you will not be united with them in burial” (so NASB).
[14:21] 98 tn Or “the place of slaughter for.”
[14:21] 99 tn Heb “for the sin of their fathers.”
[14:21] 100 sn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:320, n. 10) suggests that the garrison cities of the mighty empire are in view here.
[14:22] 101 tn Heb “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant” (ASV, NAB, and NRSV all similar).
[14:22] 102 tn Heb “descendant and child.”
[14:23] 103 tn Heb “I will make her into a possession of wild animals.” It is uncertain what type of animal קִפֹּד (qippod) refers to. Some suggest a rodent (cf. NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”), others an owl (cf, NAB, NIV, TEV).
[14:23] 104 tn Heb “I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”
[14:24] 105 sn Having announced the downfall of the Chaldean empire, the Lord appends to this prophecy a solemn reminder that the Assyrians, the major Mesopotamian power of Isaiah’s day, would be annihilated, foreshadowing what would subsequently happen to Babylon and the other hostile nations.
[14:25] 106 tn Heb “to break Assyria.”
[14:25] 107 tn Heb “him.” This is a collective singular referring to the nation, or a reference to the king of Assyria who by metonymy stands for the entire nation.
[14:25] 108 tn Heb “and his [i.e., Assyria’s] yoke will be removed from them [the people?], and his [Assyria’s] burden from his [the nation’s?] shoulder will be removed.” There are no antecedents in this oracle for the suffixes in the phrases “from them” and “from his shoulder.” Since the Lord’s land and hills are referred to in the preceding line and the statement seems to echo 10:27, it is likely that God’s people are the referents of the suffixes; the translation uses “my people” to indicate this.
[14:26] 109 tn Heb “and this is the hand that is outstretched over all the nations.”
[14:27] 110 tn Or “For” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[14:27] 111 tn Heb “His hand is outstretched and who will turn it back?”
[14:28] 112 sn Perhaps 715
[14:28] 113 tn Heb “this oracle came.”
[14:29] 114 sn The identity of this “club” (also referred to as a “serpent” in the next line) is uncertain. It may refer to an Assyrian king, or to Ahaz. For discussion see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:331-32. The viper/adder referred to in the second half of the verse is his successor.
[14:29] 115 tn Heb “flying burning one.” The designation “burning one” may allude to the serpent’s appearance or the effect of its poisonous bite. (See the note at 6:2.) The qualifier “flying” probably refers to the serpent’s quick, darting movements, though one might propose a homonym here, meaning “biting.” (See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:332, n. 18.) Some might think in terms of a mythological flying, fire breathing dragon (cf. NAB “a flying saraph”; CEV “a flying fiery dragon”), but this proposal does not make good sense in 30:6, where the phrase “flying burning one” appears again in a list of desert animals.
[14:30] 116 tc The Hebrew text has, “the firstborn of the poor will graze.” “Firstborn” may be used here in an idiomatic sense to indicate the very poorest of the poor. See BDB 114 s.v. בְּכוֹר. The translation above assumes an emendation of בְּכוֹרֵי (bÿkhorey, “firstborn of”) to בְּכָרַי (bekharay, “in my pastures”).
[14:30] 117 tn Heb “your remnant” (so NAB, NRSV).
[14:31] 118 tn Or “despair” (see HALOT 555 s.v. מוג). The form נָמוֹג (namog) should be taken here as an infinitive absolute functioning as an imperative. See GKC 199-200 §72.v.
[14:31] 119 tn Heb “and there is no one going alone in his appointed places.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. בּוֹדֵד (boded) appears to be a participle from בָּדַד (badad, “be separate”; see BDB 94 s.v. בָּדַד). מוֹעָד (mo’ad) may mean “assembly” or, by extension, “multitude” (see HALOT 558 s.v. *מוֹעָד), but the referent of the third masculine pronominal suffix attached to the noun is unclear. It probably refers to the “nation” mentioned in the next line.
[14:32] 120 sn The question forces the Philistines to consider the dilemma they will face – surrender and oppression, or battle and death.
[15:2] 122 tn Heb “even Dibon [to] the high places to weep.” The verb “went up” does double duty in the parallel structure.
[15:2] 123 tn Heb “over [or “for”] Nebo and over [or “for”] Medeba.”
[15:2] 124 sn Shaving the head and beard were outward signs of mourning and grief.
[15:4] 125 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[15:4] 126 tc The Hebrew text has, “For this reason the soldiers of Moab shout, his inner being quivers for him.” To achieve tighter parallelism, some emend the first line, changing חֲלֻצֵי (khalutse, “soldiers”) to חַלְצֵי (khaltse, “loins”) and יָרִיעוּ (yari’u, “they shout,” from רוּעַ, rua’) to יָרְעוּ (yor’u, “they quiver”), a verb from יָרַע (yara’), which also appears in the next line. One can then translate v. 4b as “For this reason the insides of the Moabites quiver, their whole body shakes” (cf. NAB, NRSV).
[15:5] 127 tn Heb “for Moab.” For rhetorical purposes the speaker (the Lord?, see v. 9) plays the role of a mourner.
[15:5] 128 tn The vocalization of the Hebrew text suggests “the bars of her gates,” but the form should be repointed to yield, “her fugitives.” See HALOT 156-57 s.v. בָּרִחַ, and BDB 138 s.v. בָּרִיהַ.
[15:5] 129 tn The words “are stretched out” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:5] 130 tn Heb “For the ascent of Luhith, with weeping they go up it; for [on] the road to Horonaim an outcry over shattering they raise up.”
[15:6] 131 tn Heb “are waste places”; cf. NRSV “are a desolation.”
[15:8] 132 tn Heb “to Eglaim [is] her wailing, and [to] Beer Elim [is] her wailing.”
[15:9] 133 tc The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads “Dibon” instead of “Dimon” in this verse.
[15:9] 134 tn Heb “Indeed I will place on Dimon added things.” Apparently the Lord is speaking.
[15:9] 135 tn The words “will attack” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[16:1] 136 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “Send [a plural imperatival form is used] a ram [to] the ruler of the land.” The term כַּר (kar, “ram”) should be emended to the plural כָּרִים (karim). The singular form in the text is probably the result of haplography; note that the next word begins with a mem (מ).
[16:1] 137 tn The Hebrew text has “toward [across?] the desert.”
[16:2] 138 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[16:2] 139 tn Heb “like a bird fleeing, thrust away [from] a nest, the daughters of Moab are [at] the fords of Arnon.”
[16:3] 140 sn It is unclear who is being addressed in this verse. Perhaps the prophet, playing the role of a panic stricken Moabite refugee, requests the leaders of Judah (the imperatives are plural) to take pity on the fugitives.
[16:3] 141 tn Heb “Make your shade like night in the midst of noonday.” “Shade” here symbolizes shelter, while the heat of noonday represents the intense suffering of the Moabites. By comparing the desired shade to night, the speaker visualizes a huge dark shadow cast by a large tree that would provide relief from the sun’s heat.
[16:3] 142 tn Heb “disclose, uncover.”
[16:4] 143 tn That is, “live as resident foreigners.”
[16:4] 144 tn Heb “Be a hiding place for them.”
[16:4] 145 tn The present translation understands כִּי (ki) as asseverative, but one could take it as explanatory (“for,” KJV, NASB) or temporal (“when,” NAB, NRSV). In the latter case, v. 4b would be logically connected to v. 5.
[16:4] 146 tn A perfect verbal form is used here and in the next two lines for rhetorical effect; the demise of the oppressor(s) is described as if it had already occurred.
[16:4] 147 tc The Hebrew text has, “they will be finished, the one who tramples, from the earth.” The plural verb form תַּמּוּ, (tammu, “disappear”) could be emended to agree with the singular subject רֹמֵס (romes, “the one who tramples”) or the participle can be emended to a plural (רֹמֵסִם, romesim) to agree with the verb. The translation assumes the latter. Haplography of mem (ם) seems likely; note that the word after רֹמֵס begins with a mem.
[16:5] 148 tn Heb “and a throne will be established in faithfulness, and he will sit on it in reliability, in the tent of David.”
[16:5] 149 tn Heb “one who judges and seeks justice, and one experienced in fairness.” Many understand מְהִר (mÿhir) to mean “quick, prompt” (see BDB 555 s.v. מָהִיר), but HALOT 552 s.v. מָהִיר offers the meaning “skillful, experienced,” and translates the phrase in v. 5 “zealous for what is right.”
[16:6] 150 tn עֶבְרָה (’evrah) often means “anger, fury,” but here it appears to refer to boastful outbursts or excessive claims. See HALOT 782 s.v. עֶבְרָה.
[16:6] 151 tn Heb “not so his boasting.”
[16:7] 152 tn Heb “So Moab wails for Moab.”
[16:7] 153 tn The Hebrew text has, “for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth you [masculine plural] moan, surely destroyed.” The “raisin cakes” could have cultic significance (see Hos 3:1), but the next verse focuses on agricultural disaster, so here the raisin cakes are mentioned as an example of the fine foods that are no longer available (see 2 Sam 6:19; Song 2:5) because the vines have been destroyed by the invader (see v. 8). Some prefer to take אֲשִׁישֵׁי (’ashishe, “raisin cakes of”) as “men of” (see HALOT 95 s.v. *אָשִׁישׁ; cf. NIV). The verb form תֶהְגּוּ (tehgu, “you moan”) is probably the result of dittography (note that the preceding word ends in tav [ת]) and should be emended to הגו (a perfect, third plural form), “they moan.”
[16:9] 154 tn Heb “So I weep with the weeping of Jazer.” Once more the speaker (the Lord? – see v. 10b) plays the role of a mourner (see 15:5).
[16:9] 155 tc The form אֲרַיָּוֶךְ (’arayyavekh) should be emended to אֲרַוָּיֶךְ (’aravvayekh; the vav [ו] and yod [י] have been accidentally transposed) from רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated”).
[16:9] 156 tn Heb “for over your fruit and over your harvest shouting has fallen.” The translation assumes that the shouting is that of the conqueror (Jer 51:14). Another possibility is that the shouting is that of the harvesters (see v. 10b, as well as Jer 25:30), in which case one might translate, “for the joyful shouting over the fruit and crops has fallen silent.”
[16:10] 157 tn Heb “wine in the vats the treader does not tread.”
[16:10] 158 sn The Lord appears to be the speaker here. See 15:9.
[16:11] 159 tn Heb “so my intestines sigh for Moab like a harp.” The word מֵעַי (me’ay, “intestines”) is used here of the seat of the emotions. English idiom requires the word “heart.” The point of the comparison to a harp is not entirely clear. Perhaps his sighs of mourning resemble a harp in sound, or his constant sighing is like the repetitive strumming of a harp.
[16:11] 160 tn The verb is supplied in the translation; “sighs” in the preceding line does double duty in the parallel structure.
[16:11] 161 tn Heb “Kir Heres” (so ASV, NRSV, TEV, CEV), a variant name for “Kir Hareseth” (see v. 7).
[16:12] 162 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[16:12] 163 tn Heb “when he appears, when he grows tired, Moab on the high places, and enters his temple to pray, he will not prevail.” It is possible that “when he grows tired” is an explanatory gloss for the preceding “when he appears.”
[16:14] 164 tn Heb “in three years, like the years of a hired worker.” The three years must be reckoned exactly, just as a hired worker would carefully keep track of the time he had agreed to work for an employer in exchange for a predetermined wage.
[16:14] 165 tn Heb “and the splendor of Moab will be disgraced with all the great multitude, and a small little remnant will not be strong.”
[17:2] 166 tn Three cities are known by this name in the OT: (1) an Aroer located near the Arnon, (2) an Aroer in Ammon, and (3) an Aroer of Judah. (See BDB 792-93 s.v. עֲרֹעֵר, and HALOT 883 s.v. II עֲרוֹעֵר.) There is no mention of an Aroer in Syrian territory. For this reason some want to emend the text here to עֲזֻבוֹת עָרַיהָ עֲדֵי עַד (’azuvot ’arayha ’adey ’ad, “her cities are permanently abandoned”). However, Aroer near the Arnon was taken by Israel and later conquered by the Syrians. (See Josh 12:2; 13:9, 16; Judg 11:26; 2 Kgs 10:33). This oracle pertains to Israel as well as Syria (note v. 3), so it is possible that this is a reference to Israelite and/or Syrian losses in Transjordan.
[17:2] 167 tn Heb “and they lie down and there is no one scaring [them].”
[17:3] 168 tn Heb “and kingship from Damascus”; cf. NASB “And sovereignty from Damascus.”
[17:4] 169 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[17:4] 170 tn Heb “will be tiny.”
[17:4] 171 tn Heb “and the fatness of his flesh will be made lean.”
[17:7] 172 tn Heb “in that day” (so ASV, NASB, NIV); KJV “At that day.”
[17:7] 173 tn Heb “man will gaze toward his maker.”
[17:7] 174 tn Heb “his eyes will look toward.”
[17:7] 175 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[17:8] 176 tn Heb “he will not gaze toward.”
[17:8] 177 tn Heb “and that which his fingers made he will not see, the Asherah poles and the incense altars.”
[17:9] 178 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
[17:9] 179 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “like the abandonment of the wooded height and the top one.” The following relative clause appears to allude back to the Israelite conquest of the land, so it seems preferable to emend הַחֹרֶשׁ וְהָאָמִיר (hakhoresh vÿha’amir, “the wooded height and the top one”) to חֹרֵשֵׁי הָאֱמֹרִי (khoreshe ha’emori, “[like the abandonment] of the wooded heights of the Amorites”).
[17:10] 180 tn Heb “you have forgotten” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[17:10] 181 tn Heb “and the rocky cliff of your strength you do not remember.”
[17:10] 182 tn Heb “a vine, a strange one.” The substantival adjective זָר (zar) functions here as an appositional genitive. It could refer to a cultic plant of some type, associated with a pagan rite. But it is more likely that it refers to an exotic, or imported, type of vine, one that is foreign (i.e., “strange”) to Israel.
