Isaiah 17:8

17:8 They will no longer trust in ¹  the altars their hands made,

or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made. ² 

Isaiah 44:7

44:7 Who is like me? Let him make his claim! ³ 

Let him announce it and explain it to me –

since I established an ancient people – ⁴ 

let them announce future events! ⁵ 

Isaiah 52:15

52:15 his form was so marred he no longer looked human ⁶  –

so now ⁷  he will startle ⁸  many nations.

Kings will be shocked by his exaltation, ⁹ 

for they will witness something unannounced to them,

and they will understand something they had not heard about.

[17:8]  ¹ tn Heb “he will not gaze toward.”

[17:8]  ² tn Heb “and that which his fingers made he will not see, the Asherah poles and the incense altars.”

[44:7]  ³ tn Heb “let him call” or “let him proclaim” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “Let him stand up and speak.”

[44:7]  ⁴ tc The Hebrew text reads, “from (the time) I established an ancient people, and the coming things.” Various emendations have been proposed. One of the options assumes the reading מַשְׁמִיעִים מֵעוֹלָם אוֹתִיּוֹת (mashmi’im me’olam ’otiyyot); This literally reads “the ones causing to hear from antiquity coming things,” but more idiomatically would read “as for those who predict from antiquity what will happen” (cf. NAB, NEB, REB). The emendation directs the attention of the reader to those who claim to be able to predict the future, challenging them to actually do what they claim they can do. The MT presents Yahweh as an example to whom these alleged “predictors of the future” can compare themselves. Since the ancient versions are unanimous in their support of the MT, the emendations should be set aside.

[44:7]  ⁵ tn Heb and those things which are coming let them declare for themselves.”

[52:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “and his form from the sons of men.” The preposition מִן (min) here carries the sense “away from,” i.e., “so as not to be.”

[52:15]  ⁶ tn This statement completes the sentence begun in v. 14a. The introductory כֵּן (ken) answers to the introductory כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka’asher) of v. 14a. Verses 14b-15a are parenthetical, explaining why many were horrified.

[52:15]  ⁷ tn Traditionally the verb יַזֶּה (yazzeh, a Hiphil stem) has been understood as a causative of נָזָה (nazah, “spurt, spatter”) and translated “sprinkle.” In this case the passage pictures the servant as a priest who “sprinkles” (or spiritually cleanses) the nations. Though the verb נָזָה does occur in the Hiphil with the meaning “sprinkle,” the usual interpretation is problematic. In all other instances where the object or person sprinkled is indicated, the verb is combined with a preposition. This is not the case in Isaiah 52:15, unless one takes the following עָלָיו (’alayv, “on him”) with the preceding line. But then one would have to emend the verb to a plural, make the nations the subject of the verb “sprinkle,” and take the servant as the object. Consequently some interpreters doubt the cultic idea of “sprinkling” is present here. Some emend the text; others propose a homonymic root meaning “spring, leap,” which in the Hiphil could mean “cause to leap, startle” and would fit the parallelism of the verse nicely.

[52:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “Because of him kings will shut their mouths,” i.e., be speechless.