Discovery BoxIsaiah 24:1--27:1
Context24:1 Look, the Lord is ready to devastate the earth
and leave it in ruins;
he will mar its surface
and scatter its inhabitants.
24:2 Everyone will suffer – the priest as well as the people, 1
the master as well as the servant, 2
the elegant lady as well as the female attendant, 3
the seller as well as the buyer, 4
the borrower as well as the lender, 5
the creditor as well as the debtor. 6
24:3 The earth will be completely devastated
and thoroughly ransacked.
For the Lord has decreed this judgment. 7
24:4 The earth 8 dries up 9 and withers,
the world shrivels up and withers;
the prominent people of the earth 10 fade away.
24:5 The earth is defiled by 11 its inhabitants, 12
for they have violated laws,
disregarded the regulation, 13
and broken the permanent treaty. 14
24:6 So a treaty curse 15 devours the earth;
its inhabitants pay for their guilt. 16
This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear, 17
and are reduced to just a handful of people. 18
24:7 The new wine dries up,
the vines shrivel up,
all those who like to celebrate 19 groan.
24:8 The happy sound 20 of the tambourines stops,
the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt,
the happy sound of the harp ceases.
24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; 21
the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.
24:10 The ruined town 22 is shattered;
all of the houses are shut up tight. 23
24:11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; 24
all joy turns to sorrow; 25
celebrations disappear from the earth. 26
24:12 The city is left in ruins; 27
the gate is reduced to rubble. 28
24:13 This is what will happen throughout 29 the earth,
among the nations.
It will be like when they beat an olive tree,
and just a few olives are left at the end of the harvest. 30
24:14 They 31 lift their voices and shout joyfully;
they praise 32 the majesty of the Lord in the west.
24:15 So in the east 33 extol the Lord,
along the seacoasts extol 34 the fame 35 of the Lord God of Israel.
24:16 From the ends of the earth we 36 hear songs –
the Just One is majestic. 37
But I 38 say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!
Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” 39
24:17 Terror, pit, and snare
are ready to overtake you inhabitants of the earth! 40
24:18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror
will fall into the pit; 41
the one who climbs out of the pit,
will be trapped by the snare.
For the floodgates of the heavens 42 are opened up 43
and the foundations of the earth shake.
24:19 The earth is broken in pieces,
the earth is ripped to shreds,
the earth shakes violently. 44
24:20 The earth will stagger around 45 like a drunk;
it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. 46
Its sin will weigh it down,
and it will fall and never get up again.
24:21 At that time 47 the Lord will punish 48
the heavenly forces in the heavens 49
and the earthly kings on the earth.
24:22 They will be imprisoned in a pit, 50
locked up in a prison,
and after staying there for a long time, 51 they will be punished. 52
24:23 The full moon will be covered up, 53
the bright sun 54 will be darkened; 55
for the Lord who commands armies will rule 56
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem 57
in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor. 58
25:1 O Lord, you are my God! 59
I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. 60
For you have done extraordinary things,
and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. 61
25:2 Indeed, 62 you have made the city 63 into a heap of rubble,
the fortified town into a heap of ruins;
the fortress of foreigners 64 is no longer a city,
it will never be rebuilt.
25:3 So a strong nation will extol you;
the towns of 65 powerful nations will fear you.
25:4 For you are a protector for the poor,
a protector for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm,
a shade from the heat.
Though the breath of tyrants 66 is like a winter rainstorm, 67
25:5 like heat 68 in a dry land,
you humble the boasting foreigners. 69
Just as the shadow of a cloud causes the heat to subside, 70
so he causes the song of tyrants to cease. 71
25:6 The Lord who commands armies will hold a banquet for all the nations on this mountain. 72
At this banquet there will be plenty of meat and aged wine –
tender meat and choicest wine. 73
25:7 On this mountain he will swallow up
the shroud that is over all the peoples, 74
the woven covering that is over all the nations; 75
25:8 he will swallow up death permanently. 76
The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face,
and remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.
Indeed, the Lord has announced it! 77
25:9 At that time they will say, 78
“Look, here 79 is our God!
We waited for him and he delivered us.
Here 80 is the Lord! We waited for him.
Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!”
25:10 For the Lord’s power will make this mountain secure. 81
Moab will be trampled down where it stands, 82
as a heap of straw is trampled down in 83 a manure pile.