[17:11] 183 tn Heb “in the day of your planting you [?].” The precise meaning of the verb תְּשַׂגְשֵׂגִי (tÿsagsegi) is unclear. It is sometimes derived from שׂוּג/סוּג (sug, “to fence in”; see BDB 691 s.v. II סוּג). In this case one could translate “you build a protective fence.” However, the parallelism is tighter if one derives the form from שָׂגָא/שָׂגָה (saga’/sagah, “to grow”); see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:351, n. 4. For this verb, see BDB 960 s.v. שָׂגָא.
[17:11] 184 tc The Hebrew text has, “a heap of harvest.” However, better sense is achieved if נֵד (ned, “heap”) is emended to a verb. Options include נַד (nad, Qal perfect third masculine singular from נָדַד [nadad, “flee, depart”]), נָדַד (Qal perfect third masculine singular from נָדַד), נֹדֵד (noded, Qal active participle from נָדַד), and נָד (nad, Qal perfect third masculine singular, or participle masculine singular, from נוּד [nud, “wander, flutter”]). See BDB 626 s.v. נוּד and HALOT 672 s.v. I נדד. One could translate literally: “[the harvest] departs,” or “[the harvest] flies away.”
[17:12] 185 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] 186 tn Heb “like the loud noise of the seas, they make a loud noise.”
[17:12] 187 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] 188 tn Heb “like the uproar of mighty waters they are in an uproar.”
[17:13] 189 tn Heb “the peoples are in an uproar like the uproar of mighty waters.”
[17:13] 190 tn Or “rebukes.” The verb and related noun are used in theophanies of God’s battle cry which terrifies his enemies. See, for example, Pss 18:15; 76:7; 106:9; Isa 50:2; Nah 1:4, and A. Caquot, TDOT 3:49-53.
[17:13] 191 tn Or perhaps “tumbleweed” (NAB, NIV, CEV); KJV “like a rolling thing.”
[17:14] 192 tn Heb “at the time of evening, look, sudden terror.”
[17:14] 193 tn Heb “before morning he is not.”
[17:14] 194 tn Heb “this is the portion of those who plunder us, and the lot of those who loot us.”
[18:1] 195 tn Heb “Woe [to] the land of buzzing wings.” On הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) see the note on the first phrase of 1:4.
[18:2] 196 tn The precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. מְמֻשָּׁךְ (mÿmushakh) appears to be a Pual participle from the verb מָשַׁךְ (mashakh, “to draw, extend”). Lexicographers theorize that it here refers to people who “stretch out,” as it were, or are tall. See BDB 604 s.v. מָשַׁךְ, and HALOT 645-46 s.v. משׁךְ. מוֹרָט (morat) is taken as a Pual participle from מָרַט (marat), which can mean “to pull out [hair],” in the Qal, “become bald” in the Niphal, and “be wiped clean” in the Pual. Lexicographers theorize that the word here refers to people with bare, or smooth, skin. See BDB 598-99 s.v. מָרַט, and HALOT 634-35 s.v. מרט. These proposed meanings, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.
[18:2] 197 tn Heb “from it and onwards.” HALOT 245 s.v. הָלְאָה suggests the translation “far and wide.”
[18:2] 198 tn Once more the precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. The expression קַו־קָו (qav-qav) is sometimes related to a proposed Arabic cognate and taken to mean “strength” (see BDB 876 II קַו). Others, on the basis of Isa 28:10, 13, understand the form as gibberish (literally, “kav, kav”) and take it to be a reference to this nation’s strange, unknown language. The form מְבוּסָה (mÿvusah) appears to be derived from בּוּס (bus, “to trample”), so lexicographers suggest the meaning “trampling” or “subjugation,” i.e., a nation that subdues others. See BDB 101 s.v. בּוּס and HALOT 541 s.v. מְבוּסָה. These proposals, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.
[18:2] 199 tn The precise meaning of the verb בָּזָא (baza’), which occurs only in this oracle (see also v. 7) in the OT, is uncertain. BDB 102 s.v. suggests “divide” on the basis of alleged Aramaic and Arabic cognates; HALOT 117 s.v., citing an alleged Arabic cognate, suggests “wash away.”
[18:4] 200 tn Or “be quiet, inactive”; NIV “will remain quiet.”
[18:4] 201 tn Heb “like the glowing heat because of light.” The precise meaning of the line is uncertain.
[18:4] 202 tn Heb “a cloud of dew,” or “a cloud of light rain.”
[18:4] 203 tc Some medieval Hebrew
[18:4] 204 sn It is unclear how the comparisons in v. 4b relate to the preceding statement. How is waiting and watching similar to heat or a cloud? For a discussion of interpretive options, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:362.
[18:5] 205 tn Heb “and the unripe, ripening fruit is maturing.”
[18:5] 206 tn On the meaning of זַלְזַל (zalzal, “shoot [of the vine] without fruit buds”) see HALOT 272 s.v. *זַלְזַל.
[18:5] 207 tn Heb “the tendrils he will remove, he will cut off.”
[18:6] 208 tn Heb “they will be left together” (so NASB).
[18:6] 209 tn Heb “the beasts of the earth” (so KJV, NASB).
[18:7] 210 tn On the interpretive difficulties of this verse, see the notes at v. 2, where the same terminology is used.
[18:7] 211 tn The words “the tribute” are repeated here in the translation for clarity.
[18:7] 212 tn Heb “to the place of the name of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], Mount Zion.”
[19:1] 213 tn Heb “and the heart of Egypt melts within it.”
[19:2] 214 tn Heb I will provoke Egypt against Egypt” (NAB similar).
[19:2] 215 tn Heb “and they will fight, a man against his brother, and a man against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.” Civil strife will extend all the way from the domestic level to the provincial arena.
[19:3] 216 tn Heb “and the spirit of Egypt will be laid waste in its midst.”
[19:3] 217 tn The verb בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (bala’, “swallow”); see HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע.
[19:3] 218 tn Heb “they will inquire of the idols and of the spirits of the dead and of the ritual pits and of the magicians.” 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.
[19:4] 219 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[19:5] 220 tn Heb “will dry up and be dry.” Two synonyms are joined for emphasis.
[19:6] 221 tn Heb “rivers” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, CEV “streams”; TEV “channels.”
[19:6] 222 tn The verb form appears as a Hiphil in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa; the form in MT may be a so-called “mixed form,” reflecting the Hebrew Hiphil stem and the functionally corresponding Aramaic Aphel stem. See HALOT 276 s.v. I זנח.
[19:7] 223 tn Heb “the plants by the river, by the mouth of the river.”
[19:7] 224 tn Heb “will dry up, [being] scattered, and it will vanish.”
[19:8] 225 tn Or perhaps, “will disappear”; cf. TEV “will be useless.”
[19:9] 226 tn BDB 301 s.v. חוֹרִי suggests the meaning “white stuff” for חוֹרִי (khori); the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חָוֵרוּ (khaveru), probably a Qal perfect, third plural form of חוּר, (khur, “be white, pale”). See HALOT 299 s.v. I חור. The latter reading is assumed in the translation above.
[19:10] 227 tn Some interpret שָׁתֹתֶיהָ (shatoteha) as “her foundations,” i.e., leaders, nobles. See BDB 1011 s.v. שָׁת. Others, on the basis of alleged cognates in Akkadian and Coptic, repoint the form שְׁתִיתֶיהָ (shÿtiteha) and translate “her weavers.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:370.
[19:10] 228 tn Heb “crushed.” Emotional distress is the focus of the context (see vv. 8-9, 10b).
[19:10] 229 tn Heb “sad of soul”; cf. NIV, NLT “sick at heart.”
[19:11] 230 tn Or “certainly the officials of Zoan are fools.” אַךְ (’akh) can carry the sense, “only, nothing but,” or “certainly, surely.”
[19:11] 231 tn Heb “A son of wise men am I, a son of ancient kings.” The term בֶּן (ben, “son of”) could refer to literal descent, but many understand the word, at least in the first line, in its idiomatic sense of “member [of a guild].” See HALOT 138 s.v. בֶּן and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:371. If this is the case, then one can take the word in a figurative sense in the second line as well, the “son of ancient kings” being one devoted to their memory as preserved in their literature.
[19:12] 232 tn Heb “Where are they? Where are your wise men?” The juxtaposition of the interrogative pronouns is emphatic. See HALOT 38 s.v. אֶי.
[19:13] 233 tn Heb “Noph” (so KJV); most recent English versions substitute the more familiar “Memphis.”
[19:13] 234 tn Heb “the cornerstone.” The singular form should be emended to a plural.
[19:14] 235 tn Heb “the Lord has mixed into her midst a spirit of blindness.”
[19:14] 236 tn Heb “like the going astray of a drunkard in his vomit.”
[19:15] 237 tn Heb “And there will not be for Egypt a deed, which head and tail, shoot and stalk can do.” In 9:14-15 the phrase “head or tail” refers to leaders and prophets, respectively. This interpretation makes good sense in this context, where both leaders and advisers (probably including prophets and diviners) are mentioned (vv. 11-14). Here, as in 9:14, “shoots and stalk” picture a reed, which symbolizes the leadership of the nation in its entirety.
[19:16] 238 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of vv. 18 and 19.
[19:16] 239 tn Heb “Egypt,” which stands by metonymy for the country’s inhabitants.
[19:16] 240 sn As the rest of the verse indicates, the point of the simile is that the Egyptians will be relatively weak physically and will wilt in fear before the Lord’s onslaught.
[19:16] 241 tn Heb “and he will tremble and be afraid because of the brandishing of the hand of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], which he brandishes against him.” Since according to the imagery here the Lord’s “hand” is raised as a weapon against the Egyptians, the term “fist” has been used in the translation.
[19:17] 242 tn Heb “and the land of Judah will become [a source of] shame to Egypt, everyone to whom one mentions it [i.e., the land of Judah] will fear because of the plan of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] which he is planning against him.”
[19:18] 243 sn The significance of the number “five” in this context is uncertain. For a discussion of various proposals, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:376-77.
[19:18] 244 tc The Hebrew text has עִיר הַהֶרֶס (’ir haheres, “City of Destruction”; cf. NASB, NIV) but this does not fit the positive emphasis of vv. 18-22. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and some medieval Hebrew
[19:19] 245 tn This word is sometimes used of a sacred pillar associated with pagan worship, but here it is associated with the worship of the Lord.
[19:20] 246 tn The masculine noun מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbbeakh, “altar”) in v. 19 is probably the subject of the masculine singular verb הָיָה (hayah) rather than the feminine noun מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “sacred pillar”), also in v. 19.
[19:20] 247 tn Heb “a sign and a witness to the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] in the land of Egypt.”
[19:20] 248 tn רָב (rav) is a substantival participle (from רִיב, riv) meaning “one who strives, contends.”
[19:21] 249 tn Heb “Egypt.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, the present translation uses the pronoun (“they”) here.
[19:21] 250 tn Heb “will know the Lord.”
[19:21] 251 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of vv. 23 and 24.
[19:22] 252 tn Heb “he will be entreated.” The Niphal has a tolerative sense here, “he will allow himself to be entreated.”
[19:23] 253 tn The text could be translated, “and Egypt will serve Assyria” (cf. NAB), but subjugation of one nation to the other does not seem to be a theme in vv. 23-25. Rather the nations are viewed as equals before the Lord (v. 25). Therefore it is better to take אֶת (’et) in v. 23b as a preposition, “together with,” rather than the accusative sign. The names of the two countries are understood to refer by metonymy to their respective inhabitants.
[19:24] 254 tn Heb “will be a blessing” (so NCV).
[19:24] 255 tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB).
[19:25] 256 tn Heb “which the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] will bless [it], saying.” The third masculine singular suffix on the form בֵּרֲכוֹ (berakho) should probably be emended to a third feminine singular suffix בֵּרֲכָהּ (berakhah), for its antecedent would appear to be the feminine noun אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) at the end of v. 24.
[19:25] 257 tn Or “my inheritance” (NAB, NASB, NIV).
[20:1] 258 tn Heb “In the year the commanding general came to Ashdod, when Sargon king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and captured it.”
[20:2] 259 tn Heb “spoke by the hand of.”
[20:2] 260 tn The word used here (עָרוֹם, ’arom) sometimes means “naked,” but here it appears to mean simply “lightly dressed,” i.e., stripped to one’s undergarments. See HALOT 883 s.v. עָרוֹם. The term also occurs in vv. 3, 4.
[20:4] 261 tn Heb “lightly dressed and barefoot, and bare with respect to the buttocks, the nakedness of Egypt.”
[20:5] 262 tn Heb “and they will be afraid and embarrassed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their beauty.”
[20:6] 263 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
[20:6] 264 sn This probably refers to the coastal region of Philistia (cf. TEV).
[21:1] 265 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] 266 tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
[21:2] 267 tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
[21:2] 268 sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
[21:3] 269 tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
[21:3] 270 tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”
[21:4] 271 tn Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”
[21:4] 272 tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
[21:5] 273 tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”).
[21:5] 274 tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
[21:5] 275 sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.
[21:6] 276 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[21:7] 277 tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”
[21:8] 278 tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (’aryeh, “lion”) is probably a corruption of an original הָרֹאֶה (haro’eh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6.
[21:8] 279 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. NIV, NLT).
[21:9] 280 tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
[21:9] 281 tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
[21:10] 282 tn Heb “My trampled one, and the son of the threshing floor.”
[21:11] 283 tn The noun דּוּמָה (dumah) means “silence,” but here it is a proper name, probably referring to a site in northern Arabia or to the nation of Edom. See BDB 189 s.v. II דּוּמָה. If Dumah was an area in northern Arabia, it would be of interest to the Edomites because of its strategic position on trade routes which they used. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:398.
[21:11] 284 sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.
[21:11] 285 sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.
[21:12] 286 sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.
[21:12] 287 sn The point of the watchman’s final instructions (“if you want to ask, ask; come again”) is unclear. Perhaps they are included to add realism to the dramatic portrayal. The watchman sends the questioner away with the words, “Feel free to come back and ask again.”
[21:16] 288 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[21:16] 289 tn Heb “in still a year, like the years of a hired worker.” See the note at 16:14.
[21:17] 290 tn Heb “and the remnant of the number of the bow, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few.”
