Isaiah 3:3

3:3 captains of groups of fifty,

the respected citizens, ¹ 

advisers and those skilled in magical arts, ² 

and those who know incantations.

Isaiah 21:5

21:5 Arrange the table,

lay out ³  the carpet,

eat and drink! ⁴ 

Get up, you officers,

smear oil on the shields! ⁵ 

Isaiah 23:8

23:8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, ⁶ 

whose merchants are princes,

whose traders are the dignitaries ⁷  of the earth?

Isaiah 34:12

34:12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom

and all her officials will disappear. ⁸ 

[3:3]  ¹ tn Heb “the ones lifted up with respect to the face.” For another example of the Hebrew idiom, see 2 Kgs 5:1.

[3:3]  ² tn Heb “and the wise with respect to magic.” On the meaning of חֲרָשִׁים (kharashim, “magic”), see HALOT 358 s.v. III חרשׁ. Some understand here a homonym, meaning “craftsmen.” In this case, one could translate, “skilled craftsmen” (cf. NIV, NASB).

[21:5]  ³ tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”).

[21:5]  ⁴ tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.

[21:5]  ⁵ sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.

[23:8]  ⁵ tn The precise meaning of הַמַּעֲטִירָה (hamma’atirah) is uncertain. The form is a Hiphil participle from עָטַר (’atar), a denominative verb derived from עֲטָרָה (’atarah, “crown, wreath”). The participle may mean “one who wears a crown” or “one who distributes crowns.” In either case, Tyre’s prominence in the international political arena is in view.

[23:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “the honored” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “renowned.”

[34:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “will be nothing”; NCV, TEV, NLT “will all be gone.”