Discovery BoxIsaiah 14:1--18:7
Context14:1 The Lord will certainly have compassion on Jacob; 1 he will again choose Israel as his special people 2 and restore 3 them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family 4 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. 5 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, 6 and from the hard labor which you were made to perform, 14:4 you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: 7
“Look how the oppressor has met his end!
Hostility 8 has ceased!
14:5 The Lord has broken the club of the wicked,
the scepter of rulers.
14:6 It 9 furiously struck down nations
with unceasing blows. 10
It angrily ruled over nations,
oppressing them without restraint. 11
14:7 The whole earth rests and is quiet;
they break into song.
14:8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, 12
as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, 13
‘Since you fell asleep, 14
no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’ 15
14:9 Sheol 16 below is stirred up about you,
ready to meet you when you arrive.
It rouses 17 the spirits of the dead for you,
all the former leaders of the earth; 18
it makes all the former kings of the nations
rise from their thrones. 19
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 20 has been brought down to Sheol,
as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. 21
You lie on a bed of maggots,
with a blanket of worms over you. 22
14:12 Look how you have fallen from the sky,
O shining one, son of the dawn! 23
You have been cut down to the ground,
O conqueror 24 of the nations! 25
14:13 You said to yourself, 26
“I will climb up to the sky.
Above the stars of El 27
I will set up my throne.
I will rule on the mountain of assembly
on the remote slopes of Zaphon. 28
14:14 I will climb up to the tops 29 of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High!” 30
14:15 But you were brought down 31 to Sheol,
to the remote slopes of the pit. 32
14:16 Those who see you stare at you,
they look at you carefully, thinking: 33
“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 34 cities,
and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”’ 35
14:18 36 As for all the kings of the nations,
all of them 37 lie down in splendor, 38
each in his own tomb. 39
14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave
like a shoot that is thrown away. 40
You lie among 41 the slain,
among those who have been slashed by the sword,
among those headed for 42 the stones of the pit, 43
as if you were a mangled corpse. 44
14:20 You will not be buried with them, 45
because you destroyed your land
and killed your people.
The offspring of the wicked
will never be mentioned again.
14:21 Prepare to execute 46 his sons
for the sins their ancestors have committed. 47
They must not rise up and take possession of the earth,
or fill the surface of the world with cities.” 48
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, 49
including the offspring she produces,” 50
says the Lord.
14:23 “I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals 51
and covered with pools of stagnant water.
I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,” 52
says the Lord who commands armies.
14:24 53 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 54 in my land,
I will trample them 55 underfoot on my hills.
Their yoke will be removed from my people,
the burden will be lifted from their shoulders. 56
14:26 This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth;
my hand is ready to strike all the nations.” 57
14:27 Indeed, 58 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? 59
14:28 In the year King Ahaz died, 60 this message was revealed: 61
14:29 Don’t be so happy, all you Philistines,
just because the club that beat you has been broken! 62
For a viper will grow out of the serpent’s root,
and its fruit will be a darting adder. 63
14:30 The poor will graze in my pastures; 64
the needy will rest securely.
But I will kill your root by famine;
it will put to death all your survivors. 65
14:31 Wail, O city gate!
Cry out, O city!
Melt with fear, 66 all you Philistines!
For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke,
and there are no stragglers in its ranks. 67
14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? 68
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, 69
the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. 70
Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, 71 Moab wails.
Every head is shaved bare,
every beard is trimmed off. 72
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 73 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. 74
15:5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, 75
and for the fugitives 76 stretched out 77 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. 78
15:6 For the waters of Nimrim are gone; 79
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. 80
15:9 Indeed, the waters of Dimon 81 are full of blood!
Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. 82
A lion will attack 83 the Moabite fugitives
and the people left in the land.
16:1 Send rams as tribute to the ruler of the land, 84
from Sela in the desert 85
to the hill of Daughter Zion.
16:2 At the fords of the Arnon 86
the Moabite women are like a bird
that flies about when forced from its nest. 87
16:3 “Bring a plan, make a decision! 88
Provide some shade in the middle of the day! 89
Hide the fugitives! Do not betray 90 the one who tries to escape!
16:4 Please let the Moabite fugitives live 91 among you.
Hide them 92 from the destroyer!”
Certainly 93 the one who applies pressure will cease, 94
the destroyer will come to an end,
those who trample will disappear 95 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. 96
He will be sure to make just decisions
and will be experienced in executing justice. 97
16:6 We have heard about Moab’s pride,
their great arrogance,
their boasting, pride, and excess. 98
But their boastful claims are empty! 99
16:7 So Moab wails over its demise 100 –
they all wail!
Completely devastated, they moan
about what has happened to the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth. 101
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 102
over the vines of Sibmah.