[21:17] 291 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[22:1] 292 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] 293 tn Heb “What to you, then?”
[22:2] 294 tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.
[22:2] 295 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] 296 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] 297 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] 298 tn Heb “apart from [i.e., without] a bow they were captured”; cf. NAB, NRSV “without the use of a bow.”
[22:4] 299 tn Heb “look away from me” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).
[22:4] 300 tn Heb “don’t hurry” (so NCV).
[22:4] 301 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] 302 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 12, 14, 15 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[22:5] 303 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] 304 tn The traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests that this phrase goes with what precedes.
[22:5] 305 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] 306 sn Perhaps “the hill” refers to the temple mount.
[22:6] 307 tn Heb “[with] the chariots of men, horsemen.”
[22:6] 308 sn A distant region in the direction of Mesopotamia; see Amos 1:5; 9:7.
[22:6] 309 tn Heb “Kir uncovers” (so NAB, NIV).
[22:6] 310 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] 311 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] 312 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.”
[22:8] 313 tn Heb “he,” i.e., the enemy invader. NASB, by its capitalization of the pronoun, takes this to refer to the Lord.
[22:8] 315 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of v. 12.
[22:8] 316 sn Perhaps this refers to a royal armory, or to Solomon’s “House of the Forest of Lebanon,” where weapons may have been kept (see 1 Kgs 10:16-17).
[22:9] 317 tn Heb “the breaks of the city of David, you saw that they were many.”
[22:10] 318 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[22:10] 319 tn Heb “you demolished the houses to fortify the wall.”
[22:11] 320 tn Heb “look at”; NAB, NRSV “did not look to.”
[22:11] 321 tn The antecedent of the third feminine singular suffix here and in the next line is unclear. The closest feminine noun is “pool” in the first half of the verse. Perhaps this “old pool” symbolizes the entire city, which had prospered because of God’s provision and protection through the years.
[22:11] 322 tn Heb “did not see.”
[22:12] 323 tn Heb “for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.” See the note at 15:2.
[22:13] 324 tn Heb “happiness and joy.”
[22:13] 325 tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.
[22:14] 326 tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
[22:14] 327 tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.
[22:15] 328 tn Heb “who is over the house” (so ASV); NASB “who is in charge of the royal household.”
[22:15] 329 tn The words “and tell him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[22:16] 330 tn Heb “What to you here? And who to you here?” The point of the second question is not entirely clear. The interpretation reflected in the translation is based on the following context, which suggests that Shebna has no right to think of himself so highly and arrange such an extravagant burial place for himself.
[22:16] 331 tn Heb “that you chisel out.”
[22:17] 332 tn Heb “will throw you with a throwing.”
[22:17] 333 tn Heb “O man” (so NASB); NAB “mortal man”; NRSV “my fellow.”
[22:17] 334 tn Heb “and the one who wraps you [will] wrap.”
[22:18] 335 tn Heb “and he will tightly [or “surely”] wind you [with] winding like a ball, to a land broad of hands [i.e., “sides”].”
[22:18] 336 tn Heb “and there the chariots of your splendor.”
[22:18] 337 sn Apparently the reference to chariots alludes to Shebna’s excessive pride, which in turn brings disgrace to the royal family.
[22:19] 338 tn Heb “I will push you away from.”
[22:19] 339 tn Heb “he will throw you down.” The shift from the first to third person is peculiar and abrupt, but certainly not unprecedented in Hebrew poetry. See GKC 462 §144.p. The third person may be indefinite (“one will throw you down”), in which case the passive translation is justified.
[22:20] 340 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.
[22:21] 341 tn Heb “and your dominion I will place in his hand.”
[22:21] 342 tn Heb “a father to.” The Hebrew term אָב (’av, “father”) is here used metaphorically of one who protects and supports those under his care and authority, like a father does his family. For another example of this metaphorical use of the word, see Job 29:16.
[22:22] 344 sn This may refer to a literal insignia worn by the chief administrator. Even so, it would still symbolize the administrator’s authority to grant or exclude access to the king. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:422.
[22:23] 345 sn The metaphor depicts how secure his position will be.
[22:23] 346 tn Heb “and he will become a glorious throne for the house of his father.”
[22:24] 347 tn Heb “and all the glory of the house of his father they will hang on him.” The Lord returns to the peg metaphor of v. 23a. Eliakim’s secure position of honor will bring benefits and jobs to many others in the family.
[22:24] 348 tn The precise meaning and derivation of this word are uncertain. Cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “the issue”; CEV “relatives.”
[22:24] 349 tn Heb “all the small vessels, from the vessels that are bowls to all the vessels that are jars.” The picture is that of a single peg holding the weight of all kinds of containers hung from it.
[22:25] 350 tn Or “In that day” (KJV).
[22:25] 351 sn Eliakim’s authority, though seemingly secure, will eventually be removed, and with it his family’s prominence.
[22:25] 352 tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[23:1] 353 tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
[23:1] 354 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for it is destroyed, from a house, from entering.” The translation assumes that the mem (מ) on בַּיִת (bayit) was originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. This assumption allows one to take בַּיִת as the subject of the preceding verb. It is used in a metaphorical sense for the port city of Tyre. The preposition min (מִן) prefixed to בּוֹא (bo’) indicates negative consequence: “so that no one can enter.” See BDB 583 s.v. מִן 7.b.
[23:1] 355 tn Heb “the Kittim,” a designation for the people of Cyprus. See HALOT 504-05 s.v. כִּתִּיִּים.
[23:2] 356 tn Or “keep quiet”; NAB “Silence!”
[23:2] 357 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[23:3] 358 tc The Hebrew text (23:2b-3a) reads literally, “merchant of Sidon, the one who crosses the sea, they filled you, and on the deep waters.” Instead of מִלְאוּךְ (mil’ukh, “they filled you”) the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads מלאכיך (“your messengers”). The translation assumes an emendation of מִלְאוּךְ to מַלְאָכָו (mal’akhav, “his messengers”), taking the vav (ו) on וּבְמַיִם (uvÿmayim) as improperly placed; instead it should be the final letter of the preceding word.
[23:3] 359 tn Heb “seed of Shihor.” “Shihor” probably refers to the east branch of the Nile. See Jer 2:18 and BDB 1009 s.v. שִׁיחוֹר.
[23:3] 360 tn Heb “the harvest of the Nile.”
[23:3] 361 tn Heb “[is] her revenue.”
[23:3] 362 tn Heb “merchandise”; KJV, ASV “a mart of nations”; NLT “the merchandise mart of the world.”
[23:4] 363 tn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:430-31) sees here a reference to Yam, the Canaanite god of the sea. He interprets the phrase מָעוֹז הַיָּם (ma’oz hayyam, “fortress of the sea”) as a title of Yam, translating “Mighty One of the Sea.” A more traditional view is that the phrase refers to Sidon.
[23:4] 364 tn Or “virgins” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB).
[23:5] 365 tn Heb “they will be in pain at the report of Tyre.”
[23:7] 366 tn Heb “Is this to you, boisterous one?” The pronoun “you” is masculine plural, like the imperatives in v. 6, so it is likely addressed to the Egyptians and residents of the coast. “Boisterous one” is a feminine singular form, probably referring to the personified city of Tyre.
[23:7] 367 tn Heb “in the days of antiquity [is] her beginning.”
[23:8] 368 tn The precise meaning of הַמַּעֲטִירָה (hamma’atirah) is uncertain. The form is a Hiphil participle from עָטַר (’atar), a denominative verb derived from עֲטָרָה (’atarah, “crown, wreath”). The participle may mean “one who wears a crown” or “one who distributes crowns.” In either case, Tyre’s prominence in the international political arena is in view.
[23:8] 369 tn Heb “the honored” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “renowned.”
[23:9] 370 tn Heb “the pride of all the beauty.”
[23:10] 371 tc This meaning of this verse is unclear. The Hebrew text reads literally, “Cross over your land, like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish, there is no more waistband.” The translation assumes an emendation of מֵזַח (mezakh, “waistband”) to מָחֹז (makhoz, “harbor, marketplace”; see Ps 107:30). The term עָבַר (’avar, “cross over”) is probably used here of traveling over the water (as in v. 6). The command is addressed to personified Tarshish, who here represents her merchants. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has עבדי (“work, cultivate”) instead of עִבְרִי (’ivri, “cross over”). In this case one might translate “Cultivate your land, like they do the Nile region” (cf. NIV, CEV). The point would be that the people of Tarshish should turn to agriculture because they will no longer be able to get what they need through the marketplace in Tyre.
[23:11] 372 tn Heb “his hand he stretched out over the sea.”
[23:11] 373 tn Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.
[23:11] 374 tn Heb “concerning Canaan, to destroy her fortresses.” NIV, NLT translate “Canaan” as “Phoenicia” here.
[23:12] 375 tn Or “violated, raped,” the point being that Daughter Sidon has lost her virginity in the most brutal manner possible.
[23:12] 376 tn Heb “[to the] Kittim, get up, cross over; even there there will be no rest for you.” On “Kittim” see the note on “Cyprus” at v. 1.
[23:13] 377 tn Heb “this people [that] is not.”
[23:13] 378 tn For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 118 s.v. *בַּחוּן.
[23:13] 379 tn Or “laid bare.” For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 889 s.v. ערר.
[23:13] 380 sn This verse probably refers to the Assyrian destruction of Babylon.
[23:14] 381 tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” See the note at v. 1.
[23:15] 382 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.
[23:15] 383 sn The number seventy is probably used in a stereotypical, nonliteral sense here to indicate a long period of time that satisfies completely the demands of God’s judgment.
[23:15] 384 tn Heb “like the days of a king.”
[23:15] 385 tn Heb “At the end of seventy years it will be for Tyre like the song of the prostitute.”
[23:16] 386 tn Heb “so you will be remembered.”
[23:17] 387 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[23:17] 388 tn Heb “visit [with favor]” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “will deal with.”
[23:17] 389 tn Heb “and she will return to her [prostitute’s] wages and engage in prostitution with all the kingdoms of the earth on the face of the earth.”
[23:18] 390 tn Heb “for eating to fullness and for beautiful covering[s].”
[24:2] 391 tn Heb “and it will be like the people, like the priest.”
[24:2] 392 tn Heb “like the servant, like his master.”
[24:2] 393 tn Heb “like the female servant, like her mistress.”
[24:2] 394 tn Heb “like the buyer, like the seller.”
[24:2] 395 tn Heb “like the lender, like the borrower.”
[24:2] 396 tn Heb “like the creditor, just as the one to whom he lends.”
[24:3] 397 tn Heb “for the Lord has spoken this word.”
[24:4] 398 tn Some prefer to read “land” here, but the word pair אֶרֶץ/תֵּבֵל (erets/tevel [see the corresponding term in the parallel line]) elsewhere clearly designates the earth/world (see 1 Sam 2:8; 1 Chr 16:30; Job 37;12; Pss 19:4; 24:1; 33:8; 89:11; 90:2; 96:13; 98:9; Prov 8:26, 31; Isa 14:16-17; 34:1; Jer 10:12; 51:15; Lam 4:12). According to L. Stadelmann, תבל designates “the habitable part of the world” (The Hebrew Conception of the World [AnBib], 130).
[24:4] 399 tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists the homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism.
[24:4] 400 tn Heb “the height of the people of the earth.” The translation assumes an emendation of the singular form מְרוֹם (mÿrom, “height of”) to the plural construct מְרֹמֵי (mÿrome, “high ones of”; note the plural verb at the beginning of the line), and understands the latter as referring to the prominent people of human society.
[24:5] 401 tn Heb “beneath”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “under”; NAB “because of.”
[24:5] 402 sn Isa 26:21 suggests that the earth’s inhabitants defiled the earth by shedding the blood of their fellow human beings. See also Num 35:33-34, which assumes that bloodshed defiles a land.
[24:5] 403 tn Heb “moved past [the?] regulation.”
[24:5] 404 tn Or “everlasting covenant” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the ancient covenant”; CEV “their agreement that was to last forever.”
[24:6] 405 sn Ancient Near Eastern treaties often had “curses,” or threatened judgments, attached to them. (See Deut 28 for a biblical example of such curses.) The party or parties taking an oath of allegiance acknowledged that disobedience would activate these curses, which typically threatened loss of agricultural fertility as depicted in the following verses.
[24:6] 406 tn The verb אָשַׁם (’asham, “be guilty”) is here used metonymically to mean “pay, suffer for one’s guilt” (see HALOT 95 s.v. אשׁם).
[24:6] 407 tn BDB 359 s.v. חָרַר derives the verb חָרוּ (kharu) from חָרַר (kharar, “burn”), but HALOT 351 s.v. II חרה understands a hapax legomenon חָרָה (kharah, “to diminish in number,” a homonym of חָרָה) here, relating it to an alleged Arabic cognate meaning “to decrease.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חורו, perhaps understanding the root as חָוַר (khavar, “grow pale”; see Isa 29:22 and HALOT 299 s.v. I חור).
[24:6] 408 tn Heb “and mankind is left small [in number].”
[24:7] 409 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “all the joyful in heart,” but the context specifies the context as parties and drinking bouts.
[24:8] 410 tn Heb “the joy” (again later in this verse).
[24:9] 411 tn Heb “with a song they do not drink wine.”
[24:10] 412 tn Heb “the city of chaos” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Isaiah uses the term תֹּהוּ (tohu) rather frequently of things (like idols) that are empty and worthless (see BDB 1062 s.v.), so the word might characterize the city as rebellious or morally worthless. However, in this context, which focuses on the effects of divine judgment, it probably refers to the ruined or worthless condition in which the city is left (note the use of the word in Isa 34:11). For a discussion of the identity of this city, see R. Chisholm, “The ‘Everlasting Covenant’ and the ‘City of Chaos’: Intentional Ambiguity and Irony in Isaiah 24,” CTR 6 (1993): 237-53. In the context of universal judgment depicted in Isa 24, this city represents all the nations and cities of the world which, like Babylon of old and the powers/cities mentioned in chapters 13-23, rebel against God’s authority. Behind the stereotypical language one can detect various specific manifestations of this symbolic and paradigmatic city, including Babylon, Moab, and Jerusalem, all of which are alluded or referred to in chapters 24-27.