25:11 Moab 84 will spread out its hands in the middle of it, 85
just as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim;
the Lord 86 will bring down Moab’s 87 pride as it spreads its hands. 88
25:12 The fortified city (along with the very tops of your 89 walls) 90 he will knock down,
he will bring it down, he will throw it down to the dusty ground. 91
26:1 At that time 92 this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city!
The Lord’s 93 deliverance, like walls and a rampart, makes it secure. 94
26:2 Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter –
one that remains trustworthy.
26:3 You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith,
for they trust in you. 95
26:4 Trust in the Lord from this time forward, 96
even in Yah, the Lord, an enduring protector! 97
26:5 Indeed, 98 the Lord knocks down those who live in a high place,
he brings down an elevated town;
he brings it down to the ground, 99
he throws it down to the dust.
26:6 It is trampled underfoot
by the feet of the oppressed,
by the soles of the poor.”
26:7 100 The way of the righteous is level,
the path of the righteous that you make is straight. 101
26:8 Yes, as your judgments unfold, 102
O Lord, we wait for you.
We desire your fame and reputation to grow. 103
26:9 I 104 look for 105 you during the night,
my spirit within me seeks you at dawn,
for when your judgments come upon the earth,
those who live in the world learn about justice. 106
26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy,
they do not learn about justice. 107
Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; 108
they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.
26:11 O Lord, you are ready to act, 109
but they don’t even notice.
They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind, 110
yes, fire will consume your enemies. 111
26:12 O Lord, you make us secure, 112
for even all we have accomplished, you have done for us. 113
26:13 O Lord, our God,
masters other than you have ruled us,
but we praise your name alone.
26:14 The dead do not come back to life,
the spirits of the dead do not rise. 114
That is because 115 you came in judgment 116 and destroyed them,
you wiped out all memory of them.
26:15 You have made the nation larger, 117 O Lord,
you have made the nation larger and revealed your splendor, 118
you have extended all the borders of the land.
26:16 O Lord, in distress they looked for you;
they uttered incantations because of your discipline. 119
26:17 As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver
and strains and cries out because of her labor pains,
so were we because of you, O Lord.
26:18 We were pregnant, we strained,
we gave birth, as it were, to wind. 120
We cannot produce deliverance on the earth;
people to populate the world are not born. 121
26:19 122 Your dead will come back to life;
your corpses will rise up.
Wake up and shout joyfully, you who live in the ground! 123
For you will grow like plants drenched with the morning dew, 124
and the earth will bring forth its dead spirits. 125
26:20 Go, my people! Enter your inner rooms!
Close your doors behind you!
Hide for a little while,
until his angry judgment is over! 126
26:21 For look, the Lord is coming out of the place where he lives, 127
to punish the sin of those who live on the earth.
The earth will display the blood shed on it;
it will no longer cover up its slain. 128
27:1 At that time 129 the Lord will punish
with his destructive, 130 great, and powerful sword
Leviathan the fast-moving 131 serpent,
Leviathan the squirming serpent;
he will kill the sea monster. 132
[24:2] 1 tn Heb “and it will be like the people, like the priest.”
[24:2] 2 tn Heb “like the servant, like his master.”
[24:2] 3 tn Heb “like the female servant, like her mistress.”
[24:2] 4 tn Heb “like the buyer, like the seller.”
[24:2] 5 tn Heb “like the lender, like the borrower.”
[24:2] 6 tn Heb “like the creditor, just as the one to whom he lends.”
[24:3] 7 tn Heb “for the Lord has spoken this word.”
[24:4] 8 tn Some prefer to read “land” here, but the word pair אֶרֶץ/תֵּבֵל (erets/tevel [see the corresponding term in the parallel line]) elsewhere clearly designates the earth/world (see 1 Sam 2:8; 1 Chr 16:30; Job 37;12; Pss 19:4; 24:1; 33:8; 89:11; 90:2; 96:13; 98:9; Prov 8:26, 31; Isa 14:16-17; 34:1; Jer 10:12; 51:15; Lam 4:12). According to L. Stadelmann, תבל designates “the habitable part of the world” (The Hebrew Conception of the World [AnBib], 130).
[24:4] 9 tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists the homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism.
