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 4:1

4:1 Seven women will grab hold of

one man at that time. ⁴ 

They will say, “We will provide ⁵  our own food,

we will provide ⁶  our own clothes;

but let us belong to you ⁷  –

take away our shame!” ⁸ 

Isaiah 7:18

7:18 At that time ⁹  the Lord will whistle for flies from the distant streams of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 7:20

7:20 At that time ¹¹  the sovereign master will use a razor hired from the banks of the Euphrates River, ¹²  the king of Assyria, to shave the head and the pubic hair; ¹³  it will also shave off the beard.

Isaiah 10:3

10:3 What will you do on judgment day, ¹⁴ 

when destruction arrives from a distant place?

To whom will you run for help?

Where will you leave your wealth?

Isaiah 11:10

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time ¹⁵  a root from Jesse ¹⁶  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ¹⁷  and his residence will be majestic.

Isaiah 19:18

19:18 At that time five cities ¹⁸  in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord who commands armies. One will be called the City of the Sun. ¹⁹ 

Isaiah 19:21

19:21 The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptians, and they ²⁰  will acknowledge the Lord’s authority ²¹  at that time. ²²  They will present sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them.

Isaiah 19:23

19:23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. ²³ 

Isaiah 25:9

25:9 At that time they will say, ²⁴ 

“Look, here ²⁵  is our God!

We waited for him and he delivered us.

Here ²⁶  is the Lord! We waited for him.

Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!”

Isaiah 27:1

27:1 At that time ²⁷  the Lord will punish

with his destructive, ²⁸  great, and powerful sword

Leviathan the fast-moving ²⁹  serpent,

Leviathan the squirming serpent;

he will kill the sea monster. ³⁰ 

Isaiah 38:12

38:12 My dwelling place ³¹  is removed and taken away ³²  from me

like a shepherd’s tent.

I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth; ³³ 

from the loom he cuts me off. ³⁴ 

You turn day into night and end my life. ³⁵ 

Isaiah 47:9

47:9 Both of these will come upon you

suddenly, in one day!

You will lose your children and be widowed. ³⁶ 

You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, ³⁷ 

despite ³⁸  your many incantations

and your numerous amulets. ³⁹ 

Isaiah 51:9

51:9 Wake up! Wake up!

Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord! ⁴⁰ 

Wake up as in former times, as in antiquity!

Did you not smash ⁴¹  the Proud One? ⁴² 

Did you not ⁴³  wound the sea monster? ⁴⁴ 

Isaiah 60:11

60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;

they will not be shut during the day or at night,

so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,

with their kings leading the way. ⁴⁵ 

Isaiah 60:19

60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,

nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;

the Lord will be your permanent source of light –

the splendor of your God will shine upon you. ⁴⁶ 

Isaiah 65:5

65:5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself!

Don’t get near me, for I am holier than you!’

These people are like smoke in my nostrils,

like a fire that keeps burning all day long.

[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.

[4:1]  ⁴ tn Or “in that day” (ASV).

[4:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “eat” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “buy.”

[4:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “wear” (so NASB, NRSV); NCV “make.”

[4:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “only let your name be called over us.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28, and BDB 896 s.v. I ָקרָא Niph. 2.d.(4). The language reflects the cultural reality of ancient Israel, where women were legally the property of their husbands.

[4:1]  ⁸ sn This refers to the humiliation of being unmarried and childless. The women’s words reflect the cultural standards of ancient Israel, where a woman’s primary duties were to be a wife and mother.

[7:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[7:18]  ⁸ sn Swarming flies are irritating; bees are irritating and especially dangerous because of the pain they inflict with their sting (see Deut 1:44; Ps 118:12). The metaphors are well chosen, for the Assyrians (symbolized by the bees) were much more powerful and dangerous than the Egyptians (symbolized by the flies). Nevertheless both would put pressure on Judah, for Egypt wanted Judah as a buffer state against Assyrian aggression, while Assyrian wanted it as a base for operations against Egypt. Following the reference to sour milk and honey, the metaphor is especially apt, for flies are attracted to dairy products and bees can be found in the vicinity of honey.

[7:20]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in that day” (so ASV, NASB); KJV “In the same day.”

[7:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the river” (so KJV); NASB “the Euphrates.” The name of the river has been supplied in the present translation for clarity.

[7:20]  ¹² tn Heb “the hair of the feet.” The translation assumes that the word “feet” is used here as a euphemism for the genitals. See BDB 920 s.v. רֶגֶל.