[24:10] 413 tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”
[24:11] 414 tn Heb “[there is] an outcry over the wine in the streets.”
[24:11] 415 tn Heb “all joy turns to evening,” the darkness of evening symbolizing distress and sorrow.
[24:11] 416 tn Heb “the joy of the earth disappears.”
[24:12] 417 tn Heb “and there is left in the city desolation.”
[24:12] 418 tn Heb “and [into] rubble the gate is crushed.”
[24:13] 419 tn Heb “in the midst of” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
[24:13] 420 sn The judgment will severely reduce the earth’s population. See v. 6.
[24:14] 421 sn The remnant of the nations (see v. 13) may be the unspecified subject. If so, then those who have survived the judgment begin to praise God.
[24:14] 422 tn Heb “they yell out concerning.”
[24:15] 423 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “in the lights,” interpreted by some to mean “in the region of light,” referring to the east. Some scholars have suggested the emendation of בָּאֻרִים (ba’urim) to בְּאִיֵּי הַיָּם (bÿ’iyyey hayyam, “along the seacoasts”), a phrase that is repeated in the next line. In this case, the two lines form synonymous parallelism. If one retains the MT reading (as above), “in the east” and “along the seacoasts” depict the two ends of the earth to refer to all the earth (as a merism).
[24:15] 424 tn The word “extol” is supplied in the translation; the verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.
[24:15] 425 tn Heb “name,” which here stands for God’s reputation achieved by his mighty deeds.
[24:16] 426 sn The identity of the subject is unclear. Apparently in vv. 15-16a an unidentified group responds to the praise they hear in the west by exhorting others to participate.
[24:16] 427 tn Heb “Beauty belongs to the just one.” These words may summarize the main theme of the songs mentioned in the preceding line.
[24:16] 428 sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.
[24:16] 429 tn Heb “and [with] deception deceivers deceive.”
[24:17] 430 tn Heb “[are] upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.” The first line of v. 17 provides another classic example of Hebrew wordplay. The names of the three instruments of judgment (פָח,פַחַת,פַּחַד [pakhad, fakhat, fakh]) all begin with the letters פח (peh-khet) and the first two end in dental consonants (ת/ד, tet/dalet). Once again the repetition of sound draws attention to the statement and contributes to the theme of the inescapability of judgment. As their similar-sounding names suggest, terror, pit, and snare are allies in destroying the objects of divine wrath.
[24:18] 431 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[24:18] 432 tn Heb “from the height”; KJV “from on high.”
[24:18] 433 sn The language reflects the account of the Noahic Flood (see Gen 7:11).
[24:19] 434 tn Once more repetition is used to draw attention to a statement. In the Hebrew text each lines ends with אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”). Each line also uses a Hitpolel verb form from a geminate root preceded by an emphatic infinitive absolute.
[24:20] 435 tn Heb “staggering, staggers.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb for emphasis and sound play.
[24:20] 436 tn The words “in a windstorm” are supplied in the translation to clarify the metaphor.
[24:21] 437 tn Or “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[24:21] 438 tn Heb “visit [in judgment].”
[24:21] 439 tn Heb “the host of the height in the height.” The “host of the height/heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets, see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13).
[24:22] 440 tn Heb “they will be gathered [in] a gathering [as] a prisoner in a cistern.” It is tempting to eliminate אֲסֵפָה (’asefah, “a gathering”) as dittographic or as a gloss, but sound repetition is one of the main characteristics of the style of this section of the chapter.
[24:22] 441 tn Heb “and after a multitude of days.”
[24:22] 442 tn Heb “visited” (so KJV, ASV). This verse can mean to visit for good or for evil. The translation assumes the latter, based on v. 21a. However, BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד B.Niph.2 suggests the meaning “visit graciously” here, in which case one might translate “they will be released.”
[24:23] 443 tn Heb “will be ashamed.”
[24:23] 444 tn Or “glow of the sun.”
[24:23] 445 tn Heb “will be ashamed” (so NCV).
[24:23] 446 tn Or “take his throne,” “become king.”
[24:23] 447 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[24:23] 448 tn Heb “and before his elders [in] splendor.”
[25:1] 449 sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.
[25:1] 450 tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.
[25:1] 451 tn Heb “plans from long ago [in] faithfulness, trustworthiness.” The feminine noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness”) and masculine noun אֹמֶן (’omen, “trustworthiness”), both of which are derived from the root אָמַן (’aman), are juxtaposed to emphasize the basic idea conveyed by the synonyms. Here they describe the absolute reliability of the divine plans.
[25:2] 452 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[25:2] 453 tn The Hebrew text has “you have made from the city.” The prefixed mem (מ) on עִיר (’ir, “city”) was probably originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:456, n. 3.
[25:2] 454 tc Some with support from the LXX emend זָרִים (zarim, “foreigners”) to זֵדִים (zedim, “the insolent”).
[25:3] 455 tn The Hebrew text has a singular form, but it should be emended to a plural or eliminated altogether. The noun may have been accidentally copied from the preceding verse.
[25:4] 456 tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; NIV, NRSV “the ruthless.”
[25:4] 457 tc The Hebrew text has, “like a rainstorm of a wall,” which might be interpreted to mean, “like a rainstorm battering against a wall.” The translation assumes an emendation of קִיר (qir, “wall”) to קֹר (qor, “cold, winter”; cf. Gen 8:22). See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:457, n. 6, for discussion.
[25:5] 458 tn Or “drought” (TEV).
[25:5] 459 tn Heb “the tumult of foreigners.”
[25:5] 460 tn Heb “[like] heat in the shadow of a cloud.”
[25:5] 461 tn The translation assumes that the verb יַעֲנֶה (ya’aneh) is a Hiphil imperfect from עָנָה (’anah, “be afflicted, humiliated”). In this context with “song” as object it means to “quiet” (see HALOT 853-54 s.v. II ענה). Some prefer to emend the form to the second person singular, so that it will agree with the second person verb earlier in the verse. BDB 776 s.v. III עָנָה Qal.1 understands the form as Qal, with “song” as subject, in which case one might translate “the song of tyrants will be silent.” An emendation of the form to a Niphal (יֵעָנֶה, ye’aneh) would yield the same translation.
[25:6] 462 sn That is, Mount Zion (see 24:23); cf. TEV; NLT “In Jerusalem.”
[25:6] 463 tn Heb “And the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] will make for all the nations on this mountain a banquet of meats, a banquet of wine dregs, meats filled with marrow, dregs that are filtered.”
[25:7] 464 tn The Hebrew text reads, “the face of the shroud, the shroud over all the nations.” Some emend the second הַלּוֹט (hallot) to a passive participle הַלּוּט (hallut, “that is wrapped”).
[25:7] 465 sn The point of the imagery is unclear. Perhaps the shroud/covering referred to was associated with death in some way (see v. 8).
[25:8] 466 sn The image of the Lord “swallowing” death would be especially powerful, for death was viewed in Canaanite mythology and culture as a hungry enemy that swallows its victims. See the note at 5:14.
[25:8] 467 tn Heb “has spoken” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[25:9] 468 tn Heb “and one will say in that day.”
[25:9] 469 tn Heb “this [one].”
[25:9] 470 tn Heb “this [one].”
[25:10] 471 tn Heb “for the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain”; TEV “will protect Mount Zion”; NCV “will protect (rest on NLT) Jerusalem.”
[25:10] 472 tn Heb “under him,” i.e., “in his place.”
[25:10] 473 tc The marginal reading (Qere) is בְּמוֹ (bÿmo, “in”). The consonantal text (Kethib) has בְּמִי (bÿmi, “in the water of”).
[25:11] 474 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:11] 475 tn The antecedent of the third masculine singular pronominal suffix is probably the masculine noun מַתְבֵּן (matben, “heap of straw”) in v. 10 rather than the feminine noun מַדְמֵנָה (madmenah, “manure pile”), also in v. 10.
[25:11] 476 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:11] 477 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:11] 478 tn The Hebrew text has, “he will bring down his pride along with the [?] of his hands.” The meaning of אָרְבּוֹת (’arbot), which occurs only here in the OT, is unknown. Some (see BDB 70 s.v. אָרְבָּה) translate “artifice, cleverness,” relating the form to the verbal root אָרָב (’arav, “to lie in wait, ambush”), but this requires some convoluted semantic reasoning. HALOT 83 s.v. *אָרְבָּה suggests the meaning “[nimble] movements.” The translation above, which attempts to relate the form to the preceding context, is purely speculative.
[25:12] 479 sn Moab is addressed.
[25:12] 480 tn Heb “a fortification, the high point of your walls.”
[25:12] 481 tn Heb “he will bring [it] down, he will make [it] touch the ground, even to the dust.”
[26:1] 482 tn Heb “In that day” (so KJV).
[26:1] 483 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:1] 484 tn Heb “deliverance he makes walls and a rampart.”
[26:3] 485 tn Heb “[one of] firm purpose you will keep [in] peace, peace, for in you he possesses trust.” The Hebrew term יֵצֶר (yetser) refers to what one devises in the mind; סָמוּךְ (samukh) probably functions here like an attributive adjective and carries the nuance “firm.” So the phrase literally means, “a firm purpose,” but as the object of the verb “keep, guard,” it must stand by metonymy for the one(s) who possess a firm purpose. In this context the “righteous nation” (v. 2) is probably in view and the “firm purpose” refers to their unwavering faith in God’s vindication (see 25:9). In this context שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”), which is repeated for emphasis, likely refers to national security, not emotional or psychological composure (see vv. 1-2). The passive participle בָּטוּחַ (batuakh) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action.
[26:4] 486 tn Or “forevermore.” For other uses of the phrase עֲדֵי־עַד (’ade-’ad) see Isa 65:18 and Pss 83:17; 92:7.
[26:4] 487 tc The Hebrew text has “for in Yah, the Lord, an everlasting rock.” Some have suggested that the phrase בְּיָהּ (beyah, “in Yah”) is the result of dittography. A scribe seeing כִּי יְהוָה (ki yÿhvah) in his original text would somehow have confused the letters and accidentally inserted בְּיָהּ between the words (bet and kaf [ב and כ] can be confused in later script phases). A number of English versions retain both divine names for emphasis (ESV, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, NLT). One of the Qumran texts (1QIsaa) confirms the MT reading as well.
[26:5] 488 tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[26:5] 489 tn The translation assumes that יַשְׁפִּילֶנָּה (yashpilennah) goes with the preceding words “an elevated town,” and that יַשְׁפִּילָהּ (yashpilah) belongs with the following words, “to the ground.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:469, n. 7.
[26:7] 490 sn The literary structure of chap. 26 is not entirely clear. The chapter begins with an eschatological song of praise and ends with a lament and prophetic response (vv. 16-21). It is not certain where the song of praise ends or how vv. 7-15 fit into the structure. Verses 10-11a seem to lament the presence of evil and v. 11b anticipates the arrival of judgment, so it is possible that vv. 7-15 are a prelude to the lament and announcement that conclude the chapter.
[26:7] 491 tc The Hebrew text has, “upright, the path of the righteous you make level.” There are three possible ways to translate this line. Some take יָשָׁר (yashar) as a divine title: “O Upright One” (cf. NASB, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, NLT). Others regard יָשָׁר as the result of dittography (מֵישָׁרִים יָשָׁר ַמעְגַּל, mesharim yashar ma’gal) and do not include it in the translation. Another possibility is to keep יָשָׁר and render the line as “the path of the righteous that you prepare is straight.”
[26:8] 492 tn The Hebrew text has, “yes, the way of your judgments.” The translation assumes that “way” is related to the verb “we wait” as an adverbial accusative (“in the way of your judgments we wait”). מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ (mishpatekha, “your judgments”) could refer to the Lord’s commandments, in which case one might translate, “as we obey your commands.” However, in verse 9 the same form refers to divine acts of judgment on evildoers.
[26:8] 493 tn Heb “your name and your remembrance [is] the desire of [our?] being.”
[26:9] 494 tn Heb “with my soul I.” This is a figure for the speaker himself (“I”).
[26:9] 495 tn Or “long for, desire.” The speaker acknowledges that he is eager to see God come in judgment (see vv. 8, 9b).
[26:9] 496 tn The translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “those who live in the world learn to live in a righteous manner” (cf. NCV).
[26:10] 497 tn As in verse 9b, the translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “they do not learn to live in a righteous manner.”
[26:10] 498 tn Heb “in a land of uprightness they act unjustly”; NRSV “they deal perversely.”
[26:11] 499 tn Heb “O Lord, your hand is lifted up.”
[26:11] 500 tn Heb “They will see and be ashamed of zeal of people.” Some take the prefixed verbs as jussives and translate the statement as a prayer, “Let them see and be put to shame.” The meaning of the phrase קִנְאַת־עָם (qin’at-’am, “zeal of people”) is unclear. The translation assumes that this refers to God’s angry judgment upon people. Another option is to understand the phrase as referring to God’s zealous, protective love of his covenant people. In this case one might translate, “by your zealous devotion to your people.”
[26:11] 501 tn Heb “yes, fire, your enemies, will consume them.” Many understand the prefixed verb form to be jussive and translate, “let [fire] consume” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The mem suffixed to the verb may be enclitic; if a pronominal suffix, it refers back to “your enemies.”
[26:12] 502 tn Heb “O Lord, you establish peace for us.”
[26:12] 503 tc Some suggest emending גַּם כָּל (gam kol, “even all”) to כִּגְמֻל (kigmul, “according to the deed[s] of”) One might then translate “for according to what our deeds deserve, you have acted on our behalf.” Nevertheless, accepting the MT as it stands, the prophet affirms that Yahweh deserved all the credit for anything Israel had accomplished.
[26:14] 504 sn In light of what is said in verse 14b, the “dead” here may be the “masters” mentioned in verse 13.
[26:14] 505 tn The Hebrew term לָכֵן (lakhen) normally indicates a cause-effect relationship between what precedes and follows and is translated, “therefore.” Here, however, it infers the cause from the effect and brings out what is implicit in the previous statement. See BDB 487 s.v.