[24:4] 10 tn Heb “the height of the people of the earth.” The translation assumes an emendation of the singular form מְרוֹם (mÿrom, “height of”) to the plural construct מְרֹמֵי (mÿrome, “high ones of”; note the plural verb at the beginning of the line), and understands the latter as referring to the prominent people of human society.
[24:5] 11 tn Heb “beneath”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “under”; NAB “because of.”
[24:5] 12 sn Isa 26:21 suggests that the earth’s inhabitants defiled the earth by shedding the blood of their fellow human beings. See also Num 35:33-34, which assumes that bloodshed defiles a land.
[24:5] 13 tn Heb “moved past [the?] regulation.”
[24:5] 14 tn Or “everlasting covenant” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the ancient covenant”; CEV “their agreement that was to last forever.”
[24:6] 15 sn Ancient Near Eastern treaties often had “curses,” or threatened judgments, attached to them. (See Deut 28 for a biblical example of such curses.) The party or parties taking an oath of allegiance acknowledged that disobedience would activate these curses, which typically threatened loss of agricultural fertility as depicted in the following verses.
[24:6] 16 tn The verb אָשַׁם (’asham, “be guilty”) is here used metonymically to mean “pay, suffer for one’s guilt” (see HALOT 95 s.v. אשׁם).
[24:6] 17 tn BDB 359 s.v. חָרַר derives the verb חָרוּ (kharu) from חָרַר (kharar, “burn”), but HALOT 351 s.v. II חרה understands a hapax legomenon חָרָה (kharah, “to diminish in number,” a homonym of חָרָה) here, relating it to an alleged Arabic cognate meaning “to decrease.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חורו, perhaps understanding the root as חָוַר (khavar, “grow pale”; see Isa 29:22 and HALOT 299 s.v. I חור).
[24:6] 18 tn Heb “and mankind is left small [in number].”
[24:7] 19 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “all the joyful in heart,” but the context specifies the context as parties and drinking bouts.
[24:8] 20 tn Heb “the joy” (again later in this verse).
[24:9] 21 tn Heb “with a song they do not drink wine.”
[24:10] 22 tn Heb “the city of chaos” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Isaiah uses the term תֹּהוּ (tohu) rather frequently of things (like idols) that are empty and worthless (see BDB 1062 s.v.), so the word might characterize the city as rebellious or morally worthless. However, in this context, which focuses on the effects of divine judgment, it probably refers to the ruined or worthless condition in which the city is left (note the use of the word in Isa 34:11). For a discussion of the identity of this city, see R. Chisholm, “The ‘Everlasting Covenant’ and the ‘City of Chaos’: Intentional Ambiguity and Irony in Isaiah 24,” CTR 6 (1993): 237-53. In the context of universal judgment depicted in Isa 24, this city represents all the nations and cities of the world which, like Babylon of old and the powers/cities mentioned in chapters 13-23, rebel against God’s authority. Behind the stereotypical language one can detect various specific manifestations of this symbolic and paradigmatic city, including Babylon, Moab, and Jerusalem, all of which are alluded or referred to in chapters 24-27.
[24:10] 23 tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”
[24:11] 24 tn Heb “[there is] an outcry over the wine in the streets.”
[24:11] 25 tn Heb “all joy turns to evening,” the darkness of evening symbolizing distress and sorrow.
[24:11] 26 tn Heb “the joy of the earth disappears.”
[24:12] 27 tn Heb “and there is left in the city desolation.”
[24:12] 28 tn Heb “and [into] rubble the gate is crushed.”
[24:13] 29 tn Heb “in the midst of” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
[24:13] 30 sn The judgment will severely reduce the earth’s population. See v. 6.
[24:14] 31 sn The remnant of the nations (see v. 13) may be the unspecified subject. If so, then those who have survived the judgment begin to praise God.
[24:14] 32 tn Heb “they yell out concerning.”
[24:15] 33 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “in the lights,” interpreted by some to mean “in the region of light,” referring to the east. Some scholars have suggested the emendation of בָּאֻרִים (ba’urim) to בְּאִיֵּי הַיָּם (bÿ’iyyey hayyam, “along the seacoasts”), a phrase that is repeated in the next line. In this case, the two lines form synonymous parallelism. If one retains the MT reading (as above), “in the east” and “along the seacoasts” depict the two ends of the earth to refer to all the earth (as a merism).
[24:15] 34 tn The word “extol” is supplied in the translation; the verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.
