Isaiah 2:2

2:2 In the future ¹ 

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure ² 

as the most important of mountains,

and will be the most prominent of hills. ³ 

All the nations will stream to it,

Isaiah 3:24

3:24 A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices, ⁴ 

a rope will replace a belt,

baldness will replace braided locks of hair,

a sackcloth garment will replace a fine robe,

and a prisoner’s brand will replace beauty.

Isaiah 14:9

14:9 Sheol ⁵  below is stirred up about you,

ready to meet you when you arrive.

It rouses ⁶  the spirits of the dead for you,

all the former leaders of the earth; ⁷ 

it makes all the former kings of the nations

rise from their thrones. ⁸ 

Isaiah 14:13

14:13 You said to yourself, ⁹ 

“I will climb up to the sky.

Above the stars of El ¹⁰ 

I will set up my throne.

I will rule on the mountain of assembly

on the remote slopes of Zaphon. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 25:4

25:4 For you are a protector for the poor,

a protector for the needy in their distress,

a shelter from the rainstorm,

a shade from the heat.

Though the breath of tyrants ¹²  is like a winter rainstorm, ¹³ 

Isaiah 30:27

30:27 Look, the name ¹⁴  of the Lord comes from a distant place

in raging anger and awesome splendor. ¹⁵ 

He speaks angrily

and his word is like destructive fire. ¹⁶ 

Isaiah 30:32

30:32 Every blow from his punishing cudgel, ¹⁷ 

with which the Lord will beat them, ¹⁸ 

will be accompanied by music from the ¹⁹  tambourine and harp,

and he will attack them with his weapons. ²⁰ 

Isaiah 33:20

33:20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals!

You ²¹  will see Jerusalem, ²² 

a peaceful settlement,

a tent that stays put; ²³ 

its stakes will never be pulled up;

none of its ropes will snap in two.

Isaiah 33:23

33:23 Though at this time your ropes are slack, ²⁴ 

the mast is not secured, ²⁵ 

and the sail ²⁶  is not unfurled,

at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot; ²⁷ 

even the lame will drag off plunder. ²⁸ 

Isaiah 38:12

38:12 My dwelling place ²⁹  is removed and taken away ³⁰  from me

like a shepherd’s tent.

I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth; ³¹ 

from the loom he cuts me off. ³² 

You turn day into night and end my life. ³³ 

Isaiah 51:16

Zion’s Time to Celebrate

51:16 I commission you ³⁴  as my spokesman; ³⁵ 

I cover you with the palm of my hand, ³⁶ 

to establish ³⁷  the sky and to found the earth,

to say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’” ³⁸ 

[2:2]  ¹ tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.

[2:2]  ² tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ³ tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.

[3:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “and it will be in place of spices there will be a stench.” The nouns for “spices” and “stench” are right next to each other in the MT for emphatic contrast. The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[14:9]  ⁷ sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.

[14:9]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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.

[14:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you, you said in your heart.”

[14:13]  ¹¹ sn In Canaanite mythology the stars of El were astral deities under the authority of the high god El.

[14:13]  ¹² sn Zaphon, the Canaanite version of Olympus, was the “mountain of assembly” where the gods met.

[25:4]  ¹³ tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; NIV, NRSV “the ruthless.”

[25:4]  ¹⁴ tc The Hebrew text has, “like a rainstorm of a wall,” which might be interpreted to mean, “like a rainstorm battering against a wall.” The translation assumes an emendation of קִיר (qir, “wall”) to קֹר (qor, “cold, winter”; cf. Gen 8:22). See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:457, n. 6, for discussion.

[30:27]  ¹⁶ sn The “name” of the Lord sometimes stands by metonymy for the Lord himself, see Exod 23:21; Lev 24:11; Pss 54:1 (54:3 HT); 124:8. In Isa 30:27 the point is that he reveals that aspect of his character which his name suggests – he comes as Yahweh (“he is present”), the ever present helper of his people who annihilates their enemies and delivers them. The name “Yahweh” originated in a context where God assured a fearful Moses that he would be with him as he confronted Pharaoh and delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. See Exod 3.

[30:27]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “his anger burns, and heaviness of elevation.” The meaning of the phrase “heaviness of elevation” is unclear, for מַשָּׂאָה (masa’ah, “elevation”) occurs only here. Some understand the term as referring to a cloud (elevated above the earth’s surface), in which case one might translate, “and in heavy clouds” (cf. NAB “with lowering clouds”). Others relate the noun to מָשָׂא (masa’, “burden”) and interpret it as a reference to judgment. In this case one might translate, “and with severe judgment.” The present translation assumes that the noun refers to his glory and that “heaviness” emphasizes its degree.