[26:14] 506 tn Heb “visited [for harm]” (cf. KJV, ASV); NAB, NRSV “you have punished.”
[26:15] 507 tn Heb “you have added to the nation.” The last line of the verse suggests that geographical expansion is in view. “The nation” is Judah.
[26:15] 508 tn Or “brought honor to yourself.”
[26:16] 509 tn The meaning of this verse is unclear. It appears to read literally, “O Lord, in distress they visit you, they pour out [?] an incantation, your discipline to them.” פָּקַד (paqad) may here carry the sense of “seek with interest” (cf. Ezek 23:21 and BDB 823 s.v.) or “seek in vain” (cf. Isa 34:16), but it is peculiar for the Lord to be the object of this verb. צָקוּן (tsaqun) may be a Qal perfect third plural form from צוּק (tsuq, “pour out, melt”), though the verb is not used of pouring out words in its two other occurrences. Because of the appearance of צַר (tsar, “distress”) in the preceding line, it is tempting to emend the form to a noun and derive it from צוּק (“be in distress”) The term לַחַשׁ (lakhash) elsewhere refers to an incantation (Isa 3:3; Jer 8:17; Eccl 10:11) or amulet (Isa 3:20). Perhaps here it refers to ritualistic prayers or to magical incantations used to ward off evil.
[26:18] 510 tn On the use of כְּמוֹ (kÿmo, “like, as”) here, see BDB 455 s.v. Israel’s distress and suffering, likened here to the pains of childbirth, seemed to be for no purpose. A woman in labor endures pain with the hope that a child will be born; in Israel’s case no such positive outcome was apparent. The nation was like a woman who strains to bring forth a child, but can’t push the baby through to daylight. All her effort produces nothing.
[26:18] 511 tn Heb “and the inhabitants of the world do not fall.” The term נָפַל (nafal) apparently means here, “be born,” though the Qal form of the verb is not used with this nuance anywhere else in the OT. (The Hiphil appears to be used in the sense of “give birth” in v. 19, however.) The implication of verse 18b seems to be that Israel hoped its suffering would somehow end in deliverance and an increase in population. The phrase “inhabitants of the world” seems to refer to the human race in general, but the next verse, which focuses on Israel’s dead, suggests the referent may be more limited.
[26:19] 512 sn At this point the Lord (or prophet) gives the people an encouraging oracle.
[26:19] 513 tn Heb “dust” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[26:19] 514 tn Heb “for the dew of lights [is] your dew.” The pronominal suffix on “dew” is masculine singular, like the suffixes on “your dead” and “your corpses” in the first half of the verse. The statement, then, is addressed to collective Israel, the speaker in verse 18. The plural form אוֹרֹת (’orot) is probably a plural of respect or magnitude, meaning “bright light” (i.e., morning’s light). Dew is a symbol of fertility and life. Here Israel’s “dew,” as it were, will soak the dust of the ground and cause the corpses of the dead to spring up to new life, like plants sprouting up from well-watered soil.
[26:19] 515 sn It is not certain whether the resurrection envisioned here is intended to be literal or figurative. A comparison with 25:8 and Dan 12:2 suggests a literal interpretation, but Ezek 37:1-14 uses resurrection as a metaphor for deliverance from exile and the restoration of the nation (see Isa 27:12-13).
[26:20] 516 tn Heb “until anger passes by.”
[26:21] 517 tn Heb “out of his place” (so KJV, ASV).
[26:21] 518 sn This implies that rampant bloodshed is one of the reasons for divine judgment. See the note at 24:5.
[27:1] 519 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
[27:1] 520 tn Heb “hard, severe”; cf. NAB, NRSV “cruel”; KJV “sore”; NLT “terrible.”
[27:1] 521 tn Heb “fleeing” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Some translate “slippery” or “slithering.”
[27:1] 522 tn The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon (Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַנִּין [tannin, translated “sea monster” here]) vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling (Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן [’aqallaton, translated “squirming” here]) serpent, the tyrant with seven heads (cf. Ps 74:14).” (See CTA 3 iii 38-39.) (2) “for all that you smote Leviathan the slippery (Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ [bariakh, translated “fast-moving” here]) serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5 i 1-3.)
[27:2] 523 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
[27:2] 524 tn Heb “vineyard of delight,” or “vineyard of beauty.” Many medieval
[27:3] 525 tn Heb “her.” Apparently “vineyard” is the antecedent, though normally this noun is understood as masculine (see Lev 25:3, however).
[27:3] 526 tn Or perhaps, “constantly.” Heb “by moments.”
[27:3] 527 tn Heb “lest [someone] visit [harm] upon it, night and day I guard it.”
[27:4] 528 tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense. For other examples of a cohortative expressing resolve after a hypothetical statement introduced by נָתַן with מִי (miwith natan), see Judg 9:29; Jer 9:1-2; Ps 55:6.
[27:4] 529 tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense.
[27:5] 530 tn Heb “or let him take hold of my refuge.” The subject of the third masculine singular verb form is uncertain. Apparently the symbolic “thorns and briers” are in view, though in v. 4b a feminine singular pronoun was used to refer to them.
[27:5] 531 tc The Hebrew text has, “he makes peace with me, peace he makes with me.” Some contend that two alternative readings are preserved here and one should be deleted. The first has the object שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) preceding the verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “make”); the second reverses the order. Another option is to retain both statements, although repetitive, to emphasize the need to make peace with Yahweh.
[27:6] 532 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “the coming ones, let Jacob take root.” הַבָּאִים (habba’im, “the coming ones”) should probably be emended to יָמִים בָאִים (yamim va’im, “days [are] coming”) or בְּיָמִים הַבָּאִים (biyamim habba’im, “in the coming days”).
[27:6] 533 tn Heb “fruit” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[27:6] 534 sn This apparently refers to a future population explosion. See 26:18.
[27:7] 535 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Like the striking down of the one striking him down does he strike him down?” The meaning of the text is unclear, but this may be a rhetorical question, suggesting that Israel has not experienced divine judgment to the same degree as her oppressors. In this case “the one striking down” refers to Israel’s oppressors, while the pronoun “him” refers to Israel. The subject of the final verb (“does he strike down”) would then be God, while the pronoun “him” would again refer to Israel.
[27:7] 536 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Or like the killing of his killed ones is he killed?” If one accepts the interpretation of the parallel line outlined in the previous note, then this line too would contain a rhetorical question suggesting that Israel has not experienced destruction to the same degree as its enemies. In this case “his killed ones” refers to the one who struck Israel down, and Israel would be the subject of the final verb (“is he killed”).
[27:8] 537 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] 538 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] 539 sn The “east wind” here symbolizes violent divine judgment.
[27:9] 540 tn Or “be atoned for” (NIV); cf. NRSV “be expiated.”
[27:9] 541 tn Heb “and this [is] all the fruit of removing his sin.” The meaning of the statement is not entirely clear, though “removing his sin” certainly parallels “Jacob’s sin will be removed” in the preceding line. If original, “all the fruit” may refer to the result of the decision to remove sin, but the phrase may be a corruption of לְכַפֵּר (lekhaper, “to atone for”), which in turn might be a gloss on הָסִר (hasir, “removing”).
[27:9] 542 tn Heb “when he makes the stones of an altar.” The singular “altar” is collective here; pagan altars are in view, as the last line of the verse indicates. See also 17:8.
[27:9] 543 sn As interpreted and translated above, this verse says that Israel must totally repudiate its pagan religious practices in order to experience God’s forgiveness and restoration. Another option is to understand “in this way” and “this” in v. 9a as referring back to the judgment described in v. 8. In this case כָּפַר (kafar, “atone for”) is used in a sarcastic sense; Jacob’s sin is “atoned for” and removed through severe judgment. Following this line of interpretation, one might paraphrase the verse as follows: “So in this way (through judgment) Jacob’s sin will be “atoned for,” and this is the way his sin will be removed, when he (i.e., God) makes all the altar stones like crushed limestone….” This interpretation is more consistent with the tone of judgment in vv. 8 and 10-11.
[27:10] 544 sn The identity of this city is uncertain. The context suggests that an Israelite city, perhaps Samaria or Jerusalem, is in view. For discussions of interpretive options see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:496-97, and Paul L. Redditt, “Once Again, the City in Isaiah 24-27,” HAR 10 (1986), 332.
[27:10] 545 tn The singular form in the text is probably collective.
[27:10] 546 tn Heb “and destroy her branches.” The city is the antecedent of the third feminine singular pronominal suffix. Apparently the city is here compared to a tree. See also v. 11.
[27:11] 547 tn Heb “are dry” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[27:11] 548 tn Heb “women come [and] light it.” The city is likened to a dead tree with dried up branches that is only good for firewood.
[27:11] 549 tn Heb “for not a people of understanding [is] he.”
[27:12] 550 tn Heb “and it will be 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.
[27:12] 551 tn Heb “the Lord will beat out.” The verb is used of beating seeds or grain to separate the husk from the kernel (see Judg 6:11; Ruth 2:17; Isa 28:27), and of beating the olives off the olive tree (Deut 24:20). The latter metaphor may be in view here, where a tree metaphor has been employed in the preceding verses. See also 17:6.
[27:12] 552 tn Heb “the river,” a frequent designation in the OT for the Euphrates. For clarity most modern English versions substitute the name “Euphrates” for “the river” here.
[27:12] 553 sn The Israelites will be freed from exile (likened to beating the olives off the tree) and then gathered (likened to collecting the olives).
[27:13] 554 tn Heb “and it will be 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.
[27:13] 555 tn Traditionally, “great” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT); CEV “loud.”
[27:13] 556 tn Or “the ones perishing.”
[27:13] 557 tn Or “the ones driven into.”
[27:13] 558 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[28:1] 559 tn Heb “Woe [to] the crown [or “wreath”] of the splendor [or “pride”] of the drunkards of Ephraim.” The “crown” is Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom (Ephraim). Priests and prophets are included among these drunkards in v. 7.
[28:1] 560 tn Heb “the beauty of his splendor.” In the translation the masculine pronoun (“his”) has been replaced by “its” because the referent (the “crown”) is the city of Samaria.
[28:1] 561 tn Heb “which [is].”
[28:1] 562 tn Heb “ones overcome with wine.” The words “the crown of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The syntactical relationship of the final phrase to what precedes is uncertain. הֲלוּמֵי יָיִן (halume yayin, “ones overcome with wine”) seems to correspond to שִׁכֹּרֵי אֶפְרַיִם (shikkore ’efrayim, “drunkards of Ephraim”) in line 1. The translation assumes that the phrase “the splendid crown” is to be understood in the final line as well.
[28:2] 563 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 16, 22 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[28:2] 564 tn Heb “Look, a strong and powerful [one] belongs to the Lord.”
[28:2] 565 tn Heb “like a rainstorm of hail, a wind of destruction.”
[28:2] 566 tn Heb “like a rainstorm of mighty, overflowing waters.”
[28:2] 567 tn The words “that crown” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The object of the verb is unexpressed in the Hebrew text.
[28:2] 568 tn Or “by [his] power.”
[28:4] 569 tn Heb “which the one seeing sees, while still it is in his hand he swallows it.”
[28:5] 570 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
[28:6] 571 tn Heb “and [he will become] a spirit of justice for the one who sits [i.e., presides] over judgment, // and strength [for] the ones who turn back battle at the city gate.” The Lord will provide internal stability and national security.
[28:7] 572 tn Heb “these.” The demonstrative pronoun anticipates “priests and prophets” two lines later.
[28:7] 573 tn According to HALOT 135 s.v. III בלע, the verb form is derived from בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”), not the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”). See earlier notes at 3:12 and 9:16.
[28:7] 574 tn Heb “in the seeing.”
[28:7] 575 tn Heb “[in] giving a decision.”
[28:8] 576 tn Heb “vomit, without a place.” For the meaning of the phrase בְּלִי מָקוֹם (bÿli maqom, “without a place”), see HALOT 133 s.v. בְּלִי.
[28:9] 577 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[28:9] 578 tn Heb “Who is he teaching knowledge? For whom is he explaining a message?” The translation assumes that the Lord is the subject of the verbs “teaching” and “explaining,” and that the prophet is asking the questions. See v. 12. According to some vv. 9-10 record the people’s sarcastic response to the Lord’s message through Isaiah.
[28:9] 579 tn Heb “from the breasts.” The words “their mother’s” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The translation assumes that this is the prophet’s answer to the questions asked in the first half of the verse. The Lord is trying to instruct people who are “infants” morally and ethically.
[28:10] 580 tn The meaning of this verse has been debated. The text has literally “indeed [or “for”] a little there, a little there” ( כִּי צַו לָצָו צַו לָצָו קַו לָקָו קַו, ki tsav latsav, tsav latsav, qav laqav, qav laqav). The present translation assumes that the repetitive syllables are gibberish that resembles baby talk (cf v. 9b) and mimics what the people will hear when foreign invaders conquer the land (v. 11). In this case זְעֵיר (zÿ’er, “a little”) refers to the short syllabic structure of the babbling (cf. CEV). Some take צַו (tsav) as a derivative of צָוָה (tsavah, “command”) and translate the first part of the statement as “command after command, command after command.” Proponents of this position (followed by many English versions) also take קַו (qav) as a noun meaning “measuring line” (see v. 17), understood here in the abstract sense of “standard” or “rule.”
[28:11] 581 sn This verse alludes to the coming Assyrian invasion, when the people will hear a foreign language that sounds like gibberish to them. The Lord is the subject of the verb “will speak,” as v. 12 makes clear. He once spoke in meaningful terms, but in the coming judgment he will speak to them, as it were, through the mouth of foreign oppressors. The apparent gibberish they hear will be an outward reminder that God has decreed their defeat.
[28:12] 582 tn Heb “who said to them.”
[28:12] 583 sn This message encapsulates the Lord’s invitation to his people to find security in his protection and blessing.
[28:13] 584 tn Heb “And the word of the Lord will be to them, ‘tsahv latsahv,’ etc.” See the note at v. 10. In this case the “Lord’s word” is not the foreigner’s strange sounding words (as in v. 10), but the Lord’s repeated appeals to them (like the one quoted in v. 12). As time goes on, the Lord’s appeals through the prophets will have no impact on the people; they will regard prophetic preaching as gibberish.
