Isaiah 29:17

Changes are Coming

29:17 In just a very short time ¹ 

Lebanon will turn into an orchard,

and the orchard will be considered a forest. ² 

Isaiah 32:15-16

32:15 This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven. ³ 

Then the desert will become an orchard

and the orchard will be considered a forest. ⁴ 

32:16 Justice will settle down in the desert

and fairness will live in the orchard. ⁵ 

Isaiah 40:3

40:3 A voice cries out,

“In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord;

construct in the desert a road for our God.

Isaiah 51:3

51:3 Certainly the Lord will console Zion;

he will console all her ruins.

He will make her wilderness like Eden,

her desert like the Garden of the Lord.

Happiness and joy will be restored to ⁶  her,

thanksgiving and the sound of music.

Isaiah 52:9-10

52:9 In unison give a joyful shout,

O ruins of Jerusalem!

For the Lord consoles his people;

he protects ⁷  Jerusalem.

52:10 The Lord reveals ⁸  his royal power ⁹ 

in the sight of all the nations;

the entire ¹⁰  earth sees

our God deliver. ¹¹ 

Ezekiel 36:35

36:35 They will say, “This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; the ruined, desolate, and destroyed cities are now fortified and inhabited.”

[29:17]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text phrases this as a rhetorical question, “Is it not yet a little, a short [time]?”

[29:17]  ² sn The meaning of this verse is debated, but it seems to depict a reversal in fortunes. The mighty forest of Lebanon (symbolic of the proud and powerful, see 2:13; 10:34) will be changed into a common orchard, while the common orchard (symbolic of the oppressed and lowly) will grow into a great forest. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:538.

[32:15]  ³ tn Heb “until a spirit is emptied out on us from on high.” The words “this desolation will continue” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic purposes. The verb עָרָה (’arah), used here in the Niphal, normally means “lay bare, expose.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is often understood here as a reference to the divine spirit (cf. 44:3 and NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT), but it appears here without an article (cf. NRSV “a spirit”), pronominal suffix, or a genitive (such as “of the Lord”). The translation assumes that it carries an impersonal nuance “vivacity, vigor” in this context.

[32:15]  ⁴ sn The same statement appears in 29:17b, where, in conjunction with the preceding line, it appears to picture a reversal. Here it seems to depict supernatural growth. The desert will blossom into an orchard, and the trees of the orchard will multiply and grow tall, becoming a forest.

[32:16]  ⁵ sn This new era of divine blessing will also include a moral/ethical transformation, as justice and fairness fill the land and replace the social injustice so prevalent in Isaiah’s time.

[51:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “found in” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[52:9]  ⁷ tn Or “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.

[52:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “lays bare”; NLT “will demonstrate.”

[52:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “his holy arm.” This is a metonymy for his power.

[52:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the remote regions,” which here stand for the extremities and everything in between.

[52:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the deliverance of our God.” “God” is a subjective genitive here.