Isaiah 19:20

19:20 It ¹  will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt of ²  the Lord who commands armies. When they cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a deliverer and defender ³  who will rescue them.

Isaiah 37:12

37:12 Were the nations whom my predecessors ⁴  destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? ⁵ 

Isaiah 42:22

42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;

all of them are trapped in pits ⁶ 

and held captive ⁷  in prisons.

They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;

they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!” ⁸ 

Isaiah 44:17

44:17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol;

he bows down to it and worships it.

He prays to it, saying,

‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’

Isaiah 44:20

44:20 He feeds on ashes; ⁹ 

his deceived mind misleads him.

He cannot rescue himself,

nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 47:14

47:14 Look, they are like straw,

which the fire burns up;

they cannot rescue themselves

from the heat ¹¹  of the flames.

There are no coals to warm them,

no firelight to enjoy. ¹² 

Isaiah 57:13

57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols ¹³  help you!

The wind blows them all away, ¹⁴ 

a breeze carries them away. ¹⁵ 

But the one who looks to me for help ¹⁶  will inherit the land

and will have access to ¹⁷  my holy mountain.”

[19:20]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ tn רָב (rav) is a substantival participle (from רִיב, riv) meaning “one who strives, contends.”

[37:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “forefathers”; NCV “ancestors.”

[37:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed rescue them – Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who are in Telassar?”

[42:22]  ⁷ tc The Hebrew text has בַּחוּרִים (bakhurim, “young men”), but the text should be emended to בְּהוֹרִים (bÿhorim, “in holes”).

[42:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “and made to be hidden”; NAB, NASB, NIV, TEV “hidden away in prisons.”

[42:22]  ⁹ tn Heb “they became loot and there was no one rescuing, plunder and there was no one saying, ‘Bring back’.”

[44:20]  ¹⁰ tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”

[44:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”

[47:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “hand,” here a metaphor for the strength or power of the flames.

[47:14]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “there is no coal [for?] their food, light to sit before it.” Some emend לַחְמָם (lakhmam, “their food”) to לְחֻמָּם (lÿkhummam, “to warm them”; see HALOT 328 s.v. חמם). This statement may allude to Isa 44:16, where idolaters are depicted warming themselves over a fire made from wood, part of which was used to form idols. The fire of divine judgment will be no such campfire; its flames will devour and destroy.

[57:13]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew text has קִבּוּצַיִךְ (qibbutsayikh, “your gatherings”), an otherwise unattested noun from the verbal root קָבַץ (qavats, “gather”). Perhaps this alludes to their religious assemblies and by metonymy to their rituals. Since idolatry is a prominent theme in the context, some understand this as a reference to a collection of idols. The second half of the verse also favors this view.

[57:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “all of them a wind lifts up.”

[57:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “a breath takes [them] away.”

[57:13]  ¹⁹ tn Or “seeks refuge in me.” “Seeking refuge” is a metonymy for “being loyal to.”

[57:13]  ²⁰ tn Heb “possess, own.” The point seems to be that he will have free access to God’s presence, as if God’s temple mount were his personal possession.