[28:13] 585 tn Heb “as a result they will go and stumble backward.” Perhaps an infant falling as it attempts to learn to walk is the background image here (cf. v. 9b). The Hebrew term לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) could be taken as indicating purpose (“in order that”), rather than simple result. In this case the people’s insensitivity to the message is caused by the Lord as a means of expediting their downfall.
[28:13] 586 sn When divine warnings and appeals become gibberish to the spiritually insensitive, they have no guidance and are doomed to destruction.
[28:14] 587 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[28:15] 588 sn Sheol is the underworld, land of the dead, according to the OT world view.
[28:15] 589 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] 590 tn Heb “the overwhelming scourge, when it passes by” (NRSV similar).
[28:15] 591 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] 592 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] 593 tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved.
[28:16] 594 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] 595 tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.
[28:17] 596 tn Heb “[the] refuge, [the] lie.” See v. 15.
[28:18] 597 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] 598 tn Normally the noun חָזוּת (khazut) means “vision.” See the note at v. 15.
[28:18] 599 tn Or “will not stand” (NIV, NRSV).
[28:18] 600 tn See the note at v. 15.
[28:18] 601 tn Heb “you will become a trampling place for it.”
[28:19] 602 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[28:19] 603 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] 604 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] 605 sn This probably alludes to David’s victory over the Philistines at Baal Perazim. See 2 Sam 5:20.
[28:21] 606 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] 607 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] 608 tn Or “the whole earth” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NCV).
[28:23] 609 tn Heb “to my voice.”
[28:23] 610 tn Heb “to my word”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “hear my speech.”
[28:24] 611 tn Heb “All the day does the plowman plow in order to plant?” The phrase “all the day” here has the sense of “continually, always.” See BDB 400 s.v. יוֹם.
[28:25] 612 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “place wheat [?], and barley [?], and grain in its territory.” The term שׂוֹרָה (shorah) is sometimes translated “[in] its place,” but the word is unattested elsewhere. It is probably due to dittography of the immediately following שְׂעֹרָה (sÿo’rah, “barley”). The meaning of נִסְמָן (nisman) is also uncertain. It may be due to dittography of the immediately following כֻסֶּמֶת (kussemet, “grain”).
[28:26] 613 tn Heb “he teaches him the proper way, his God instructs him.”
[28:27] 614 tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB).
[28:27] 615 sn Both of these seeds are too small to use the ordinary threshing techniques.
[28:29] 616 sn Verses 23-29 emphasize that God possesses great wisdom and has established a natural order. Evidence of this can be seen in the way farmers utilize divinely imparted wisdom to grow and harvest crops. God’s dealings with his people will exhibit this same kind of wisdom and order. Judgment will be accomplished according to a divinely ordered timetable and, while severe enough, will not be excessive. Judgment must come, just as planting inevitably follows plowing. God will, as it were, thresh his people, but he will not crush them to the point where they will be of no use to him.
[29:1] 617 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] 618 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] 619 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] 620 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] 621 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] 622 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] 623 tn Heb “from the ground” (so NIV, NCV).
[29:4] 624 tn Heb “and from the dust your word will be low.”
[29:4] 625 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] 626 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] 627 tn Or “violent men”; cf. NASB “the ruthless ones.”
[29:6] 628 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] 629 tn Or “that he [or “his appetite”] is unsatisfied.”
[29:8] 630 tn Or “that he is faint and that he [or “his appetite”] longs [for water].”
[29:9] 631 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] 632 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] 633 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] 634 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.
[29:10] 635 tn Heb “a disposition [or “spirit”] of deep sleep.” Through this mixed metaphor (sleep is likened to a liquid which one pours and in turn symbolizes spiritual dullness) the prophet emphasizes that God himself has given the people over to their spiritual insensitivity as a form of judgment.
[29:11] 636 tn Heb “vision” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[29:11] 637 tn Heb “one who knows a/the scroll.”
[29:12] 638 tn Heb “and if the scroll is handed to one who does not know a scroll.”
[29:12] 639 tn Heb “I do not know a scroll.”
[29:13] 640 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
[29:13] 641 tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”
[29:13] 642 tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”
[29:13] 643 tn Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.
[29:13] 644 tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”
[29:14] 645 tn Heb “Therefore I will again do something amazing with these people, an amazing deed, an amazing thing.” This probably refers to the amazing transformation predicted in vv. 17-24, which will follow the purifying judgment implied in vv. 15-16.
[29:14] 646 tn Heb “the wisdom of their wise ones will perish, the discernment of their discerning ones will keep hidden.”
[29:15] 647 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who deeply hide counsel from the Lord.” This probably alludes to political alliances made without seeking the Lord’s guidance. See 30:1-2 and 31:1.
[29:15] 648 tn Heb “and their works are in darkness and they say.”
[29:15] 649 tn The rhetorical questions suggest the answer, “no one.” They are confident that their deeds are hidden from others, including God.
[29:16] 650 tn Heb “your overturning.” The predicate is suppressed in this exclamation. The idea is, “O your perversity! How great it is!” See GKC 470 §147.c. The people “overturn” all logic by thinking their authority supersedes God’s.
[29:16] 651 tn The expected answer to this rhetorical question is “of course not.” On the interrogative use of אִם (’im), see BDB 50 s.v.
[29:16] 652 tn Heb “that the thing made should say.”
[29:17] 653 tn The Hebrew text phrases this as a rhetorical question, “Is it not yet a little, a short [time]?”
[29:17] 654 sn The meaning of this verse is debated, but it seems to depict a reversal in fortunes. The mighty forest of Lebanon (symbolic of the proud and powerful, see 2:13; 10:34) will be changed into a common orchard, while the common orchard (symbolic of the oppressed and lowly) will grow into a great forest. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:538.
[29:18] 655 tn Or “In that day” (KJV).
[29:18] 656 tn Heb “and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.”
[29:19] 657 tn Or “will rejoice” (NIV, NCV, NLT).
[29:19] 658 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[29:20] 659 tn Heb “and all the watchers of wrong will be cut off.”
[29:21] 660 tn Heb “the ones who make a man a sinner with a word.” The Hiphil of חָטָא (khata’) here has a delocutive sense: “declare a man sinful/guilty.”
[29:21] 661 sn Legal disputes were resolved at the city gate, where the town elders met. See Amos 5:10.
[29:21] 662 tn Heb “and deprive by emptiness the innocent.”
[29:22] 663 tn Heb “So this is what the Lord says to the house of Jacob, the one who ransomed Abraham.” The relative pronoun must refer back to “the Lord,” not to the immediately preceding “Jacob.” It is uncertain to what event in Abraham’s experience this refers. Perhaps the name “Abraham” stands here by metonymy for his descendants through Jacob. If so, the Exodus is in view.
[29:22] 664 tn Heb “and his face will no longer be pale.”
[29:23] 665 tn Heb “for when he sees his children, the work of my hands in his midst.”
[29:23] 666 tn Or “treat as holy” (also in the following line); NASB, NRSV “will sanctify.”
[29:23] 667 sn Holy One of Jacob is similar to the phrase “Holy One of Israel” common throughout Isaiah; see the sn at Isa 1:4.
[29:23] 668 tn Or “fear,” in the sense of “stand in awe of.”
[29:24] 669 tn Heb “and the ones who stray in spirit will know understanding.”
[29:24] 670 tn Heb “will learn instruction”; cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “will accept instruction.”
[30:1] 671 tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”
[30:1] 672 tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”
[30:1] 673 tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”
[30:1] 674 tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.
[30:1] 675 tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”
[30:2] 676 tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”
[30:2] 677 tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”
[30:4] 678 sn This probably refers to Judah’s officials and messengers.
[30:4] 679 sn Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta in the north; Hanes was located somewhere in southern region of lower Egypt, south of Memphis; the exact location is debated.
[30:5] 680 tn The present translation follows the marginal (Qere) reading of the Hebrew text; the consonantal text (Kethib) has “made to stink, decay.”
[30:6] 681 tn Traditionally, “burden” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “oracle.”
[30:6] 682 tc Heb “[a land of] a lioness and a lion, from them.” Some emend מֵהֶם (mehem, “from them”) to מֵהֵם (mehem), an otherwise unattested Hiphil participle from הָמַם (hamam, “move noisily”). Perhaps it would be better to take the initial mem (מ) as enclitic and emend the form to הֹמֶה (homeh), a Qal active participle from הָמָה (hamah, “to make a noise”); cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:542, n. 9.
[30:6] 683 tn Heb “flying fiery one.” See the note at 14:29.
[30:6] 684 tn Or “carry” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[30:6] 685 sn This verse describes messengers from Judah transporting wealth to Egypt in order to buy Pharaoh’s protection through a treaty.
[30:7] 686 tn Heb “As for Egypt, with vanity and emptiness they help.”
[30:7] 687 tn Heb “Rahab” (רַהַב, rahav), which also appears as a name for Egypt in Ps 87:4. The epithet is also used in the OT for a mythical sea monster symbolic of chaos. See the note at 51:9. A number of English versions use the name “Rahab” (e.g., ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) while others attempt some sort of translation (cf. CEV “a helpless monster”; TEV, NLT “the Harmless Dragon”).
[30:7] 688 tn The MT reads “Rahab, they, sitting.” The translation above assumes an emendation of הֵם שָׁבֶת (hem shavet) to הַמָּשְׁבָּת (hammashbat), a Hophal participle with prefixed definite article, meaning “the one who is made to cease,” i.e., “destroyed,” or “silenced.” See HALOT 444-45 s.v. ישׁב.
[30:8] 689 tn The referent of the third feminine singular pronominal suffix is uncertain. Perhaps it refers to the preceding message, which accuses the people of rejecting the Lord’s help in favor of an alliance with Egypt.
[30:8] 690 tn Heb “with them.” On the use of the preposition here, see BDB 86 s.v. II אֵת.
[30:8] 691 sn Recording the message will enable the prophet to use it in the future as evidence that God warned his people of impending judgment and clearly spelled out the nation’s guilt. An official record of the message will also serve as proof of the prophet’s authority as God’s spokesman.
[30:9] 692 tn Or perhaps, “instruction” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NCV, TEV “teachings.”
[30:10] 693 tn Heb “who” (so NASB, NRSV). A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:10] 694 tn Heb “Do not see for us right things.”
[30:10] 695 tn Heb “Tell us smooth things, see deceptive things.”
[30:11] 696 sn The imagery refers to the way or path of truth, as revealed by God to the prophet.
[30:11] 697 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[30:12] 698 tn The sentence actually begins with the word “because.” In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.
[30:12] 699 tn Heb “and you trust in oppression and cunning.”
[30:12] 700 tn Heb “and you lean on it”; NAB “and depend on it.”
[30:13] 701 tn The verse reads literally, “So this sin will become for you like a breach ready to fall, bulging on a high wall, the breaking of which comes suddenly, in a flash.” Their sin produces guilt and will result in judgment. Like a wall that collapses their fall will be swift and sudden.
[30:14] 702 tn Heb “Its shattering is like the shattering of a jug of [i.e., “made by”] potters, [so] shattered one cannot save [any of it].”
[30:14] 703 tn The words “large enough” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[30:14] 704 tn Heb “to remove fire from the place of kindling.”
[30:14] 705 tn On the meaning of גֶבֶא (geveh, “cistern”) see HALOT 170 s.v.
[30:15] 706 tn Heb “in returning and in quietness you will be delivered.” Many English versions render the last phrase “shall be saved” or something similar (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[30:15] 707 tn Heb “in quietness and in trust is your strength” (NASB and NRSV both similar).
[30:17] 708 tn Heb “One thousand from before [or “because of”] one battle cry.” גְּעָרָה (gÿ’arah) is often defined as “threat,” but in war contexts it likely refers to a shout or battle cry. See Ps 76:6.
[30:17] 709 tn Heb “from before [or “because of”] the battle cry of five you will flee.
[30:17] 710 tn Heb “until you are left” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[30:18] 711 tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.
[30:18] 712 tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”
[30:19] 713 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[30:19] 714 tn Heb “For people in Zion will live, in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.” The phrase “in Jerusalem” could be taken with what precedes. Some prefer to emend יֵשֵׁב (yeshev, “will live,” a Qal imperfect) to יֹשֵׁב (yoshev, a Qal active participle) and translate “For [you] people in Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.”
[30:19] 715 tn Heb “he will indeed show you mercy at the sound of your crying out; when he hears, he will answer you.”
[30:20] 716 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
[30:20] 717 tn Heb “and the Master will give to you bread – distress, and water – oppression.”
[30:20] 718 tn Heb “but your teachers will no longer be hidden, your eyes will be seeing your teachers.” The translation assumes that the form מוֹרֶיךָ (morekha) is a plural participle, referring to spiritual leaders such as prophets and priests. Another possibility is that the form is actually singular (see GKC 273-74 §93.ss) or a plural of respect, referring to God as the master teacher. See HALOT 560-61 s.v. III מוֹרֶה. For discussion of the views, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:560.
[30:21] 719 tn Heb “your ears” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[30:21] 720 tn The word “correct’ is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[30:22] 721 tn Heb “the platings of your silver idols.”
[30:22] 722 tn Heb “the covering of your gold image.”
[30:23] 723 tn Heb “and he will give rain for your seed which you plant in the ground, and food [will be] the produce of the ground, and it will be rich and abundant.”
[30:23] 724 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
[30:24] 725 tn Heb “the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground.”
[30:24] 726 sn Crops will be so abundant that even the work animals will eat well.
[30:25] 727 tn Or “in the day of” (KJV).
[30:26] 728 sn Light here symbolizes restoration of divine blessing and prosperity. The number “seven” is used symbolically to indicate intensity. The exact meaning of the phrase “the light of seven days” is uncertain; it probably means “seven times brighter” (see the parallel line).
[30:26] 729 tn Heb “the fracture of his people” (so NASB).
[30:26] 730 tn Heb “the injury of his wound.” The joining of synonyms emphasizes the severity of the wound. Another option is to translate, “the wound of his blow.” In this case the pronominal suffix might refer to the Lord, not the people, yielding the translation, “the wound which he inflicted.”
