Isaiah 22:16
Context22:16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? 1
Why 2 do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here?
He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place,
he carves out his tomb on a cliff.
Isaiah 30:8
Context30:8 Now go, write it 3 down on a tablet in their presence, 4
inscribe it on a scroll,
so that it might be preserved for a future time
as an enduring witness. 5


[22:16] 1 tn Heb “What to you here? And who to you here?” The point of the second question is not entirely clear. The interpretation reflected in the translation is based on the following context, which suggests that Shebna has no right to think of himself so highly and arrange such an extravagant burial place for himself.
[22:16] 2 tn Heb “that you chisel out.”
[30:8] 3 tn The referent of the third feminine singular pronominal suffix is uncertain. Perhaps it refers to the preceding message, which accuses the people of rejecting the Lord’s help in favor of an alliance with Egypt.
[30:8] 4 tn Heb “with them.” On the use of the preposition here, see BDB 86 s.v. II אֵת.
[30:8] 5 sn Recording the message will enable the prophet to use it in the future as evidence that God warned his people of impending judgment and clearly spelled out the nation’s guilt. An official record of the message will also serve as proof of the prophet’s authority as God’s spokesman.