Discovery BoxIsaiah 32:1-11
Context32:1 Look, a king will promote fairness; 1
officials will promote justice. 2
32:2 Each of them 3 will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from a rainstorm;
like streams of water in a dry region
and like the shade of a large cliff in a parched land.
32:3 Eyes 4 will no longer be blind 5
and ears 6 will be attentive.
32:4 The mind that acts rashly will possess discernment 7
and the tongue that stutters will speak with ease and clarity.
32:5 A fool will no longer be called honorable;
a deceiver will no longer be called principled.
32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; 8
his mind plans out sinful deeds. 9
He commits godless deeds 10
and says misleading things about the Lord;
he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite 11
and gives the thirsty nothing to drink. 12
32:7 A deceiver’s methods are evil; 13
he dreams up evil plans 14
to ruin the poor with lies,
even when the needy are in the right. 15
32:8 An honorable man makes honorable plans;
his honorable character gives him security. 16
get up and listen to me!
You carefree 18 daughters,
pay attention to what I say!
you carefree ones will shake with fear,
for the grape 20 harvest will fail,
and the fruit harvest will not arrive.
32:11 Tremble, you complacent ones!
Shake with fear, you carefree ones!
Strip off your clothes and expose yourselves –
put sackcloth on your waist! 21
[32:1] 1 tn Heb “will reign according to fairness.”
[32:1] 2 tn Heb “will rule according to justice.”
[32:2] 3 tn Heb “a man,” but אִישׁ (’ish) probably refers here to “each” of the officials mentioned in the previous verse.
[32:3] 4 tn Heb “Eyes that see.”
[32:3] 5 tn The Hebrew text as vocalized reads literally “will not gaze,” but this is contradictory to the context. The verb form should be revocalized as תְּשֹׁעֶינָה (tÿsho’enah) from שָׁעַע (sha’a’, “be blinded”); see Isa 6:10; 29:9.
[32:3] 6 tn Heb “ears that hear.”
[32:4] 7 tn Heb “the heart of rashness will understand knowledge”; cf. NAB “The flighty will become wise and capable.”
[32:6] 8 tn Or “foolishness,” in a moral-ethical sense. See 9:17.
[32:6] 9 tn Heb “and his heart commits sin”; KJV, ASV “his heart will work iniquity”; NASB “inclines toward wickedness.”
[32:6] 10 tn Heb “in order to do [or “so that he does”] what is godless [or “defiled”].”
[32:6] 11 tn Heb “so that he leaves empty the appetite [or “desire”] of the hungry.”
[32:6] 12 tn Heb “and the drink of the thirsty he causes to fail.”
[32:7] 13 tn Heb “as for a deceiver, his implements [or “weapons”] are evil.”
[32:7] 14 tn Or “he plans evil things”; NIV “he makes up evil schemes.”
[32:7] 15 tn Heb “to ruin the poor with words of falsehood, even when the needy speak what is just.”
[32:8] 16 tn Heb “and he upon honorable things stands.”
[32:9] 17 tn Or “self-assured”; NASB, NRSV “who are at ease.”
[32:9] 18 tn Or “self-confident”; NAB “overconfident.”
[32:10] 19 tn Heb “days upon a year.”
[32:10] 20 tn Or perhaps, “olive.” See 24:13.
[32:11] 21 tn The imperatival forms in v. 11 are problematic. The first (חִרְדוּ, khirdu, “tremble”) is masculine plural in form, though spoken to a feminine plural addressee (שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת, sha’anannot, “complacent ones”). The four imperatival forms that follow (רְגָזָה, rÿgazah, “shake with fear”; פְּשֹׁטָה, pÿshotah, “strip off your clothes”; עֹרָה, ’orah, “expose yourselves”; and חֲגוֹרָה, khagorah, “put on”) all appear to be lengthened (so-called “emphatic”) masculine singular forms, even though they too appear to be spoken to a feminine plural addressee. GKC 131-32 §48.i suggests emending חִרְדוּ (khirdu) to חֲרָדָה (kharadah) and understanding all five imperatives as feminine plural “aramaized” forms.