I will saturate you 103 with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh,
for the conquering invaders shout triumphantly
over your fruit and crops. 104
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 105 –
I have brought the joyful shouts to an end. 106
16:11 So my heart constantly sighs for Moab, like the strumming of a harp, 107
my inner being sighs 108 for Kir Hareseth. 109
16:12 When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, 110
and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective! 111
16:13 This is the message the Lord previously announced about Moab. 16:14 Now the Lord makes this announcement: “Within exactly three years 112 Moab’s splendor will disappear, along with all her many people; there will be just a few, insignificant survivors left.” 113
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. 114
They will be used for herds,
which will lie down there in peace. 115
17:3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim,
and Damascus will lose its kingdom. 116
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, 118
and he will become skin and bones. 119
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 120 men will trust in their creator; 121
they will depend on 122 the Holy One of Israel. 123
17:8 They will no longer trust in 124 the altars their hands made,
or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made. 125
17:9 At that time 126 their fortified cities will be
like the abandoned summits of the Amorites, 127
which they abandoned because of the Israelites;
there will be desolation.
17:10 For you ignore 128 the God who rescues you;
you pay no attention to your strong protector. 129
So this is what happens:
You cultivate beautiful plants
and plant exotic vines. 130
17:11 The day you begin cultivating, you do what you can to make it grow; 131
the morning you begin planting, you do what you can to make it sprout.
Yet the harvest will disappear 132 in the day of disease
and incurable pain.
17:12 The many nations massing together are as good as dead, 133
those who make a commotion as loud as the roaring of the sea’s waves. 134
The people making such an uproar are as good as dead, 135
those who make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves. 136
17:13 Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves, 137
when he shouts at 138 them, they will flee to a distant land,
driven before the wind like dead weeds on the hills,
or like dead thistles 139 before a strong gale.
17:14 In the evening there is sudden terror; 140
by morning they vanish. 141
This is the fate of those who try to plunder us,
the destiny of those who try to loot us! 142
18:1 The land of buzzing wings is as good as dead, 143
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, 144
to a people that are feared far and wide, 145
to a nation strong and victorious, 146
whose land rivers divide. 147
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 148 and watch from my place,
like scorching heat produced by the sunlight, 149
like a cloud of mist 150 in the heat 151 of harvest.” 152
18:5 For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted,
and the ripening fruit appears, 153
he will cut off the unproductive shoots 154 with pruning knives;
he will prune the tendrils. 155
18:6 They will all be left 156 for the birds of the hills
and the wild animals; 157
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. 158
The tribute 159 will be brought to the place where the Lord who commands armies has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion. 160
[14:1] 1 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] 2 tn The words “as his special people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:1] 3 tn Or “settle” (NASB, NIV, NCV, NLT).
[14:2] 5 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] 9 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] 13 tn Heb “you will lift up this taunt over the king of Babylon, saying.”
[14:4] 14 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] 17 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] 18 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] 19 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] 21 tn Heb “concerning you.”
[14:8] 22 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] 23 tn Heb “lay down” (in death); cf. NAB “laid to rest.”
[14:8] 24 tn Heb “the [wood]cutter does not come up against us.”
[14:9] 25 sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.
[14:9] 26 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] 27 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] 28 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] 29 tn Or “pride” (NCV, CEV); KJV, NIV, NRSV “pomp.”
[14:11] 30 tn Or “harps” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[14:11] 31 tn Heb “under you maggots are spread out, and worms are your cover.”
[14:12] 33 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] 34 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] 35 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] 37 tn Heb “you, you said in your heart.”
[14:13] 38 sn In Canaanite mythology the stars of El were astral deities under the authority of the high god El.
[14:13] 39 sn Zaphon, the Canaanite version of Olympus, was the “mountain of assembly” where the gods met.
[14:14] 41 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] 42 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] 45 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] 46 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] 49 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] 53 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] 54 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] 57 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] 58 tc The phrase “all of them” does not appear in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa.
[14:18] 59 sn This refers to the typically extravagant burial of kings.
[14:18] 60 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] 61 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] 62 tn Heb “are clothed with.”
[14:19] 63 tn Heb “those going down to.”
[14:19] 64 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] 65 tn Heb “like a trampled corpse.” Some take this line with what follows.
[14:20] 65 tn Heb “you will not be united with them in burial” (so NASB).
[14:21] 69 tn Or “the place of slaughter for.”
[14:21] 70 tn Heb “for the sin of their fathers.”
[14:21] 71 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] 73 tn Heb “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant” (ASV, NAB, and NRSV all similar).
[14:22] 74 tn Heb “descendant and child.”
[14:23] 77 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] 78 tn Heb “I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”
[14:24] 81 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] 85 tn Heb “to break Assyria.”
[14:25] 86 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] 87 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] 89 tn Heb “and this is the hand that is outstretched over all the nations.”
[14:27] 93 tn Or “For” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[14:27] 94 tn Heb “His hand is outstretched and who will turn it back?”
[14:28] 97 sn Perhaps 715
[14:28] 98 tn Heb “this oracle came.”
[14:29] 101 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] 102 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] 105 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] 106 tn Heb “your remnant” (so NAB, NRSV).
[14:31] 109 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] 110 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] 113 sn The question forces the Philistines to consider the dilemma they will face – surrender and oppression, or battle and death.
[15:2] 118 tn Heb “even Dibon [to] the high places to weep.” The verb “went up” does double duty in the parallel structure.