[24:15] 35 tn Heb “name,” which here stands for God’s reputation achieved by his mighty deeds.
[24:16] 36 sn The identity of the subject is unclear. Apparently in vv. 15-16a an unidentified group responds to the praise they hear in the west by exhorting others to participate.
[24:16] 37 tn Heb “Beauty belongs to the just one.” These words may summarize the main theme of the songs mentioned in the preceding line.
[24:16] 38 sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.
[24:16] 39 tn Heb “and [with] deception deceivers deceive.”
[24:17] 40 tn Heb “[are] upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.” The first line of v. 17 provides another classic example of Hebrew wordplay. The names of the three instruments of judgment (פָח,פַחַת,פַּחַד [pakhad, fakhat, fakh]) all begin with the letters פח (peh-khet) and the first two end in dental consonants (ת/ד, tet/dalet). Once again the repetition of sound draws attention to the statement and contributes to the theme of the inescapability of judgment. As their similar-sounding names suggest, terror, pit, and snare are allies in destroying the objects of divine wrath.
[24:18] 41 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] 42 tn Heb “from the height”; KJV “from on high.”
[24:18] 43 sn The language reflects the account of the Noahic Flood (see Gen 7:11).
[24:19] 44 tn Once more repetition is used to draw attention to a statement. In the Hebrew text each lines ends with אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”). Each line also uses a Hitpolel verb form from a geminate root preceded by an emphatic infinitive absolute.
[24:20] 45 tn Heb “staggering, staggers.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb for emphasis and sound play.
[24:20] 46 tn The words “in a windstorm” are supplied in the translation to clarify the metaphor.
[24:21] 47 tn Or “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[24:21] 48 tn Heb “visit [in judgment].”
[24:21] 49 tn Heb “the host of the height in the height.” The “host of the height/heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets, see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13).
[24:22] 50 tn Heb “they will be gathered [in] a gathering [as] a prisoner in a cistern.” It is tempting to eliminate אֲסֵפָה (’asefah, “a gathering”) as dittographic or as a gloss, but sound repetition is one of the main characteristics of the style of this section of the chapter.
[24:22] 51 tn Heb “and after a multitude of days.”
[24:22] 52 tn Heb “visited” (so KJV, ASV). This verse can mean to visit for good or for evil. The translation assumes the latter, based on v. 21a. However, BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד B.Niph.2 suggests the meaning “visit graciously” here, in which case one might translate “they will be released.”
[24:23] 53 tn Heb “will be ashamed.”
[24:23] 54 tn Or “glow of the sun.”
[24:23] 55 tn Heb “will be ashamed” (so NCV).
[24:23] 56 tn Or “take his throne,” “become king.”
[24:23] 57 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[24:23] 58 tn Heb “and before his elders [in] splendor.”
[25:1] 59 sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.
[25:1] 60 tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.
[25:1] 61 tn Heb “plans from long ago [in] faithfulness, trustworthiness.” The feminine noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness”) and masculine noun אֹמֶן (’omen, “trustworthiness”), both of which are derived from the root אָמַן (’aman), are juxtaposed to emphasize the basic idea conveyed by the synonyms. Here they describe the absolute reliability of the divine plans.
[25:2] 62 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[25:2] 63 tn The Hebrew text has “you have made from the city.” The prefixed mem (מ) on עִיר (’ir, “city”) was probably originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:456, n. 3.
[25:2] 64 tc Some with support from the LXX emend זָרִים (zarim, “foreigners”) to זֵדִים (zedim, “the insolent”).
[25:3] 65 tn The Hebrew text has a singular form, but it should be emended to a plural or eliminated altogether. The noun may have been accidentally copied from the preceding verse.
[25:4] 66 tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; NIV, NRSV “the ruthless.”
[25:4] 67 tc The Hebrew text has, “like a rainstorm of a wall,” which might be interpreted to mean, “like a rainstorm battering against a wall.” The translation assumes an emendation of קִיר (qir, “wall”) to קֹר (qor, “cold, winter”; cf. Gen 8:22). See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:457, n. 6, for discussion.
[25:5] 68 tn Or “drought” (TEV).
[25:5] 69 tn Heb “the tumult of foreigners.”
[25:5] 70 tn Heb “[like] heat in the shadow of a cloud.”