[30:27] 731 sn The “name” of the Lord sometimes stands by metonymy for the Lord himself, see Exod 23:21; Lev 24:11; Pss 54:1 (54:3 HT); 124:8. In Isa 30:27 the point is that he reveals that aspect of his character which his name suggests – he comes as Yahweh (“he is present”), the ever present helper of his people who annihilates their enemies and delivers them. The name “Yahweh” originated in a context where God assured a fearful Moses that he would be with him as he confronted Pharaoh and delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. See Exod 3.
[30:27] 732 tn Heb “his anger burns, and heaviness of elevation.” The meaning of the phrase “heaviness of elevation” is unclear, for מַשָּׂאָה (masa’ah, “elevation”) occurs only here. Some understand the term as referring to a cloud (elevated above the earth’s surface), in which case one might translate, “and in heavy clouds” (cf. NAB “with lowering clouds”). Others relate the noun to מָשָׂא (masa’, “burden”) and interpret it as a reference to judgment. In this case one might translate, “and with severe judgment.” The present translation assumes that the noun refers to his glory and that “heaviness” emphasizes its degree.
[30:27] 733 tn Heb “his lips are full of anger, and his tongue is like consuming fire.” The Lord’s lips and tongue are used metonymically for his word (or perhaps his battle cry; see v. 31).
[30:28] 734 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] 735 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] 736 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.
[30:29] 737 tn Heb “[you will have] joy of heart, like the one going with a flute to enter the mountain of the Lord to the Rock of Israel.” The image here is not a foundational rock, but a rocky cliff where people could hide for protection (for example, the fortress of Masada).
[30:30] 738 tn Heb “the Lord will cause the splendor of his voice to be heard.”
[30:30] 739 tn Heb “and reveal the lowering of his arm.”
[30:30] 740 tn Heb “and a flame of consuming fire.”
[30:31] 741 tn Heb “Indeed by the voice of the Lord Assyria will be shattered.”
[30:32] 742 tc The Hebrew text has “every blow from a founded [i.e., “appointed”?] cudgel.” The translation above, with support from a few medieval Hebrew
[30:32] 743 tn Heb “which the Lord lays on him.”
[30:32] 744 tn Heb “will be with” (KJV similar).
[30:32] 745 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and with battles of brandishing [weapons?] he will fight against him.” Some prefer to emend וּבְמִלְחֲמוֹת (uvÿmilkhamot, “and with battles of”) to וּבִמְחֹלוֹת (uvimkholot, “and with dancing”). Note the immediately preceding references to musical instruments.
[30:33] 747 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for arranged from before [or “yesterday”] is [?].” The meaning of תָּפְתֶּה (tafÿteh), which occurs only here, is unknown. The translation above (as with most English versions) assumes an emendation to תֹּפֶת (tofet, “Topheth”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) and places the final hey (ה) on the beginning of the next word as an interrogative particle. Topheth was a place near Jerusalem used as a burial ground (see Jer 7:32; 19:11).
[30:33] 748 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Also it is made ready for the king, one makes it deep and wide.” If one takes the final hey (ה) on תָּפְתֶּה (tafÿteh) and prefixes it to גָּם (gam) as an interrogative particle (see the preceding note), one can translate, “Is it also made ready for the king?” In this case the question is rhetorical and expects an emphatic affirmative answer, “Of course it is!”
[30:33] 749 tn Heb “its pile of wood, fire and wood one makes abundant.”
[31:1] 750 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”
[31:1] 751 tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”
[31:1] 752 tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”
[31:1] 753 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[31:2] 754 sn This statement appears to have a sarcastic tone. The royal advisers who are advocating an alliance with Egypt think they are wise, but the Lord possesses wisdom as well and will thwart their efforts.
[31:2] 755 tn Heb “and he does not turn aside [i.e., “retract”] his words”; NIV “does not take back his words.”
[31:2] 756 tn Heb “and he will arise against the house of the wicked.”
[31:2] 758 tn Heb “and against the help of the doers of sin.”
[31:3] 759 tn Heb “will extend”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV “stretch out.”
[31:3] 760 tn Heb “together all of them will come to an end.”
[31:4] 761 tn Heb “As a lion growls, a young lion over its prey.” In the Hebrew text the opening comparison is completed later in the verse (“so the Lord will come down…”), after a parenthesis describing how fearless the lion is. The present translation divides the verse into three sentences for English stylistic reasons.
[31:4] 762 tn Heb “Though there is summoned against it fullness of shepherds, by their voice it is not terrified, and to their noise it does not respond.”
[31:4] 763 tn Some prefer to translate the phrase לִצְבֹּא עַל (litsbo’ ’al) as “fight against,” but the following context pictures the Lord defending, not attacking, Zion.
[31:5] 764 tn Heb “just as birds fly.” The words “over a nest” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[31:5] 765 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[31:5] 766 tn The only other occurrence of this verb is in Exod 12:13, 23, 27, where the Lord “passes over” (i.e., “spares”) the Israelite households as he comes to judge their Egyptian oppressors. The noun פֶּסַח (pesakh, “Passover”) is derived from the verb. The use of the verb in Isa 31:5 is probably an intentional echo of the Exodus event. As in the days of Moses the Lord will spare his people as he comes to judge their enemies.
[31:6] 767 tn Heb “Return to the one [against] whom the sons of Israel made deep rebellion.” The syntax is awkward here. A preposition is omitted by ellipsis after the verb (see GKC 446 §138.f, n. 2), and there is a shift from direct address (note the second plural imperative “return”) to the third person (note “they made deep”). For other examples of abrupt shifts in person in poetic style, see GKC 462 §144.p.
[31:7] 768 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
[31:7] 769 tn Heb “reject” (so NIV); NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT “throw away.”
[31:7] 770 tn Heb “the idols of their idols of silver and their idols of gold which your hands made for yourselves [in] sin.” חָטָא (khata’, “sin”) is understood as an adverbial accusative of manner. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:573, n. 4.
[31:8] 771 tn Heb “Assyria will fall by a sword, not of a man.”
[31:8] 772 tn Heb “and a sword not of humankind will devour him.”
[31:8] 773 tn Heb “he will flee for himself from before a sword.”
[31:9] 774 tn Heb “rocky cliff” (cf. ASV, NASB “rock”), viewed metaphorically as a place of defense and security.
[31:9] 775 tn Heb “His rocky cliff, because of fear, will pass away [i.e., “perish”].”
[31:9] 776 tn Heb “and they will be afraid of the flag, his officers.”
[31:9] 777 sn The “fire” and “firepot” here symbolize divine judgment, which is heating up like a fire in Jerusalem, waiting to be used against the Assyrians when they attack the city.
[32:1] 778 tn Heb “will reign according to fairness.”
[32:1] 779 tn Heb “will rule according to justice.”
[32:2] 780 tn Heb “a man,” but אִישׁ (’ish) probably refers here to “each” of the officials mentioned in the previous verse.
[32:3] 781 tn Heb “Eyes that see.”
[32:3] 782 tn The Hebrew text as vocalized reads literally “will not gaze,” but this is contradictory to the context. The verb form should be revocalized as תְּשֹׁעֶינָה (tÿsho’enah) from שָׁעַע (sha’a’, “be blinded”); see Isa 6:10; 29:9.
[32:3] 783 tn Heb “ears that hear.”
[32:4] 784 tn Heb “the heart of rashness will understand knowledge”; cf. NAB “The flighty will become wise and capable.”
[32:6] 785 tn Or “foolishness,” in a moral-ethical sense. See 9:17.
[32:6] 786 tn Heb “and his heart commits sin”; KJV, ASV “his heart will work iniquity”; NASB “inclines toward wickedness.”
[32:6] 787 tn Heb “in order to do [or “so that he does”] what is godless [or “defiled”].”
[32:6] 788 tn Heb “so that he leaves empty the appetite [or “desire”] of the hungry.”
[32:6] 789 tn Heb “and the drink of the thirsty he causes to fail.”
[32:7] 790 tn Heb “as for a deceiver, his implements [or “weapons”] are evil.”
[32:7] 791 tn Or “he plans evil things”; NIV “he makes up evil schemes.”
[32:7] 792 tn Heb “to ruin the poor with words of falsehood, even when the needy speak what is just.”
[32:8] 793 tn Heb “and he upon honorable things stands.”
[32:9] 794 tn Or “self-assured”; NASB, NRSV “who are at ease.”
[32:9] 795 tn Or “self-confident”; NAB “overconfident.”
[32:10] 796 tn Heb “days upon a year.”
[32:10] 797 tn Or perhaps, “olive.” See 24:13.
[32:11] 798 tn The imperatival forms in v. 11 are problematic. The first (חִרְדוּ, khirdu, “tremble”) is masculine plural in form, though spoken to a feminine plural addressee (שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת, sha’anannot, “complacent ones”). The four imperatival forms that follow (רְגָזָה, rÿgazah, “shake with fear”; פְּשֹׁטָה, pÿshotah, “strip off your clothes”; עֹרָה, ’orah, “expose yourselves”; and חֲגוֹרָה, khagorah, “put on”) all appear to be lengthened (so-called “emphatic”) masculine singular forms, even though they too appear to be spoken to a feminine plural addressee. GKC 131-32 §48.i suggests emending חִרְדוּ (khirdu) to חֲרָדָה (kharadah) and understanding all five imperatives as feminine plural “aramaized” forms.
[32:12] 799 tc The Hebrew text has “over mourning breasts.” The reference to “breasts” would make sense in light of v. 11, which refers to the practice of women baring their breasts as a sign of sorrow (see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:585). However, one expects the preposition עַל (’al) to introduce the source or reason for mourning (see vv. 12b-13a) and the participle סֹפְדִים (sofedim, “mourning”) seems odd modifying “breasts.” The translation above assumes a twofold emendation: (1) שָׁדַיִם (shadayim, “breasts”) is emended to [ם]שָׂדַי (saday[m], “field,” a term that also appears in Isa 56:9). The final mem (ם) would be enclitic in this case, not a plural indicator. (The Hebrew noun שָׂדֶה (sadeh, “field”) forms its plural with an וֹת- [-ot] ending). (2) The plural participle סֹפְדִים is emended to סְפֹדָה (sÿfodah), a lengthened imperatival form, meaning “mourn.” For an overview of various suggestions that have been made for this difficult line, see Oswalt, 586, n. 12).
[32:13] 800 tn “Mourn” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.
[32:13] 801 tn Heb “indeed, over all the houses of joy.” It is not certain if this refers to individual homes or to places where parties and celebrations were held.
[32:13] 802 sn This same phrase is used in 22:2.
[32:14] 803 tn Or “noisy” (NAB, NIV, NCV).
[32:14] 804 tn Hebrew עֹפֶל (’ofel), probably refers here to a specific area within the city of Jerusalem. See HALOT 861 s.v. II עֹפֶל.
[32:14] 805 tn The Hebrew text has בְעַד מְעָרוֹת (vÿ’ad mÿ’arot). The force of בְעַד, which usually means “behind, through, round about,” or “for the benefit of,” is uncertain here. HALOT 616 s.v. *מְעָרָה takes מְעָרוֹת (mÿ’arot) as a homonym of “cave” and define it here as “cleared field.” Despite these lexical problems, the general point of the statement seems clear – the city will be uninhabited.
[32:14] 806 tn Heb “the joy of wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks.”
[32:15] 807 tn Heb “until a spirit is emptied out on us from on high.” The words “this desolation will continue” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic purposes. The verb עָרָה (’arah), used here in the Niphal, normally means “lay bare, expose.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is often understood here as a reference to the divine spirit (cf. 44:3 and NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT), but it appears here without an article (cf. NRSV “a spirit”), pronominal suffix, or a genitive (such as “of the Lord”). The translation assumes that it carries an impersonal nuance “vivacity, vigor” in this context.
[32:15] 808 sn The same statement appears in 29:17b, where, in conjunction with the preceding line, it appears to picture a reversal. Here it seems to depict supernatural growth. The desert will blossom into an orchard, and the trees of the orchard will multiply and grow tall, becoming a forest.
[32:16] 809 sn This new era of divine blessing will also include a moral/ethical transformation, as justice and fairness fill the land and replace the social injustice so prevalent in Isaiah’s time.
[32:17] 810 tn Heb “and the product of fairness will be peace.”
[32:17] 811 tn Heb “and the work of fairness [will be] calmness and security forever.”
[32:18] 812 tn Or “in safe resting places”; NAB, NRSV “quiet resting places.”
[32:19] 813 tn Heb “and [?] when the forest descends.” The form וּבָרַד (uvarad) is often understood as an otherwise unattested denominative verb meaning “to hail” (HALOT 154 s.v. I ברד). In this case one might translate, “and it hails when the forest is destroyed” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV). Perhaps the text alludes to a powerful wind and hail storm that knocks down limbs and trees. Some prefer to emend the form to וְיָרַד (vÿyarad), “and it descends,” which provides better, though not perfect, symmetry with the parallel line (cf. NAB). Perhaps וּבָרַד should be dismissed as dittographic. In this case the statement (“when the forest descends”) lacks a finite verb and seems incomplete, but perhaps it is subordinate to v. 20.
[32:19] 814 tn Heb “and in humiliation the city is laid low.”
[32:20] 815 tn Heb “by all the waters.”
[32:20] 816 tn Heb “who set free the foot of the ox and donkey”; NIV “letting your cattle and donkeys range free.”
[33:1] 817 tn Heb “Woe [to] the destroyer.”
[33:1] 818 tn Heb “and the deceitful one”; NAB, NIV “O traitor”; NRSV “you treacherous one.” In the parallel structure הוֹי (hoy, “woe [to]”) does double duty.
[33:1] 819 tc The form in the Hebrew text appears to derive from an otherwise unattested verb נָלָה (nalah). The translation follows the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa in reading ככלתך, a Piel infinitival form from the verbal root כָּלָה (kalah), meaning “finish.”
