Discovery BoxIsaiah 30:17-18
Context30:17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; 1
at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, 2
until the remaining few are as isolated 3
as a flagpole on a mountaintop
or a signal flag on a hill.”
30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;
he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. 4
Indeed, the Lord is a just God;
all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. 5
Exodus 14:18
Context14:18 And the Egyptians will know 6 that I am the Lord when I have gained my honor 7 because of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
Exodus 15:9-12
Context15:9 The enemy said, ‘I will chase, 8 I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil;
my desire 9 will be satisfied on them.
I will draw 10 my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ 11
15:10 But 12 you blew with your breath, and 13 the sea covered them.
They sank 14 like lead in the mighty waters.
15:11 Who is like you, 15 O Lord, among the gods? 16
Who is like you? – majestic in holiness, fearful in praises, 17 working wonders?
15:12 You stretched out your right hand,
the earth swallowed them. 18
Psalms 46:10
Context46:10 He says, 19 “Stop your striving and recognize 20 that I am God!
I will be exalted 21 over 22 the nations! I will be exalted over 23 the earth!”
Amos 6:1
Context6:1 Woe 24 to those who live in ease in Zion, 25
to those who feel secure on Mount Samaria.
They think of themselves as 26 the elite class of the best nation.
[30:17] 1 tn Heb “One thousand from before [or “because of”] one battle cry.” גְּעָרָה (gÿ’arah) is often defined as “threat,” but in war contexts it likely refers to a shout or battle cry. See Ps 76:6.
[30:17] 2 tn Heb “from before [or “because of”] the battle cry of five you will flee.
[30:17] 3 tn Heb “until you are left” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[30:18] 4 tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.
[30:18] 5 tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”
[14:18] 6 tn The construction is unusual in that it says, “And Egypt will know.” The verb is plural, and so “Egypt” must mean “the Egyptians.” The verb is the perfect tense with the vav consecutive, showing that this recognition or acknowledgment by Egypt will be the result or purpose of the defeat of them by God.
[14:18] 7 tn The form is בְּהִכָּבְדִי (bÿhikkavÿdi), the Niphal infinitive construct with a preposition and a suffix. For the suffix on a Niphal, see GKC 162-63 §61.c. The word forms a temporal clause in the line.
[15:9] 8 sn W. C. Kaiser observes the staccato phrases that almost imitate the heavy, breathless heaving of the Egyptians as, with what reserve of strength they have left, they vow, “I will…, I will…, I will…” (“Exodus,” EBC 2:395).
[15:9] 9 tn The form is נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”). But this word refers to the whole person, the body and the soul, or better, a bundle of appetites in a body. It therefore can figuratively refer to the desires or appetites (Deut 12:15; 14:26; 23:24). Here, with the verb “to be full” means “to be satisfied”; the whole expression might indicate “I will be sated with them” or “I will gorge myself.” The greedy appetite was to destroy.
[15:9] 10 tn The verb רִיק (riq) means “to be empty” in the Qal, and in the Hiphil “to empty.” Here the idea is to unsheathe a sword.
[15:9] 11 tn The verb is יָרַשׁ (yarash), which in the Hiphil means “to dispossess” or “root out.” The meaning “destroy” is a general interpretation.
[15:10] 12 tn “But” has been supplied here.
[15:10] 13 tn Here “and” has been supplied.
[15:10] 14 tn The verb may have the idea of sinking with a gurgling sound, like water going into a whirlpool (R. A. Cole, Exodus [TOTC], 124; S. R. Driver, Exodus, 136). See F. M. Cross and D. N. Freedman, “The Song of Miriam,” JNES 14 (1955): 243-47.
[15:11] 15 tn The question is of course rhetorical; it is a way of affirming that no one is comparable to God. See C. J. Labuschagne, The Incomparability of Yahweh in the Old Testament, 22, 66-67, and 94-97.
[15:11] 16 sn Verses 11-17 will now focus on Yahweh as the incomparable one who was able to save Israel from their foes and afterward lead them to the promised land.
[15:11] 17 tn S. R. Driver suggests “praiseworthy acts” as the translation (Exodus, 137).
[15:12] 18 tn The verb is the prefixed conjugation, the preterite without the vav consecutive. The subject, the “earth,” must be inclusive of the sea, or it may indicate the grave or Sheol; the sea drowned them. Some scholars wish to see this as a reference to Dathan and Abiram, and therefore evidence of a later addition or compilation. It fits this passage well, however.
[46:10] 19 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[46:10] 20 tn Heb “do nothing/be quiet (see 1 Sam 15:16) and know.” This statement may be addressed to the hostile nations, indicating they should cease their efforts to destroy God’s people, or to Judah, indicating they should rest secure in God’s protection. Since the psalm is an expression of Judah’s trust and confidence, it is more likely that the words are directed to the nations, who are actively promoting chaos and are in need of a rebuke.
[46:10] 21 tn Elsewhere in the psalms the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”) when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 18:46; 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 57:5, 11).
[6:1] 24 tn On the Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy; “ah, woe”) as a term of mourning, see the notes in 5:16, 18.
[6:1] 25 sn Zion is a reference to Jerusalem.
[6:1] 26 tn The words “They think of themselves as” are supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the term נְקֻבֵי (nÿquvey; “distinguished ones, elite”) is in apposition to the substantival participles in the first line.
