Isaiah 24:4-12

24:4 The earth ¹  dries up ²  and withers,

the world shrivels up and withers;

the prominent people of the earth ³  fade away.

24:5 The earth is defiled by ⁴  its inhabitants, ⁵ 

for they have violated laws,

disregarded the regulation, ⁶ 

and broken the permanent treaty. ⁷ 

24:6 So a treaty curse ⁸  devours the earth;

its inhabitants pay for their guilt. ⁹ 

This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear, ¹⁰ 

and are reduced to just a handful of people. ¹¹ 

24:7 The new wine dries up,

the vines shrivel up,

all those who like to celebrate ¹²  groan.

24:8 The happy sound ¹³  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; ¹⁴ 

the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.

24:10 The ruined town ¹⁵  is shattered;

all of the houses are shut up tight. ¹⁶ 

24:11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; ¹⁷ 

all joy turns to sorrow; ¹⁸ 

celebrations disappear from the earth. ¹⁹ 

24:12 The city is left in ruins; ²⁰ 

the gate is reduced to rubble. ²¹ 

Jeremiah 4:27

4:27 All this will happen because the Lord said, ²² 

“The whole land will be desolate;

however, I will not completely destroy it.

Joel 1:10-13

1:10 The crops of the fields ²³  have been destroyed. ²⁴ 

The ground is in mourning because the grain has perished.

The fresh wine has dried up;

the olive oil languishes.

1:11 Be distressed, ²⁵  farmers;

wail, vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley.

For the harvest of the field has perished.

1:12 The vine has dried up;

the fig tree languishes –

the pomegranate, date, and apple ²⁶  as well.

In fact, ²⁷  all the trees of the field have dried up.

Indeed, the joy of the people ²⁸  has dried up!

1:13 Get dressed ²⁹  and lament, you priests!

Wail, you who minister at the altar!

Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you servants of my God,

because no one brings grain offerings or drink offerings

to the temple of your God anymore. ³⁰ 

Amos 1:2

God Will Judge the Surrounding Nations

1:2 Amos ³¹  said:

“The Lord comes roaring ³²  out of Zion;

from Jerusalem ³³  he comes bellowing! ³⁴ 

The shepherds’ pastures wilt; ³⁵ 

the summit of Carmel ³⁶  withers.” ³⁷ 

Amos 5:16

5:16 Because of Israel’s sins ³⁸  this is what the Lord, the God who commands armies, the sovereign One, ³⁹  says:

“In all the squares there will be wailing,

in all the streets they will mourn the dead. ⁴⁰ 

They will tell the field workers ⁴¹  to lament

and the professional mourners ⁴²  to wail.

Amos 8:8

8:8 Because of this the earth ⁴³  will quake, ⁴⁴ 

and all who live in it will mourn.

The whole earth ⁴⁵  will rise like the River Nile, ⁴⁶ 

it will surge upward ⁴⁷  and then grow calm, ⁴⁸  like the Nile in Egypt. ⁴⁹ 

Nahum 1:4

1:4 He shouts a battle cry ⁵⁰  against the sea ⁵¹  and makes it dry up; ⁵² 

he makes all the rivers ⁵³  run dry.

Bashan and Carmel wither; ⁵⁴ 

the blossom of Lebanon withers.

[24:4]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “beneath”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “under”; NAB “because of.”

[24:5]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “moved past [the?] regulation.”

[24:5]  ⁷ tn Or “everlasting covenant” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the ancient covenant”; CEV “their agreement that was to last forever.”

[24:6]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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 1QIsa^a has חורו, perhaps understanding the root as חָוַר (khavar, “grow pale”; see Isa 29:22 and HALOT 299 s.v. I חור).

[24:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and mankind is left small [in number].”

[24:7]  ¹² tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “all the joyful in heart,” but the context specifies the context as parties and drinking bouts.

[24:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “the joy” (again later in this verse).

[24:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “with a song they do not drink wine.”

[24:10]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”

[24:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “[there is] an outcry over the wine in the streets.”

[24:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “all joy turns to evening,” the darkness of evening symbolizing distress and sorrow.

[24:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the joy of the earth disappears.”

[24:12]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and there is left in the city desolation.”

[24:12]  ²¹ tn Heb “and [into] rubble the gate is crushed.”

[4:27]  ²² tn Heb “For this is what the Lord said,”

[1:10]  ²³ tn Heb “the field has been utterly destroyed.” The term “field,” a collective singular for “fields,” is a metonymy for crops produced by the fields.

[1:10]  ²⁴ tn Joel uses intentionally alliterative language in the phrases שֻׁדַּד שָׂדֶה (shuddad sadeh, “the field is destroyed”) and אֲבְלָה אֲדָמָה (’avlah ’adamah, “the ground is in mourning”).

[1:11]  ²⁵ tn Heb “embarrassed”; or “be ashamed.”

[1:12]  ²⁶ tn This Hebrew word וְתַפּוּחַ (vÿtappuakh) probably refers to the apple tree (so most English versions), but other suggestions that scholars have offered include the apricot, citron, or quince.

[1:12]  ²⁷ tn These words are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[1:12]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the sons of man.”

[1:13]  ²⁹ tn Heb “put on.” There is no object present in the Hebrew text, but many translations assume “sackcloth” to be the understood object of the verb “put on.” Its absence in the Hebrew text of v. 13 is probably due to metrical considerations. The meter here is 3 + 3, and that has probably influenced the prophet’s choice of words.

[1:13]  ³⁰ tn Heb “for grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.”

