Isaiah 19:17

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. ¹ 

Isaiah 23:15

23:15 At that time ²  Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, ³  the typical life span of a king. ⁴  At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song: ⁵ 

Isaiah 29:13

29:13 The sovereign master ⁶  says,

“These people say they are loyal to me; ⁷ 

they say wonderful things about me, ⁸ 

but they are not really loyal to me. ⁹ 

Their worship consists of

nothing but man-made ritual. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 31:2

31:2 Yet he too is wise ¹¹  and he will bring disaster;

he does not retract his decree. ¹² 

He will attack the wicked nation, ¹³ 

and the nation that helps ¹⁴  those who commit sin. ¹⁵ 

Isaiah 37:7

37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; ¹⁶  he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down ¹⁷  with a sword in his own land.”’”

Isaiah 38:3

38:3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you ¹⁸  faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, ¹⁹  and how I have carried out your will.” ²⁰  Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. ²¹ 

Isaiah 47:10

47:10 You were complacent in your evil deeds; ²² 

you thought, ²³  ‘No one sees me.’

Your self-professed ²⁴  wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,

when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’ ²⁵ 

Isaiah 47:13

47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. ²⁶ 

Let them take their stand –

the ones who see omens in the sky,

who gaze at the stars,

who make monthly predictions –

let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! ²⁷ 

Isaiah 52:15

52:15 his form was so marred he no longer looked human ²⁸  –

so now ²⁹  he will startle ³⁰  many nations.

Kings will be shocked by his exaltation, ³¹ 

for they will witness something unannounced to them,

and they will understand something they had not heard about.

Isaiah 54:4

54:4 Don’t be afraid, for you will not be put to shame!

Don’t be intimidated, ³²  for you will not be humiliated!

You will forget about the shame you experienced in your youth;

you will no longer remember the disgrace of your abandonment. ³³ 

Isaiah 55:7

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ³⁴ 

and sinful people their plans. ³⁵ 

They should return ³⁶  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ³⁷ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ³⁸ 

Isaiah 57:1

57:1 The godly ³⁹  perish,

but no one cares. ⁴⁰ 

Honest people disappear, ⁴¹ 

when no one ⁴²  minds ⁴³ 

that the godly ⁴⁴  disappear ⁴⁵  because of ⁴⁶  evil. ⁴⁷ 

Isaiah 57:11

57:11 Whom are you worried about?

Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully

and not remember me

or think about me? ⁴⁸ 

Because I have been silent for so long, ⁴⁹ 

you are not afraid of me. ⁵⁰ 

Isaiah 63:17

63:17 Why, Lord, do you make us stray ⁵¹  from your ways, ⁵² 

and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you? ⁵³ 

Return for the sake of your servants,

the tribes of your inheritance!

Isaiah 64:5

64:5 You assist ⁵⁴  those who delight in doing what is right, ⁵⁵ 

who observe your commandments. ⁵⁶ 

Look, you were angry because we violated them continually.

How then can we be saved? ⁵⁷ 

[19:17]  ¹ 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.”

[23:15]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “like the days of a king.”

[23:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “At the end of seventy years it will be for Tyre like the song of the prostitute.”

[29:13]  ³ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

[29:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”

[29:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”

[29:13]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”

[31:2]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he does not turn aside [i.e., “retract”] his words”; NIV “does not take back his words.”

[31:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he will arise against the house of the wicked.”

[31:2]  ⁷ sn That is, Egypt.

[31:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “and against the help of the doers of sin.”

[37:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the Lord’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.

[37:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “cause him to fall” (so KJV, ASV, NAB), that is, “kill him.”

[38:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254.

[38:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “and with a complete heart”; KJV, ASV “with a perfect heart.”

[38:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.”

[38:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “wept with great weeping”; NCV “cried loudly”; TEV “began to cry bitterly.”

[47:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “you trusted in your evil”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “wickedness.”

[47:10]  ⁸ tn Or “said”; NAB “said to yourself”’ NASB “said in your heart.”