[10:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “the day of visitation” (so KJV, ASV), that is, the day when God arrives to execute justice on the oppressors.

[11:10]  ¹⁶ 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.

[11:10]  ¹⁷ sn See the note at v. 1.

[11:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “ a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].

[19:18]  ¹⁹ sn The significance of the number “five” in this context is uncertain. For a discussion of various proposals, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:376-77.

[19:18]  ²⁰ tc The Hebrew text has עִיר הַהֶרֶס (’ir haheres, “City of Destruction”; cf. NASB, NIV) but this does not fit the positive emphasis of vv. 18-22. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and some medieval Hebrew mss read עִיר הָחֶרֶס (’ir hakheres, “City of the Sun,” i.e., Heliopolis). This reading also finds support from Symmachus’ Greek version, the Targum, and the Vulgate. See HALOT 257 s.v. חֶרֶס and HALOT 355 s.v. II חֶרֶס.

[19:21]  ²² tn Heb “Egypt.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, the present translation uses the pronoun (“they”) here.

[19:21]  ²³ tn Heb “will know the Lord.”

[19:21]  ²⁴ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of vv. 23 and 24.

[19:23]  ²⁵ tn The text could be translated, “and Egypt will serve Assyria” (cf. NAB), but subjugation of one nation to the other does not seem to be a theme in vv. 23-25. Rather the nations are viewed as equals before the Lord (v. 25). Therefore it is better to take אֶת (’et) in v. 23b as a preposition, “together with,” rather than the accusative sign. The names of the two countries are understood to refer by metonymy to their respective inhabitants.

[25:9]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and one will say in that day.”

[25:9]  ²⁹ tn Heb “this [one].”

[25:9]  ³⁰ tn Heb “this [one].”

[27:1]  ³¹ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).

[27:1]  ³² tn Heb “hard, severe”; cf. NAB, NRSV “cruel”; KJV “sore”; NLT “terrible.”

[27:1]  ³³ tn Heb “fleeing” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Some translate “slippery” or “slithering.”

[27:1]  ³⁴ tn The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon (Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַנִּין [tannin, translated “sea monster” here]) vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling (Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן [’aqallaton, translated “squirming” here]) serpent, the tyrant with seven heads (cf. Ps 74:14).” (See CTA 3 iii 38-39.) (2) “for all that you smote Leviathan the slippery (Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ [bariakh, translated “fast-moving” here]) serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5 i 1-3.)

[38:12]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ tn Heb “I rolled up, like a weaver, my life” (so ASV).

[38:12]  ³⁷ sn For a discussion of the imagery employed here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:684.

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

[47:9]  ³⁷ tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.

[47:9]  ³⁸ tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”

[47:9]  ³⁹ tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.

[47:9]  ⁴⁰ sn Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.

[51:9]  ⁴⁰ tn The arm of the Lord is a symbol of divine military power. Here it is personified and told to arouse itself from sleep and prepare for action.

[51:9]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “Are you not the one who smashed?” The feminine singular forms agree grammatically with the feminine noun “arm.” The Hebrew text has ַהמַּחְצֶבֶת (hammakhtsevet), from the verbal root חָצַב (khatsav, “hew, chop”). The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has, probably correctly, המחצת, from the verbal root מָחַץ (makhats, “smash”) which is used in Job 26:12 to describe God’s victory over “the Proud One.”

[51:9]  ⁴² tn This title (רַהַב, rahav, “proud one”) is sometimes translated as a proper name: “Rahab” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). It is used here of a symbolic sea monster, known elsewhere in the Bible and in Ugaritic myth as Leviathan. This sea creature symbolizes the forces of chaos that seek to destroy the created order. In the Bible “the Proud One” opposes God’s creative work, but is defeated (see Job 26:12; Ps 89:10). Here the title refers to Pharaoh’s Egyptian army that opposed Israel at the Red Sea (see v. 10, and note also Isa 30:7 and Ps 87:4, where the title is used of Egypt).

[51:9]  ⁴³ tn The words “did you not” are understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line). The rhetorical questions here and in v. 10 expect the answer, “Yes, you certainly did!”

[51:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Hebrew תַּנִּין (tannin) is another name for the symbolic sea monster. See the note at 27:1. In this context the sea creature represents Egypt. See the note on the title “Proud One” earlier in this verse.

[60:11]  ⁴³ tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.

[60:19]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”