Isaiah 22:5-7

22:5 For the sovereign master, ¹  the Lord who commands armies,

has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion. ² 

In the Valley of Vision ³  people shout ⁴ 

and cry out to the hill. ⁵ 

22:6 The Elamites picked up the quiver,

and came with chariots and horsemen; ⁶ 

the men of Kir ⁷  prepared ⁸  the shield. ⁹ 

22:7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots; ¹⁰ 

horsemen confidently took their positions ¹¹  at the gate.

[22:5]  ¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 12, 14, 15 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[22:5]  ² tn Heb “For [there is] a day of panic, and trampling, and confusion for the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”

[22:5]  ³ tn The traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests that this phrase goes with what precedes.

[22:5]  ⁴ tn The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Some take קִר (qir) as “wall” and interpret the verb to mean “tear down.” However, tighter parallelism (note the reference to crying for help in the next line) is achieved if one takes both the verb and noun from a root, attested in Ugaritic and Arabic, meaning “make a sound.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:404, n. 5.

[22:5]  ⁵ sn Perhaps “the hill” refers to the temple mount.

[22:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “[with] the chariots of men, horsemen.”

[22:6]  ⁷ sn A distant region in the direction of Mesopotamia; see Amos 1:5; 9:7.

[22:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “Kir uncovers” (so NAB, NIV).

[22:6]  ⁹ sn The Elamites and men of Kir may here symbolize a fierce army from a distant land. If this oracle anticipates a Babylonian conquest of the city (see 39:5-7), then the Elamites and men of Kir are perhaps viewed here as mercenaries in the Babylonian army. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:410.

[22:7]  ¹¹ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[22:7]  ¹² tn Heb “taking a stand, take their stand.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following finite verb. The translation attempts to bring out this emphasis with the adverb “confidently.”