[15:2] 119 tn Heb “over [or “for”] Nebo and over [or “for”] Medeba.”
[15:2] 120 sn Shaving the head and beard were outward signs of mourning and grief.
[15:4] 121 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[15:4] 122 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] 125 tn Heb “for Moab.” For rhetorical purposes the speaker (the Lord?, see v. 9) plays the role of a mourner.
[15:5] 126 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] 127 tn The words “are stretched out” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:5] 128 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] 129 tn Heb “are waste places”; cf. NRSV “are a desolation.”
[15:8] 133 tn Heb “to Eglaim [is] her wailing, and [to] Beer Elim [is] her wailing.”
[15:9] 137 tc The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads “Dibon” instead of “Dimon” in this verse.
[15:9] 138 tn Heb “Indeed I will place on Dimon added things.” Apparently the Lord is speaking.
[15:9] 139 tn The words “will attack” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[16:1] 141 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] 142 tn The Hebrew text has “toward [across?] the desert.”
[16:2] 145 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] 146 tn Heb “like a bird fleeing, thrust away [from] a nest, the daughters of Moab are [at] the fords of Arnon.”
[16:3] 149 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] 150 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] 151 tn Heb “disclose, uncover.”
[16:4] 153 tn That is, “live as resident foreigners.”
[16:4] 154 tn Heb “Be a hiding place for them.”
[16:4] 155 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] 156 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] 157 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] 157 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] 158 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] 161 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] 162 tn Heb “not so his boasting.”
[16:7] 165 tn Heb “So Moab wails for Moab.”
[16:7] 166 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] 169 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] 170 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] 171 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] 173 tn Heb “wine in the vats the treader does not tread.”
[16:10] 174 sn The Lord appears to be the speaker here. See 15:9.
[16:11] 177 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] 178 tn The verb is supplied in the translation; “sighs” in the preceding line does double duty in the parallel structure.
[16:11] 179 tn Heb “Kir Heres” (so ASV, NRSV, TEV, CEV), a variant name for “Kir Hareseth” (see v. 7).
[16:12] 181 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] 182 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] 185 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] 186 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] 189 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] 190 tn Heb “and they lie down and there is no one scaring [them].”
[17:3] 193 tn Heb “and kingship from Damascus”; cf. NASB “And sovereignty from Damascus.”
[17:4] 197 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] 198 tn Heb “will be tiny.”
[17:4] 199 tn Heb “and the fatness of his flesh will be made lean.”
[17:7] 201 tn Heb “in that day” (so ASV, NASB, NIV); KJV “At that day.”
[17:7] 202 tn Heb “man will gaze toward his maker.”
[17:7] 203 tn Heb “his eyes will look toward.”
[17:7] 204 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[17:8] 205 tn Heb “he will not gaze toward.”
[17:8] 206 tn Heb “and that which his fingers made he will not see, the Asherah poles and the incense altars.”
[17:9] 209 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
[17:9] 210 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] 213 tn Heb “you have forgotten” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[17:10] 214 tn Heb “and the rocky cliff of your strength you do not remember.”
[17:10] 215 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] 217 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] 218 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] 221 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] 222 tn Heb “like the loud noise of the seas, they make a loud noise.”
[17:12] 223 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] 224 tn Heb “like the uproar of mighty waters they are in an uproar.”
[17:13] 225 tn Heb “the peoples are in an uproar like the uproar of mighty waters.”
[17:13] 226 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] 227 tn Or perhaps “tumbleweed” (NAB, NIV, CEV); KJV “like a rolling thing.”
[17:14] 229 tn Heb “at the time of evening, look, sudden terror.”
[17:14] 230 tn Heb “before morning he is not.”
[17:14] 231 tn Heb “this is the portion of those who plunder us, and the lot of those who loot us.”
[18:1] 233 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] 237 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] 238 tn Heb “from it and onwards.” HALOT 245 s.v. הָלְאָה suggests the translation “far and wide.”
[18:2] 239 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] 240 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] 241 tn Or “be quiet, inactive”; NIV “will remain quiet.”
[18:4] 242 tn Heb “like the glowing heat because of light.” The precise meaning of the line is uncertain.
[18:4] 243 tn Heb “a cloud of dew,” or “a cloud of light rain.”
[18:4] 244 tc Some medieval Hebrew
[18:4] 245 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] 245 tn Heb “and the unripe, ripening fruit is maturing.”
[18:5] 246 tn On the meaning of זַלְזַל (zalzal, “shoot [of the vine] without fruit buds”) see HALOT 272 s.v. *זַלְזַל.
[18:5] 247 tn Heb “the tendrils he will remove, he will cut off.”
[18:6] 249 tn Heb “they will be left together” (so NASB).
[18:6] 250 tn Heb “the beasts of the earth” (so KJV, NASB).
[18:7] 253 tn On the interpretive difficulties of this verse, see the notes at v. 2, where the same terminology is used.
[18:7] 254 tn The words “the tribute” are repeated here in the translation for clarity.
[18:7] 255 tn Heb “to the place of the name of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], Mount Zion.”