[47:10]  ⁹ tn The words “self-professed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[47:10]  ¹⁰ tn See the note at v. 8.

[47:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “you are tired because of the abundance of your advice.”

[47:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “let them stand and rescue you – the ones who see omens in the sky, who gaze at the stars, who make known by months – from those things which are coming upon you.”

[52:15]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Heb “Because of him kings will shut their mouths,” i.e., be speechless.

[54:4]  ¹⁰ tn Or “embarrassed”; NASB “humiliated…disgraced.”

[54:4]  ¹¹ tn Another option is to translate, “the disgrace of our widowhood” (so NRSV). However, the following context (vv. 6-7) refers to Zion’s husband, the Lord, abandoning her, not dying. This suggests that an אַלְמָנָה (’almanah) was a woman who had lost her husband, whether by death or abandonment.

[55:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹² tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ¹⁴ tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ¹⁵ sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.

[57:1]  ¹² tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man”; TEV “Good people.”

[57:1]  ¹³ tn Or perhaps, “understands.” Heb “and there is no man who sets [it] upon [his] heart.”

[57:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Men of loyalty are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”

[57:1]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew term בְּאֵין (bÿ’en) often has the nuance “when there is no.” See Prov 8:24; 11;14; 14:4; 15:22; 26:20; 29:18.

[57:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “realizes”; Heb “understands” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[57:1]  ¹⁷ tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man.”

[57:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”

[57:1]  ¹⁹ tn The term מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne, “from the face of”) often has a causal nuance. It also appears with the Niphal of אָסַף (’asaph, “gather”) in 2 Chr 12:5: אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפוּ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַם מִפְּנֵי שִׁישָׁק (’asher-ne’esphu ’el-yÿrushalam mippÿney shishaq, “who had gathered at Jerusalem because of [i.e., due to fear of] Shishak”).

[57:1]  ²⁰ tn The translation assumes that this verse, in proverbial fashion, laments society’s apathy over the persecution of the godly. The second half of the verse observes that such apathy results in more widespread oppression. Since the next verse pictures the godly being taken to a place of rest, some interpret the second half of v. 1 in a more positive vein. According to proponents of this view, God removes the godly so that they might be spared suffering and calamity, a fact which the general populace fails to realize.

[57:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “you do not place [it] on your heart.”

[57:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Is it not [because] I have been silent, and from long ago?”

[57:11]  ¹⁵ sn God’s patience with sinful Israel has caused them to think that they can sin with impunity and suffer no consequences.

[63:17]  ¹⁴ tn Some suggest a tolerative use of the Hiphil here, “[why do] you allow us to stray?” (cf. NLT). Though the Hiphil of תָעָה (ta’ah) appears to be tolerative in Jer 50:6, elsewhere it is preferable or necessary to take it as causative. See Isa 3:12; 9:15; and 30:28, as well as Gen 20:13; 2 Kgs 21:9; Job 12:24-25; Prov 12:26; Jer 23:13, 32; Hos 4:12; Amos 2:4; Mic 3:5.

[63:17]  ¹⁵ tn This probably refers to God’s commands.

[63:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[Why do] you harden our heart[s] so as not to fear you.” The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[64:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “meet [with kindness].”

[64:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the one who rejoices and does righteousness.”

[64:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “in your ways they remember you.”

[64:5]  ¹⁸ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “look, you were angry and we sinned against them continually [or perhaps, “in ancient times”] and we were delivered.” The statement makes little sense as it stands. The first vav [ו] consecutive (“and we sinned”) must introduce an explanatory clause here (see Num 1:48 and Isa 39:1 for other examples of this relatively rare use of the vav [ו] consecutive). The final verb (if rendered positively) makes no sense in this context – God’s anger at their sin resulted in judgment, not deliverance. One of the alternatives involves an emendation to וַנִּרְשָׁע (vannirsha’, “and we were evil”; LXX, NRSV, TEV). The Vulgate and the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a support the MT reading. One can either accept an emendation or cast the statement as a question (as above).