Isaiah 30:6

30:6 This is a message ¹  about the animals in the Negev:

Through a land of distress and danger,

inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, ² 

by snakes and darting adders, ³ 

they transport ⁴  their wealth on the backs of donkeys,

their riches on the humps of camels,

to a nation that cannot help them. ⁵ 

Isaiah 37:3

37:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: ⁶  ‘This is a day of distress, insults, ⁷  and humiliation, ⁸  as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. ⁹ 

[30:6]  ¹ tn Traditionally, “burden” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “oracle.”

[30:6]  ² tc Heb “[a land of] a lioness and a lion, from them.” Some emend מֵהֶם (mehem, “from them”) to מֵהֵם (mehem), an otherwise unattested Hiphil participle from הָמַם (hamam, “move noisily”). Perhaps it would be better to take the initial mem (מ) as enclitic and emend the form to הֹמֶה (homeh), a Qal active participle from הָמָה (hamah, “to make a noise”); cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:542, n. 9.

[30:6]  ³ tn Heb “flying fiery one.” See the note at 14:29.

[30:6]  ⁴ tn Or “carry” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[30:6]  ⁵ sn This verse describes messengers from Judah transporting wealth to Egypt in order to buy Pharaoh’s protection through a treaty.

[37:3]  ⁶ tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him” (cf. NRSV).

[37:3]  ⁷ tn Or “rebuke” (KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “correction.”

[37:3]  ⁸ tn Or “contempt”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “disgrace.”

[37:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”