Isaiah 22:19-22

22:19 I will remove you from ¹  your office;

you will be thrown down ²  from your position.

22:20 “At that time ³  I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. 22:21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. ⁴  He will become a protector of ⁵  the residents of Jerusalem and of the people ⁶  of Judah. 22:22 I will place the key ⁷  to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it.

[22:19]  ¹ tn Heb “I will push you away from.”

[22:19]  ² tn Heb “he will throw you down.” The shift from the first to third person is peculiar and abrupt, but certainly not unprecedented in Hebrew poetry. See GKC 462 §144.p. The third person may be indefinite (“one will throw you down”), in which case the passive translation is justified.

[22:20]  ³ tn Or “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[22:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “and your dominion I will place in his hand.”

[22:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “a father to.” The Hebrew term אָב (’av, “father”) is here used metaphorically of one who protects and supports those under his care and authority, like a father does his family. For another example of this metaphorical use of the word, see Job 29:16.

[22:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “house.”

[22:22]  ⁷ sn This may refer to a literal insignia worn by the chief administrator. Even so, it would still symbolize the administrator’s authority to grant or exclude access to the king. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:422.