[25:5] 71 tn The translation assumes that the verb יַעֲנֶה (ya’aneh) is a Hiphil imperfect from עָנָה (’anah, “be afflicted, humiliated”). In this context with “song” as object it means to “quiet” (see HALOT 853-54 s.v. II ענה). Some prefer to emend the form to the second person singular, so that it will agree with the second person verb earlier in the verse. BDB 776 s.v. III עָנָה Qal.1 understands the form as Qal, with “song” as subject, in which case one might translate “the song of tyrants will be silent.” An emendation of the form to a Niphal (יֵעָנֶה, ye’aneh) would yield the same translation.
[25:6] 72 sn That is, Mount Zion (see 24:23); cf. TEV; NLT “In Jerusalem.”
[25:6] 73 tn Heb “And the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] will make for all the nations on this mountain a banquet of meats, a banquet of wine dregs, meats filled with marrow, dregs that are filtered.”
[25:7] 74 tn The Hebrew text reads, “the face of the shroud, the shroud over all the nations.” Some emend the second הַלּוֹט (hallot) to a passive participle הַלּוּט (hallut, “that is wrapped”).
[25:7] 75 sn The point of the imagery is unclear. Perhaps the shroud/covering referred to was associated with death in some way (see v. 8).
[25:8] 76 sn The image of the Lord “swallowing” death would be especially powerful, for death was viewed in Canaanite mythology and culture as a hungry enemy that swallows its victims. See the note at 5:14.
[25:8] 77 tn Heb “has spoken” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[25:9] 78 tn Heb “and one will say in that day.”
[25:9] 79 tn Heb “this [one].”
[25:9] 80 tn Heb “this [one].”
[25:10] 81 tn Heb “for the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain”; TEV “will protect Mount Zion”; NCV “will protect (rest on NLT) Jerusalem.”
[25:10] 82 tn Heb “under him,” i.e., “in his place.”
[25:10] 83 tc The marginal reading (Qere) is בְּמוֹ (bÿmo, “in”). The consonantal text (Kethib) has בְּמִי (bÿmi, “in the water of”).
[25:11] 84 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:11] 85 tn The antecedent of the third masculine singular pronominal suffix is probably the masculine noun מַתְבֵּן (matben, “heap of straw”) in v. 10 rather than the feminine noun מַדְמֵנָה (madmenah, “manure pile”), also in v. 10.
[25:11] 86 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:11] 87 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:11] 88 tn The Hebrew text has, “he will bring down his pride along with the [?] of his hands.” The meaning of אָרְבּוֹת (’arbot), which occurs only here in the OT, is unknown. Some (see BDB 70 s.v. אָרְבָּה) translate “artifice, cleverness,” relating the form to the verbal root אָרָב (’arav, “to lie in wait, ambush”), but this requires some convoluted semantic reasoning. HALOT 83 s.v. *אָרְבָּה suggests the meaning “[nimble] movements.” The translation above, which attempts to relate the form to the preceding context, is purely speculative.
[25:12] 89 sn Moab is addressed.
[25:12] 90 tn Heb “a fortification, the high point of your walls.”
[25:12] 91 tn Heb “he will bring [it] down, he will make [it] touch the ground, even to the dust.”
[26:1] 92 tn Heb “In that day” (so KJV).
[26:1] 93 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:1] 94 tn Heb “deliverance he makes walls and a rampart.”
[26:3] 95 tn Heb “[one of] firm purpose you will keep [in] peace, peace, for in you he possesses trust.” The Hebrew term יֵצֶר (yetser) refers to what one devises in the mind; סָמוּךְ (samukh) probably functions here like an attributive adjective and carries the nuance “firm.” So the phrase literally means, “a firm purpose,” but as the object of the verb “keep, guard,” it must stand by metonymy for the one(s) who possess a firm purpose. In this context the “righteous nation” (v. 2) is probably in view and the “firm purpose” refers to their unwavering faith in God’s vindication (see 25:9). In this context שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”), which is repeated for emphasis, likely refers to national security, not emotional or psychological composure (see vv. 1-2). The passive participle בָּטוּחַ (batuakh) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action.
[26:4] 96 tn Or “forevermore.” For other uses of the phrase עֲדֵי־עַד (’ade-’ad) see Isa 65:18 and Pss 83:17; 92:7.
