Isaiah 31:1

Egypt Will Disappoint

31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, ¹ 

those who rely on war horses,

and trust in Egypt’s many chariots ² 

and in their many, many horsemen. ³ 

But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel ⁴ 

and do not seek help from the Lord.

Isaiah 48:2

48:2 Indeed, they live in the holy city; ⁵ 

they trust in ⁶  the God of Israel,

whose name is the Lord who commands armies.

Isaiah 50:1

50:1 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s divorce certificate

by which I divorced her?

Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? ⁷ 

Look, you were sold because of your sins; ⁸ 

because of your rebellious acts I divorced your mother. ⁹ 

[31:1]  ¹ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”

[31:1]  ² tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”

[31:1]  ³ tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”

[31:1]  ⁴ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[48:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “they call themselves [or “are called”] from the holy city.” The precise meaning of the statement is uncertain. The Niphal of קָרָא (qara’) is combined with the preposition מִן (min) only here. When the Qal of קָרָא is used with מִן, the preposition often indicates the place from which one is summoned (see 46:11). So one could translate, “from the holy city they are summoned,” meaning that they reside there.

[48:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “lean on” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “rely on.”

[50:1]  ⁷ sn The Lord challenges the exiles (Zion’s children) to bring incriminating evidence against him. The rhetorical questions imply that Israel accused the Lord of divorcing his wife (Zion) and selling his children (the Israelites) into slavery to pay off a debt.

[50:1]  ⁸ sn The Lord admits that he did sell the Israelites, but it was because of their sins, not because of some debt he owed. If he had sold them to a creditor, they ought to be able to point him out, but the preceding rhetorical question implies they would not be able to do so.

[50:1]  ⁹ sn The Lord admits he did divorce Zion, but that too was the result of the nation’s sins. The force of the earlier rhetorical question comes into clearer focus now. The question does not imply that a certificate does not exist and that no divorce occurred. Rather, the question asks for the certificate to be produced so the accuser can see the reason for the divorce in black and white. The Lord did not put Zion away arbitrarily.