[1:2]  ³¹ tn Heb “he;” the referent (Amos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:2]  ³² sn The Lord, in his role of warrior-king, is compared to a lion. See 3:4, 8.

[1:2]  ³³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:2]  ³⁴ tn Heb “gives his voice.”

[1:2]  ³⁵ tn Lexicographers debate whether there are two roots אָבַל (’aval), one signifying “mourn” and the other “be dry,” or simply one (“mourn”). The parallel verb (“withers”) might favor the first option and have the meaning “wilt away.” It is interesting to note, however, that the root appears later in the book in the context of lament (5:16; 8:8, 10; 9:5). Either 1:2 is a possible wordplay to alert the reader to the death that will accompany the judgment (the option of two roots), or perhaps the translation “mourns” is appropriate here as well (cf. KJV, NASB, NKJV, NJPS; see also D. J. A. Clines, “Was There an ’BL II ‘Be Dry’ in Classical Hebrew?” VT 42 [1992]: 1-10).

[1:2]  ³⁶ sn Carmel was a region known for its abundant plants and trees. See Isa 33:9; 35:2; Jer 50:19.

[1:2]  ³⁷ sn Loss of a land’s fertility is frequently associated with judgment in the OT and ancient Near Eastern literature.

[5:16]  ³⁸ tn Heb “Therefore.” This logical connector relates back to the accusation of vv. 10-13, not to the parenthetical call to repentance in vv. 14-15. To indicate this clearly, the phrase “Because of Israel’s sins” is used in the translation.

[5:16]  ³⁹ tn Or “the Lord.” The Hebrew term translated “sovereign One” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[5:16]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “they will say, ‘Ah! Ah!’” The Hebrew term הוֹ (ho, “ah, woe”) is an alternate form of הוֹי (hoy), a word used to mourn the dead and express outwardly one’s sorrow. See 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5. This wordplay follows quickly, as v. 18 begins with הוֹי (“woe”).

[5:16]  ⁴¹ tn Or “farmers” (NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[5:16]  ⁴² tn Heb “those who know lamentation.”

[8:8]  ⁴³ tn Or “land” (also later in this verse).

[8:8]  ⁴⁴ tn It is not clear whether the speaker in this verse is the Lord or the prophet.

[8:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “all of it.”

[8:8]  ⁴⁶ tc The MT reads “like the light” (כָאֹר, kha’or; note this term also appears in v. 9), which is commonly understood to be an error for “like the Nile” (כִּיאוֹר, ki’or). See the parallel line and Amos 9:5. The word “River” is supplied in the translation for clarity. If this emendation is correct, in the Hebrew of Amos “Nile” is actually spelled three slightly different ways.

[8:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “churn.”

[8:8]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “sink back down.” The translation assumes the verb שָׁקַע (shaqa’), following the Qere.

[8:8]  ⁴⁹ tn The entire verse is phrased in a series of rhetorical questions which anticipate the answer, “Of course!” (For example, the first line reads, “Because of this will the earth not quake?”). The rhetorical questions entrap the listener in the logic of the judgment of God (cf. 3:3-6; 9:7). The rhetorical questions have been converted to affirmative statements in the translation for clarity.

[1:4]  ⁵⁰ tn The term גָּעַר (ga’ar) often denotes “reprimand” and “rebuke” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). When it is used in the context of a military attack, it denotes an angry battle cry shouted by a mighty warrior to strike fear into his enemies to drive them away (e.g., 2 Sam 23:16; Isa 30:17; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 80:17; 104:7). For example, the parallel Ugaritic term is used when Baal utters a battle cry against Yamm before they fight to the death. For further study see, A. A. MacIntosh, “A Consideration of Hebrew g`r,” VT 14 (1969): 474; P. J. van Zijl, “A Consideration of the root ga’ar (“rebuke”),” OTWSA 12 (1969): 56-63; A. Caquot, TDOT 3:49-53.

[1:4]  ⁵¹ sn The “sea” is personified as an antagonistic enemy, representing the wicked forces of chaos (Pss 66:6; 72:8; 80:12; 89:26; 93:3-4; Isa 50:2; Mic 7:12; Hab 3:8; Zech 9:10).

[1:4]  ⁵² tn This somewhat unusual use of the preterite (וַיַּבְּשֵׁהוּ, vayyabbÿshehu) follows a participle which depicts characteristic (present-time) action or imminent future action; the preterite depicts the subsequent present or future-time action (see IBHS 561-62 §33.3.5).

[1:4]  ⁵³ sn The Assyrians waged war every spring after the Tigris and Euphrates rivers dried up, allowing them to cross. As the Mighty Warrior par excellence, the Lord is able to part the rivers to attack Assyria.

[1:4]  ⁵⁴ tn The term אֻמְלַל (’umlal, “withers”) occurs twice in this verse in MT. The repetition of אֻמְלַל is also supported by the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QpNah). The BHS editors suggest emending the first occurrence of אֻמְלַל (“withers”) to דָּלְלוּ (dollu, “languishes”) to recover the letter ד (dalet) in the partial acrostic. Several versions do, in fact, employ two different verbs in the line (LXX, Syr, Targum, and Vg). However, the first verb at the beginning of the line in all of the versions reflects a reading of אֻמְלַל. Although several elements of an acrostic are present in Nahum 1, the acrostic is incomplete (only א [alef] to כ [kaf] in vv. 2-8) and broken (several elements are missing within vv. 2-8). There is no textual evidence for a complete, unbroken acrostic throughout the book of Nahum in any ancient Hebrew mss or other textual versions; it is most prudent simply to leave the MT as it stands.