[33:2] 820 tn Heb “Be their arm each morning.” “Arm” is a symbol for strength. The mem suffixed to the noun has been traditionally understood as a third person suffix, but this is contrary to the context, where the people speak of themselves in the first person. The mem (מ) is probably enclitic with ellipsis of the pronoun, which can be supplied from the context. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:589, n. 1.
[33:2] 821 tn Heb “[Be] also our deliverance in the time of distress.”
[33:3] 822 tn Heb “at the sound of tumult the nations run away.”
[33:3] 823 tn Heb “because of your exaltation the nations scatter.”
[33:4] 824 tn The pronoun is plural; the statement is addressed to the nations who have stockpiled plunder from their conquests of others.
[33:4] 825 tn Heb “and your plunder is gathered, the gathering of the locust.”
[33:4] 826 tn Heb “like a swarm of locusts swarming on it.”
[33:5] 827 tn Or “elevated”; NCV, NLT “is very great.”
[33:5] 828 tn Or “for” (KJV, NASB, NIV).
[33:5] 829 tn Heb “on high” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “in the heavens.”
[33:6] 830 tn Heb “and he is the stability of your times.”
[33:6] 831 tn Heb “a rich store of deliverance, wisdom, and knowledge.”
[33:6] 832 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord, it is his treasure.”
[33:7] 833 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown. Proposals include “heroes” (cf. KJV, ASV “valiant ones”; NASB, NIV “brave men”); “priests,” “residents [of Jerusalem].” The present translation assumes that the term is synonymous with “messengers of peace,” with which it corresponds in the parallel structure of the verse.
[33:7] 834 tn Heb “messengers of peace,” apparently those responsible for negotiating the agreements that have been broken (see v. 8).
[33:8] 835 tn Or “desolate” (NAB, NASB); NIV, NRSV, NLT “deserted.”
[33:8] 836 tn Heb “the one passing by on the road ceases.”
[33:8] 837 tn Heb “one breaks a treaty”; NAB “Covenants are broken.”
[33:8] 838 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “he despises cities.” The term עָרִים (’arim, “cities”) is probably a corruption of an original עֵדִים (’edim, “[legal] witnesses”), a reading that is preserved in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa. Confusion of dalet (ד) and resh (ר) is a well-attested scribal error.
[33:8] 839 tn Heb “he does not regard human beings.”
[33:9] 840 tn Or “earth” (KJV); NAB “the country.”
[33:9] 841 tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. I אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism. See 24:4.
[33:9] 842 tn Heb “Lebanon is ashamed.” The Hiphil is exhibitive, expressing the idea, “exhibits shame.” In this context the statement alludes to the withering of vegetation.
[33:9] 843 sn Sharon was a fertile plain along the Mediterranean coast. See 35:2.
[33:9] 844 tn Or “the Arabah” (NIV). See 35:1.
[33:9] 845 sn Both of these areas were known for their trees and vegetation. See 2:13; 35:2.
[33:9] 846 tn Heb “shake off [their leaves]” (so ASV, NRSV); NAB “are stripped bare.”
[33:10] 847 tn Or “lift myself up” (KJV); NLT “show my power and might.”
[33:11] 848 tn The second person verb and pronominal forms in this verse are plural. The hostile nations are the addressed, as the next verse makes clear.
[33:11] 849 sn The hostile nations’ plans to destroy God’s people will come to nothing; their hostility will end up being self-destructive.
[33:12] 850 tn Heb “will be a burning to lime.” See Amos 2:1.
[33:14] 851 tn Or “trembling” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “shake with fear.”
[33:14] 852 tn Or “the defiled”; TEV “The sinful people of Zion”; NLT “The sinners in Jerusalem.”
[33:14] 853 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[33:14] 854 tn Or “perpetual”; or “everlasting” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[33:15] 855 tn Heb “walks” (so NASB, NIV).
[33:15] 856 tn Or, possibly, “justly”; NAB “who practices virtue.”
[33:15] 857 tn Heb “[who] shakes off his hands from grabbing hold of a bribe.”
[33:15] 858 tn Heb “[who] shuts his ear from listening to bloodshed.”
[33:15] 859 tn Heb “[who] closes his eyes from seeing evil.”
[33:16] 860 tn Heb “he [in the] exalted places will live.”
[33:16] 861 tn Heb “mountain strongholds, cliffs [will be] his elevated place.”
[33:17] 862 tn Heb “your eyes will see a king in his beauty”; NIV, NRSV “the king.”
[33:17] 863 tn Heb “a land of distances,” i.e., an extensive land.
[33:18] 864 tn Heb “your heart will meditate on terror.”
[33:18] 865 tn The words “and you will ask yourselves” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
[33:18] 866 sn The people refer to various Assyrian officials who were responsible for determining the amount of taxation or tribute Judah must pay to the Assyrian king.
[33:19] 867 tn The Hebrew form נוֹעָז (no’az) is a Niphal participle derived from יָעַז (ya’az, an otherwise unattested verb) or from עָזָז (’azaz, “be strong,” unattested elsewhere in the Niphal). Some prefer to emend the form to לוֹעֵז (lo’ez) which occurs in Ps 114:1 with the meaning “speak a foreign language.” See HALOT 809 s.v. עזז, 533 s.v. לעז. In this case, one might translate “people who speak a foreign language.”
[33:19] 868 tn Heb “a people too deep of lip to hear.” The phrase “deep of lip” must be an idiom meaning “lips that speak words that are unfathomable [i.e., incomprehensible].”
[33:19] 869 tn Heb “derision of tongue there is no understanding.” The Niphal of לָעַג (la’ag) occurs only here. In the Qal and Hiphil the verb means “to deride, mock.” A related noun is used in 28:11.
[33:20] 870 tn Heb “your eyes” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[33:20] 871 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[33:20] 872 tn Or “that does not travel”; NASB “which shall not be folded.”
[33:21] 873 tn Heb “But there [as] a mighty one [will be] the Lord for us.”
[33:21] 874 tn Heb “a place of rivers, streams wide of hands [i.e., on both sides].”
[33:21] 875 tn Heb “a ship of rowing will not go into it.”
[33:21] 876 tn Heb “and a mighty ship will not pass through it.”
[33:23] 877 tn The words “though at this time” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The first half of the verse is addressed to Judah and contrasts the nation’s present weakness with its future prosperity. Judah is compared to a ship that is incapable of sailing.
[33:23] 878 tn Heb “they do not fasten the base of their mast.” On כֵּן (ken, “base”) see BDB 487 s.v. III כֵּן and HALOT 483 s.v. III כֵּן.
[33:23] 879 tn Or perhaps, “flag.”
[33:23] 880 tn Heb “then there will be divided up loot of plunder [in] abundance.”
[33:23] 881 sn Judah’s victory over its enemies will be so thorough there will be more than enough plunder for everyone, even slow-moving lame men who would normally get left out in the rush to gather the loot.
[33:24] 882 tn The words “of Zion” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[34:1] 883 tn Heb “the world and its offspring”; NASB “the world and all that springs from it.”
[34:3] 884 tn Heb “will be cast aside”; NASB, NIV “thrown out.”
[34:3] 885 tn Heb “[as for] their corpses, their stench will arise.”
[34:3] 886 tn Heb “hills will dissolve from their blood.”
[34:4] 887 tc Heb “and all the host of heaven will rot.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa inserts “and the valleys will be split open,” but this reading may be influenced by Mic 1:4. On the other hand, the statement, if original, could have been omitted by homoioarcton, a scribe’s eye jumping from the conjunction prefixed to “the valleys” to the conjunction prefixed to the verb “rot.”
[34:4] 888 tn Heb “like the withering of a leaf from a vine, and like the withering from a fig tree.”
[34:5] 889 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord speaks at this point.
[34:5] 890 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] my sword is drenched in the heavens.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has תראה (“[my sword] appeared [in the heavens]”), but this is apparently an attempt to make sense out of a difficult metaphor. Cf. NIV “My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens.”
[34:5] 891 sn Edom is mentioned here as epitomizing the hostile nations that oppose God.
[34:6] 892 tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.
[34:6] 893 tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:6] 894 tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:6] 895 tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”
[34:6] 896 sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.
[34:6] 897 tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[34:7] 898 tn Heb “will go down”; NAB “shall be struck down.”
[34:7] 899 tn Heb “and bulls along with strong ones.” Perhaps this refers to the leaders.
[34:8] 900 tn Heb “for a day of vengeance [is] for the Lord.”
[34:8] 901 tn Heb “a year of repayment for the strife of Zion.” The translation assumes that רִיב (riv) refers to Edom’s hostility toward Zion. Another option is to understand רִיב (riv) as referring to the Lord’s taking up Zion’s cause. In this case one might translate, “a time when he will repay Edom and vindicate Zion.”
[34:9] 902 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Edom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:10] 903 tn Heb “it will not be extinguished.”
[34:11] 904 tn קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (cf. Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). קִפּוֹד (qippod) may also refer to a type of bird (NAB “hoot owl”; NIV “screech owl”; TEV “ravens”), but some have suggested a rodent may be in view (cf. NCV “small animals”; ASV “porcupine”; NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”).
[34:11] 905 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV).
[34:11] 906 tn The Hebrew text has יַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב (yanshof vÿ’orev). Both the יַנְשׁוֹף (“owl”; see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16) and עֹרֵב (“raven”; Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) were types of wild birds.
[34:11] 907 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:11] 908 tn Heb “stones,” i.e., the stones used in a plumb bob.
[34:11] 909 sn The metaphor in v. 11b emphasizes that God has carefully planned Edom’s demise.
[34:12] 910 tn Heb “will be nothing”; NCV, TEV, NLT “will all be gone.”
[34:13] 911 tn The words “will grow” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:13] 912 tc Heb “and she will be a settlement for wild dogs, a dwelling place for ostriches.” The translation assumes an emendation of חָצִיר (khatsir, “grass”) to חָצֵר (khatser, “settlement”). One of the Qumran scrolls of Isaiah (1QIsaa) supports this emendation (cf. HALOT 344 s.v. II חָצִיר)
[34:14] 913 tn Heb “will meet” (so NIV); NLT “will mingle there.”
[34:14] 914 tn Heb “and a goat will call to its neighbor.”
[34:14] 915 tn The precise meaning of לִּילִית (lilit) is unclear, though in this context the word certainly refers to some type of wild animal or bird. The word appears to be related to לַיְלָה (laylah, “night”). Some interpret it as the name of a female night demon, on the basis of an apparent Akkadian cognate used as the name of a demon. Later Jewish legends also identified Lilith as a demon. Cf. NRSV “Lilith.”
[34:14] 916 tn Heb “and will find for themselves a resting place.”
[34:15] 917 tn Hebrew קִפּוֹז (qippoz) occurs only here; the precise meaning of the word is uncertain.
[34:15] 918 tn For this proposed meaning for Hebrew מָלַט (malat), see HALOT 589 s.v. I מלט.
[34:15] 919 tn Heb “and brood [over them] in her shadow.”
[34:15] 920 tn The precise meaning of דַּיָּה (dayyah) is uncertain, though the term appears to refer to some type of bird of prey, perhaps a vulture.
[34:16] 921 tn Heb “Seek from upon the scroll of the Lord and read.”
[34:16] 922 tn Heb “one from these will not be missing.” הֵנָּה (hennah, “these”) is feminine plural in the Hebrew text. It may refer only to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or may include all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
[34:16] 923 tn Heb “each its mate they will not lack.”
[34:16] 924 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for a mouth, it has commanded.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and a few medieval
[34:16] 925 tn Heb “and his spirit, he gathers them.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
[34:17] 926 tn Heb “and he causes the lot to fall for them.” Once again the pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
[34:17] 927 tn Heb “and his hand divides for them with a measuring line.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) now switches to masculine plural, referring to all the animals and birds mentioned in vv. 11-15, some of which were identified with masculine nouns. This signals closure for this portion of the speech, which began in v. 11. The following couplet (v. 17b) forms an inclusio with v. 11a through verbal repetition.
[34:17] 928 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV); NCV “they will own that land forever.”
[35:1] 929 tn The final mem (ם) on the verb יְשֻׂשׂוּם (yÿsusum) is dittographic (note the initial mem on the following noun מִדְבָּר [midbar]). The ambiguous verbal form is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel). The jussive is used rhetorically here, not as a literal command or prayer.
[35:1] 930 tn Or “Arabah” (NASB); NAB, NIV, TEV “desert.”
[35:2] 931 tn The ambiguous verb form תִּפְרַח (tifrakh) is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel).
[35:2] 932 tn Heb “and let it rejoice, yes [with] rejoicing and shouting.” גִּילַת (gilat) may be an archaic feminine nominal form (see GKC 421 §130.b).
[35:2] 933 tn Or “glory” (KJV, NIV, NRSV); also a second time later in this verse.
[35:3] 934 tn Heb “staggering knees”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “feeble knees”; NIV “knees that give way.”
[35:4] 935 tn Heb “Say to the hasty of heart,” i.e., those whose hearts beat quickly from fear.
[35:4] 936 tn The jussive form וְיֹשַׁעֲכֶם (vÿyosha’akhem), which is subordinated to the preceding imperfect with vav conjunctive, indicates purpose.
[35:6] 937 tn Heb “burst forth” (so NAB); KJV “break out.”
[35:6] 938 tn Or “Arabah” (NASB); KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT “desert.”
[35:8] 939 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and there will be there a road and a way, and the Way of Holiness it will be called.” וְדֶרֶךְ (vÿderekh, “and a/the way”) is accidentally duplicated; the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa does not reflect the repetition of the phrase.
[35:8] 940 tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The text reads literally “and it is for them, the one who walks [on the] way.” In this context those authorized to use the Way of Holiness would be morally upright people who are the recipients of God’s deliverance, in contrast to the morally impure and foolish who are excluded from the new covenant community.
[35:8] 941 tn In this context “fools” are those who are morally corrupt, not those with limited intellectual capacity.
[35:9] 942 tn Heb “will go up on it”; TEV “will pass that way.”
[35:10] 943 tn Heb “and the redeemed will walk, the ransomed of the Lord will return.”
[35:10] 944 tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.
[35:10] 945 tn Heb “will overtake” (NIV); NLT “they will be overcome with.”
[35:10] 946 tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee”; KJV “sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