[30:27]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “his lips are full of anger, and his tongue is like consuming fire.” The Lord’s lips and tongue are used metonymically for his word (or perhaps his battle cry; see v. 31).

[30:32]  ¹⁹ tc The Hebrew text has “every blow from a founded [i.e., “appointed”?] cudgel.” The translation above, with support from a few medieval Hebrew mss, assumes an emendation of מוּסָדָה (musadah, “founded”) to מוּסָרֹה (musaroh, “his discipline”).

[30:32]  ²⁰ tn Heb “which the Lord lays on him.”

[30:32]  ²¹ tn Heb “will be with” (KJV similar).

[30:32]  ²² tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and with battles of brandishing [weapons?] he will fight against him.” Some prefer to emend וּבְמִלְחֲמוֹת (uvÿmilkhamot, “and with battles of”) to וּבִמְחֹלוֹת (uvimkholot, “and with dancing”). Note the immediately preceding references to musical instruments.

[33:20]  ²² tn Heb “your eyes” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[33:20]  ²³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[33:20]  ²⁴ tn Or “that does not travel”; NASB “which shall not be folded.”

[33:23]  ²⁵ tn The words “though at this time” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The first half of the verse is addressed to Judah and contrasts the nation’s present weakness with its future prosperity. Judah is compared to a ship that is incapable of sailing.

[33:23]  ²⁶ tn Heb “they do not fasten the base of their mast.” On כֵּן (ken, “base”) see BDB 487 s.v. III כֵּן and HALOT 483 s.v. III כֵּן.

[33:23]  ²⁷ tn Or perhaps, “flag.”

[33:23]  ²⁸ tn Heb “then there will be divided up loot of plunder [in] abundance.”

[33:23]  ²⁹ sn Judah’s victory over its enemies will be so thorough there will be more than enough plunder for everyone, even slow-moving lame men who would normally get left out in the rush to gather the loot.

[38:12]  ²⁸ tn According to HALOT 217 s.v. דּוֹר this noun is a hapax legomenon meaning “dwelling place,” derived from a verbal root meaning “live” (see Ps 84:10). For an interpretation that understands the form as the well-attested noun meaning “generation,” see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:679, n. 4.

[38:12]  ²⁹ tn The verb form appears to be a Niphal from גָּלָה (galah), which normally means “uncovered, revealed” in the Niphal. Because of the following reference to a shepherd’s tent, some prefer to emend the form to וְנָגַל, a Niphal from גָלָל (galal, “roll”) and translate “is rolled [or “folded”] up.”

[38:12]  ³⁰ tn Heb “I rolled up, like a weaver, my life” (so ASV).

[38:12]  ³¹ sn For a discussion of the imagery employed here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:684.

[38:12]  ³² tn Heb “from day to night you bring me to an end.”

[51:16]  ³¹ tn The addressee (second masculine singular, as in vv. 13, 15) in this verse is unclear. The exiles are addressed in the immediately preceding verses (note the critical tone of vv. 12-13 and the reference to the exiles in v. 14). However, it seems unlikely that they are addressed in v. 16, for the addressee appears to be commissioned to tell Zion, who here represents the restored exiles, “you are my people.” The addressee is distinct from the exiles. The language of v. 16a is reminiscent of 49:2 and 50:4, where the Lord’s special servant says he is God’s spokesman and effective instrument. Perhaps the Lord, having spoken to the exiles in vv. 1-15, now responds to this servant, who spoke just prior to this in 50:4-11.

[51:16]  ³² tn Heb “I place my words in your mouth.”

[51:16]  ³³ tn Heb “with the shadow of my hand.”

[51:16]  ³⁴ tc The Hebrew text has לִנְטֹעַ (lintoa’, “to plant”). Several scholars prefer to emend this form to לִנְטֹת (lintot) from נָטָה (natah, “to stretch out”); see v. 13, as well as 40:22; 42:5; 44:24; 45:12; cf. NAB, NCV, NRSV. However, since the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a, LXX (and Aquila and Symmachus), and Vulgate support the MT reading, there is no need to emend the form. The interpretation is clear enough: Yahweh fixed the sky in its place.

[51:16]  ³⁵ tn The infinitives in v. 16b are most naturally understood as indicating the purpose of the divine actions described in v. 16a. The relationship of the third infinitive to the commission is clear enough – the Lord has made the addressee (his special servant?) his spokesman so that the latter might speak encouraging words to those in Zion. But how do the first two infinitives relate? The text seems to indicate that the Lord has commissioned the addressee so that the latter might create the universe! Perhaps creation imagery is employed metaphorically here to refer to the transformation that Jerusalem will experience (see 65:17-18).