Isaiah 2:3

2:3 many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple of the God of Jacob,

so ¹  he can teach us his requirements, ² 

and ³  we can follow his standards.” ⁴ 

For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; ⁵ 

the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. ⁶ 

Isaiah 5:24

5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire ⁷  devours straw,

and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,

so their root will rot,

and their flower will blow away like dust. ⁸ 

For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,

they have spurned the commands ⁹  of the Holy One of Israel. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 7:1

Ahaz Receives a Sign

7:1 During ¹¹  the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel marched up to Jerusalem ¹²  to do battle, but they were unable to prevail against it. ¹³ 

Isaiah 15:5

15:5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, ¹⁴ 

and for the fugitives ¹⁵  stretched out ¹⁶  as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah.

For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith;

they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim. ¹⁷ 

Isaiah 24:18

24:18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror

will fall into the pit; ¹⁸ 

the one who climbs out of the pit,

will be trapped by the snare.

For the floodgates of the heavens ¹⁹  are opened up ²⁰ 

and the foundations of the earth shake.

Isaiah 37:24

37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, ²¹ 

‘With my many chariots I climbed up

the high mountains,

the slopes of Lebanon.

I cut down its tall cedars

and its best evergreens.

I invaded its most remote regions, ²² 

its thickest woods.

Isaiah 40:9

40:9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion!

Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem! ²³ 

Shout, don’t be afraid!

Say to the towns of Judah,

“Here is your God!”

Isaiah 66:3

66:3 The one who slaughters a bull also strikes down a man; ²⁴ 

the one who sacrifices a lamb also breaks a dog’s neck; ²⁵ 

the one who presents an offering includes pig’s blood with it; ²⁶ 

the one who offers incense also praises an idol. ²⁷ 

They have decided to behave this way; ²⁸ 

they enjoy these disgusting practices. ²⁹ 

[2:3]  ¹ tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).

[2:3]  ² tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.

[2:3]  ³ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.

[2:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[5:24]  ⁷ tn Heb “a tongue of fire” (so NASB), referring to a tongue-shaped flame.

[5:24]  ⁸ sn They are compared to a flowering plant that withers quickly in a hot, arid climate.

[5:24]  ⁹ tn Heb “the word.”

[5:24]  ¹⁰ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[7:1]  ¹³ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[7:1]  ¹⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[7:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or perhaps, “but they were unable to attack it.” This statement sounds like a summary of the whole campaign. The following context explains why they were unable to defeat the southern kingdom. The parallel passage (2 Kgs 16:5; cf. Num 22:11; 1 Sam 17:9 for a similar construction) affirms that Syria and Israel besieged Ahaz. Consequently, the statement that “they were not able to battle against them” must refer to the inability to conquer Ahaz.

[15:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “for Moab.” For rhetorical purposes the speaker (the Lord?, see v. 9) plays the role of a mourner.

[15:5]  ²⁰ tn The vocalization of the Hebrew text suggests “the bars of her gates,” but the form should be repointed to yield, “her fugitives.” See HALOT 156-57 s.v. בָּרִחַ, and BDB 138 s.v. בָּרִיהַ.

[15:5]  ²¹ tn The words “are stretched out” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:5]  ²² tn Heb “For the ascent of Luhith, with weeping they go up it; for [on] the road to Horonaim an outcry over shattering they raise up.”

[24:18]  ²⁵ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[24:18]  ²⁶ tn Heb “from the height”; KJV “from on high.”

[24:18]  ²⁷ sn The language reflects the account of the Noahic Flood (see Gen 7:11).

[37:24]  ³¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[37:24]  ³² tn Heb “the height of its extremity”; ASV “its farthest height.”

[40:9]  ³⁷ tn The second feminine singular imperatives are addressed to personified Zion/Jerusalem, who is here told to ascend a high hill and proclaim the good news of the Lord’s return to the other towns of Judah. Isa 41:27 and 52:7 speak of a herald sent to Zion, but the masculine singular form מְבַשֵּׂר (mÿvaser) is used in these verses, in contrast to the feminine singular form מְבַשֶּׂרֶת (mÿvaseret) employed in 40:9, where Zion is addressed as a herald.

[66:3]  ⁴³ tn Heb “one who slaughters a bull, one who strikes down a man.” Some understand a comparison here and in the following lines. In God’s sight the one who sacrifices is like (i.e., regarded as) a murderer or one whose worship is ritually defiled or idolatrous. The translation above assumes that the language is not metaphorical, but descriptive of the sinners’ hypocritical behavior. (Note the last two lines of the verse, which suggests they are guilty of abominable practices.) On the one hand, they act pious and offer sacrifices; but at the same time they commit violent crimes against men, defile their sacrifices, and worship other gods.

[66:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “one who sacrifices a lamb, one who breaks a dog’s neck.” Some understand a comparison, but see the previous note.

[66:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “one who offers an offering, pig’s blood.” Some understand a comparison, but see the note at the end of the first line.

[66:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “one who offers incense as a memorial offering, one who blesses something false.” Some understand a comparison, but see the note at the end of the first line. אָוֶן (’aven), which has a wide variety of attested nuances, here refers metonymically to an idol. See HALOT 22 s.v. and BDB 20 s.v. 2.

[66:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “also they have chosen their ways.”

[66:3]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “their being [or “soul”] takes delight in their disgusting [things].”