Isaiah 16:2

16:2 At the fords of the Arnon ¹ 

the Moabite women are like a bird

that flies about when forced from its nest. ² 

Isaiah 24:10

24:10 The ruined town ³  is shattered;

all of the houses are shut up tight. ⁴ 

Isaiah 37:37

37:37 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. ⁵ 

Isaiah 63:8

63:8 He said, “Certainly they will be my people,

children who are not disloyal.” ⁶ 

He became their deliverer.

[16:2]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “like a bird fleeing, thrust away [from] a nest, the daughters of Moab are [at] the fords of Arnon.”

[24:10]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”

[37:37]  ⁵ tn Heb “and Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned and lived in Nineveh.”

[63:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “children [who] do not act deceitfully.” Here the verb refers to covenantal loyalty.