Isaiah 24:10

24:10 The ruined town ¹  is shattered;

all of the houses are shut up tight. ² 

Isaiah 1:21

Purifying Judgment

1:21 How tragic that the once-faithful city

has become a prostitute! ³ 

She was once a center of ⁴  justice,

fairness resided in her,

but now only murderers. ⁵ 

Isaiah 25:3

25:3 So a strong nation will extol you;

the towns of ⁶  powerful nations will fear you.

Isaiah 29:1

Ariel is Besieged

29:1 Ariel is as good as dead ⁷  –

Ariel, the town David besieged! ⁸ 

Keep observing your annual rituals,

celebrate your festivals on schedule. ⁹ 

Isaiah 1:26

1:26 I will reestablish honest judges as in former times,

wise advisers as in earlier days. ¹⁰ 

Then you will be called, ‘The Just City,

Faithful Town.’”

Isaiah 22:2

22:2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds;

the town is filled with revelry. ¹¹ 

Your slain were not cut down by the sword;

they did not die in battle. ¹² 

Isaiah 25:2

25:2 Indeed, ¹³  you have made the city ¹⁴  into a heap of rubble,

the fortified town into a heap of ruins;

the fortress of foreigners ¹⁵  is no longer a city,

it will never be rebuilt.

Isaiah 26:5

26:5 Indeed, ¹⁶  the Lord knocks down those who live in a high place,

he brings down an elevated town;

he brings it down to the ground, ¹⁷ 

he throws it down to the dust.

Isaiah 32:13

32:13 Mourn ¹⁸  over the land of my people,

which is overgrown with thorns and briers,

and over all the once-happy houses ¹⁹ 

in the city filled with revelry. ²⁰ 

Isaiah 33:20

33:20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals!

You ²¹  will see Jerusalem, ²² 

a peaceful settlement,

a tent that stays put; ²³ 

its stakes will never be pulled up;

none of its ropes will snap in two.

[24:10]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”

[1:21]  ³ tn Heb “How she has become a prostitute, the faithful city!” The exclamatory אֵיכָה (’ekhah, “how!”) is used several times as the beginning of a lament (see Lam 1:1; 2;1; 4:1-2). Unlike a number of other OT passages that link references to Israel’s harlotry to idolatry, Isaiah here makes the connection with social and moral violations.

[1:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “filled with.”

[1:21]  ⁵ tn Or “assassins.” This refers to the oppressive rich and/or their henchmen. R. Ortlund (Whoredom, 78) posits that it serves as a synecdoche for all varieties of criminals, the worst being mentioned to imply all lesser ones. Since Isaiah often addressed his strongest rebuke to the rulers and leaders of Israel, he may have in mind the officials who bore the responsibility to uphold justice and righteousness.

[25:3]  ⁵ 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.

[29:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “Woe [to] Ariel.” The meaning of the name “Ariel” is uncertain. The name may mean “altar hearth” (see v. 2) or, if compound, “lion of God.” The name is used here as a title for Mount Zion/Jerusalem (see v. 8).

[29:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “the town where David camped.” The verb חָנָה (khanah, “camp”) probably has the nuance “lay siege to” here. See v. 3. Another option is to take the verb in the sense of “lived, settled.”

[29:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “Add year to year, let your festivals occur in cycles.” This is probably a sarcastic exhortation to the people to keep up their religious rituals, which will not prevent the coming judgment. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:527.

[1:26]  ⁹ tn Heb “I will restore your judges as in the beginning; and your counselors as in the beginning.” In this context, where social injustice and legal corruption are denounced (see v. 23), the “judges” are probably government officials responsible for making legal decisions, while the “advisers” are probably officials who helped the king establish policies. Both offices are also mentioned in 3:2.

[22:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.

[22:2]  ¹² sn Apparently they died from starvation during the siege that preceded the final conquest of the city. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:409.

[25:2]  ¹³ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[25:2]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tc Some with support from the LXX emend זָרִים (zarim, “foreigners”) to זֵדִים (zedim, “the insolent”).

[26:5]  ¹⁵ tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[26:5]  ¹⁶ 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.

[32:13]  ¹⁷ tn “Mourn” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.

[32:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “indeed, over all the houses of joy.” It is not certain if this refers to individual homes or to places where parties and celebrations were held.

[32:13]  ¹⁹ sn This same phrase is used in 22:2.

[33:20]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “your eyes” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[33:20]  ²⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[33:20]  ²¹ tn Or “that does not travel”; NASB “which shall not be folded.”