Isaiah 30:28

30:28 His battle cry overwhelms like a flooding river ¹ 

that reaches one’s neck.

He shakes the nations in a sieve that isolates the chaff; ² 

he puts a bit into the mouth of the nations and leads them to destruction. ³ 

Isaiah 32:6

32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; ⁴ 

his mind plans out sinful deeds. ⁵ 

He commits godless deeds ⁶ 

and says misleading things about the Lord;

he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite ⁷ 

and gives the thirsty nothing to drink. ⁸ 

Isaiah 45:8

45:8 O sky, rain down from above!

Let the clouds send down showers ⁹  of deliverance!

Let the earth absorb it ¹⁰  so salvation may grow, ¹¹ 

and deliverance may sprout up ¹²  along with it.

I, the Lord, create it. ¹³ 

Isaiah 52:5

52:5 And now, what do we have here?” ¹⁴  says the Lord.

“Indeed my people have been carried away for nothing,

those who rule over them taunt,” ¹⁵  says the Lord,

“and my name is constantly slandered ¹⁶  all day long.

Isaiah 63:14

63:14 Like an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, ¹⁷ 

so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest.

In this way ¹⁸  you guided your people,

gaining for yourself an honored reputation. ¹⁹ 

[30:28]  ¹ tn Heb “his breath is like a flooding river.” This might picture the Lord breathing heavily as he runs down his enemy, but in light of the preceding verse, which mentions his lips and tongue, “breath” probably stands metonymically for the word or battle cry that he expels from his mouth as he shouts. In Isa 34:16 and Ps 33:6 the Lord’s “breath” is associated with his command.

[30:28]  ² tn Heb “shaking nations in a sieve of worthlessness.” It is not certain exactly how שָׁוְא (shavÿ’, “emptiness, worthlessness”) modifies “sieve.” A sieve is used to separate grain from chaff and isolate what is worthless so that it might be discarded. Perhaps the nations are likened to such chaff; God’s judgment will sift them out for destruction.

[30:28]  ³ tn Heb “and a bit that leads astray [is] in the jaws of the peoples.” Here the nations are likened to horse that can be controlled by a bit placed in its mouth. In this case the Lord uses his sovereign control over the “horse” to lead it to its demise.

[32:6]  ⁴ tn Or “foolishness,” in a moral-ethical sense. See 9:17.

[32:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “and his heart commits sin”; KJV, ASV “his heart will work iniquity”; NASB “inclines toward wickedness.”

[32:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “in order to do [or “so that he does”] what is godless [or “defiled”].”

[32:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “so that he leaves empty the appetite [or “desire”] of the hungry.”

[32:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “and the drink of the thirsty he causes to fail.”

[45:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “let the clouds drip with”; KJV “let the skies pour down.”

[45:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “open up” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “open wide.”

[45:8]  ⁹ tc The plural verb should be emended to a singular form. The vav (ו) ending is probably virtually dittographic (note the yod at the beginning of the following word).

[45:8]  ¹⁰ tc The Hiphil verb form (תַצְמִיחַ, tatsmiakh) should probably be emended to a Qal (תִצְמַח, titsmakh). The יח sequence at the end of the form is probably due to dittography (note the following יַחַד, yakhad).

[45:8]  ¹¹ tn The masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers back to יָשַׁע (yasha’, “salvation”).

[52:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and now what [following the marginal reading (Qere)] to me here?”

[52:5]  ¹¹ tn The verb appears to be a Hiphil form from the root יָלַל (yalal, “howl”), perhaps here in the sense of “mock.” Some emend the form to יְהוֹלָּלוֹ (yÿhollalo) and understand a Polel form of the root הָלַל meaning here “mock, taunt.”

[52:5]  ¹² tn The verb is apparently a Hitpolal form (with assimilated tav, ת) from the root נָאַץ (na’ats), but GKC 151-52 §55.b explains it as a mixed form, combining Pual and Hitpolel readings.

[63:14]  ¹³ tn The words “to graze” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[63:14]  ¹⁴ tn Or “so” (KJV, ASV), or “thus” (NAB, NRSV).

[63:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “making for yourself a majestic name.”