[26:4] 97 tc The Hebrew text has “for in Yah, the Lord, an everlasting rock.” Some have suggested that the phrase בְּיָהּ (beyah, “in Yah”) is the result of dittography. A scribe seeing כִּי יְהוָה (ki yÿhvah) in his original text would somehow have confused the letters and accidentally inserted בְּיָהּ between the words (bet and kaf [ב and כ] can be confused in later script phases). A number of English versions retain both divine names for emphasis (ESV, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, NLT). One of the Qumran texts (1QIsaa) confirms the MT reading as well.
[26:5] 98 tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[26:5] 99 tn The translation assumes that יַשְׁפִּילֶנָּה (yashpilennah) goes with the preceding words “an elevated town,” and that יַשְׁפִּילָהּ (yashpilah) belongs with the following words, “to the ground.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:469, n. 7.
[26:7] 100 sn The literary structure of chap. 26 is not entirely clear. The chapter begins with an eschatological song of praise and ends with a lament and prophetic response (vv. 16-21). It is not certain where the song of praise ends or how vv. 7-15 fit into the structure. Verses 10-11a seem to lament the presence of evil and v. 11b anticipates the arrival of judgment, so it is possible that vv. 7-15 are a prelude to the lament and announcement that conclude the chapter.
[26:7] 101 tc The Hebrew text has, “upright, the path of the righteous you make level.” There are three possible ways to translate this line. Some take יָשָׁר (yashar) as a divine title: “O Upright One” (cf. NASB, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, NLT). Others regard יָשָׁר as the result of dittography (מֵישָׁרִים יָשָׁר ַמעְגַּל, mesharim yashar ma’gal) and do not include it in the translation. Another possibility is to keep יָשָׁר and render the line as “the path of the righteous that you prepare is straight.”
[26:8] 102 tn The Hebrew text has, “yes, the way of your judgments.” The translation assumes that “way” is related to the verb “we wait” as an adverbial accusative (“in the way of your judgments we wait”). מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ (mishpatekha, “your judgments”) could refer to the Lord’s commandments, in which case one might translate, “as we obey your commands.” However, in verse 9 the same form refers to divine acts of judgment on evildoers.
[26:8] 103 tn Heb “your name and your remembrance [is] the desire of [our?] being.”
[26:9] 104 tn Heb “with my soul I.” This is a figure for the speaker himself (“I”).
[26:9] 105 tn Or “long for, desire.” The speaker acknowledges that he is eager to see God come in judgment (see vv. 8, 9b).
[26:9] 106 tn The translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “those who live in the world learn to live in a righteous manner” (cf. NCV).
[26:10] 107 tn As in verse 9b, the translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “they do not learn to live in a righteous manner.”
[26:10] 108 tn Heb “in a land of uprightness they act unjustly”; NRSV “they deal perversely.”
[26:11] 109 tn Heb “O Lord, your hand is lifted up.”
[26:11] 110 tn Heb “They will see and be ashamed of zeal of people.” Some take the prefixed verbs as jussives and translate the statement as a prayer, “Let them see and be put to shame.” The meaning of the phrase קִנְאַת־עָם (qin’at-’am, “zeal of people”) is unclear. The translation assumes that this refers to God’s angry judgment upon people. Another option is to understand the phrase as referring to God’s zealous, protective love of his covenant people. In this case one might translate, “by your zealous devotion to your people.”
[26:11] 111 tn Heb “yes, fire, your enemies, will consume them.” Many understand the prefixed verb form to be jussive and translate, “let [fire] consume” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The mem suffixed to the verb may be enclitic; if a pronominal suffix, it refers back to “your enemies.”
[26:12] 112 tn Heb “O Lord, you establish peace for us.”
[26:12] 113 tc Some suggest emending גַּם כָּל (gam kol, “even all”) to כִּגְמֻל (kigmul, “according to the deed[s] of”) One might then translate “for according to what our deeds deserve, you have acted on our behalf.” Nevertheless, accepting the MT as it stands, the prophet affirms that Yahweh deserved all the credit for anything Israel had accomplished.
[26:14] 114 sn In light of what is said in verse 14b, the “dead” here may be the “masters” mentioned in verse 13.
[26:14] 115 tn The Hebrew term לָכֵן (lakhen) normally indicates a cause-effect relationship between what precedes and follows and is translated, “therefore.” Here, however, it infers the cause from the effect and brings out what is implicit in the previous statement. See BDB 487 s.v.
