Isaiah 21:11

Bad News for Seir

21:11 Here is a message about Dumah: ¹ 

Someone calls to me from Seir, ² 

“Watchman, what is left of the night?

Watchman, what is left of the night?” ³ 

Isaiah 56:2

56:2 The people who do this will be blessed, ⁴ 

the people who commit themselves to obedience, ⁵ 

who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

who refrain from doing anything that is wrong. ⁶ 

Isaiah 26:2

26:2 Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter –

one that remains trustworthy.

Isaiah 42:20

42:20 You see ⁷  many things, but don’t comprehend; ⁸ 

their ears are open, but do not hear.”

Isaiah 21:12

21:12 The watchman replies,

“Morning is coming, but then night. ⁹ 

If you want to ask, ask;

come back again.” ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 56:1

The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter

56:1 This is what the Lord says,

“Promote ¹¹  justice! Do what is right!

For I am ready to deliver you;

I am ready to vindicate you openly. ¹² 

Isaiah 56:4

56:4 For this is what the Lord says:

“For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths

and choose what pleases me

and are faithful to ¹³  my covenant,

Isaiah 62:6

62:6 I ¹⁴  post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;

they should keep praying all day and all night. ¹⁵ 

You who pray to ¹⁶  the Lord, don’t be silent!

Isaiah 7:4

7:4 Tell him, ‘Make sure you stay calm! ¹⁷  Don’t be afraid! Don’t be intimidated ¹⁸  by these two stubs of smoking logs, ¹⁹  or by the raging anger of Rezin, Syria, and the son of Remaliah.

Isaiah 56:6

56:6 As for foreigners who become followers of ²⁰  the Lord and serve him,

who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants –

all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

and who are faithful to ²¹  my covenant –

[21:11]  ¹ tn The noun דּוּמָה (dumah) means “silence,” but here it is a proper name, probably referring to a site in northern Arabia or to the nation of Edom. See BDB 189 s.v. II דּוּמָה. If Dumah was an area in northern Arabia, it would be of interest to the Edomites because of its strategic position on trade routes which they used. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:398.

[21:11]  ² sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.

[21:11]  ³ sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.

[56:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “blessed is the man who does this.”

[56:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “the son of mankind who takes hold of it.”

[56:2]  ⁶ tn Heb and who keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

[42:20]  ⁷ tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has a perfect, 2nd person masculine singular; the marginal reading (Qere) has an infinitive absolute, which functions here as a finite verb.

[42:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “but you do not guard [i.e., retain in your memory]”; NIV “but have paid no attention.”

[21:12]  ¹⁰ sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.

[21:12]  ¹¹ sn The point of the watchman’s final instructions (“if you want to ask, ask; come again”) is unclear. Perhaps they are included to add realism to the dramatic portrayal. The watchman sends the questioner away with the words, “Feel free to come back and ask again.”

[56:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “guard”; KJV “Keep”; NAB “Observe”; NASB “Preserve”; NIV, NRSV “Maintain.”

[56:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “for near is my deliverance to enter, and my vindication [or “righteousness”] to be revealed.”

[56:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and take hold of” (so KJV); NASB “hold fast.”

[62:6]  ¹⁹ sn The speaker here is probably the prophet.

[62:6]  ²⁰ tn Heb “all day and all night continually they do not keep silent.” The following lines suggest that they pray for the Lord’s intervention and restoration of the city.

[62:6]  ²¹ tn Or “invoke”; NIV “call on”; NASB, NRSV “remind.”

[7:4]  ²² tn Heb “guard yourself and be quiet,” but the two verbs should be coordinated.

[7:4]  ²³ tn Heb “and let not your heart be weak”; ASV “neither let thy heart be faint.”

[7:4]  ²⁴ sn The derogatory metaphor indicates that the power of Rezin and Pekah is ready to die out.

[56:6]  ²⁵ tn Heb “who attach themselves to.”

[56:6]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and take hold of”; NAB “hold to”; NIV, NRSV “hold fast.”