[26:14] 116 tn Heb “visited [for harm]” (cf. KJV, ASV); NAB, NRSV “you have punished.”
[26:15] 117 tn Heb “you have added to the nation.” The last line of the verse suggests that geographical expansion is in view. “The nation” is Judah.
[26:15] 118 tn Or “brought honor to yourself.”
[26:16] 119 tn The meaning of this verse is unclear. It appears to read literally, “O Lord, in distress they visit you, they pour out [?] an incantation, your discipline to them.” פָּקַד (paqad) may here carry the sense of “seek with interest” (cf. Ezek 23:21 and BDB 823 s.v.) or “seek in vain” (cf. Isa 34:16), but it is peculiar for the Lord to be the object of this verb. צָקוּן (tsaqun) may be a Qal perfect third plural form from צוּק (tsuq, “pour out, melt”), though the verb is not used of pouring out words in its two other occurrences. Because of the appearance of צַר (tsar, “distress”) in the preceding line, it is tempting to emend the form to a noun and derive it from צוּק (“be in distress”) The term לַחַשׁ (lakhash) elsewhere refers to an incantation (Isa 3:3; Jer 8:17; Eccl 10:11) or amulet (Isa 3:20). Perhaps here it refers to ritualistic prayers or to magical incantations used to ward off evil.
[26:18] 120 tn On the use of כְּמוֹ (kÿmo, “like, as”) here, see BDB 455 s.v. Israel’s distress and suffering, likened here to the pains of childbirth, seemed to be for no purpose. A woman in labor endures pain with the hope that a child will be born; in Israel’s case no such positive outcome was apparent. The nation was like a woman who strains to bring forth a child, but can’t push the baby through to daylight. All her effort produces nothing.
[26:18] 121 tn Heb “and the inhabitants of the world do not fall.” The term נָפַל (nafal) apparently means here, “be born,” though the Qal form of the verb is not used with this nuance anywhere else in the OT. (The Hiphil appears to be used in the sense of “give birth” in v. 19, however.) The implication of verse 18b seems to be that Israel hoped its suffering would somehow end in deliverance and an increase in population. The phrase “inhabitants of the world” seems to refer to the human race in general, but the next verse, which focuses on Israel’s dead, suggests the referent may be more limited.
[26:19] 122 sn At this point the Lord (or prophet) gives the people an encouraging oracle.
[26:19] 123 tn Heb “dust” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[26:19] 124 tn Heb “for the dew of lights [is] your dew.” The pronominal suffix on “dew” is masculine singular, like the suffixes on “your dead” and “your corpses” in the first half of the verse. The statement, then, is addressed to collective Israel, the speaker in verse 18. The plural form אוֹרֹת (’orot) is probably a plural of respect or magnitude, meaning “bright light” (i.e., morning’s light). Dew is a symbol of fertility and life. Here Israel’s “dew,” as it were, will soak the dust of the ground and cause the corpses of the dead to spring up to new life, like plants sprouting up from well-watered soil.
[26:19] 125 sn It is not certain whether the resurrection envisioned here is intended to be literal or figurative. A comparison with 25:8 and Dan 12:2 suggests a literal interpretation, but Ezek 37:1-14 uses resurrection as a metaphor for deliverance from exile and the restoration of the nation (see Isa 27:12-13).
[26:20] 126 tn Heb “until anger passes by.”
[26:21] 127 tn Heb “out of his place” (so KJV, ASV).
[26:21] 128 sn This implies that rampant bloodshed is one of the reasons for divine judgment. See the note at 24:5.
[27:1] 129 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
[27:1] 130 tn Heb “hard, severe”; cf. NAB, NRSV “cruel”; KJV “sore”; NLT “terrible.”
[27:1] 131 tn Heb “fleeing” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Some translate “slippery” or “slithering.”
[27:1] 132 tn The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon (Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַנִּין [tannin, translated “sea monster” here]) vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling (Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן [’aqallaton, translated “squirming” here]) serpent, the tyrant with seven heads (cf. Ps 74:14).” (See CTA 3 iii 38-39.) (2) “for all that you smote Leviathan the slippery (Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ [bariakh, translated “fast-moving” here]) serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5 i 1-3.)
