Isaiah 32:13-14

32:13 Mourn ¹  over the land of my people,

which is overgrown with thorns and briers,

and over all the once-happy houses ² 

in the city filled with revelry. ³ 

32:14 For the fortress is neglected;

the once-crowded ⁴  city is abandoned.

Hill ⁵  and watchtower

are permanently uninhabited. ⁶ 

Wild donkeys love to go there,

and flocks graze there. ⁷ 

Hosea 9:6

No Escape for the Israelites This Time!

9:6 Look! ⁸  Even if ⁹  they flee from the destruction,

Egypt will take hold ¹⁰  of them,

and Memphis will bury them.

The weeds will inherit the silver they treasure ¹¹  –

thorn bushes will occupy their homes. ¹² 

Zephaniah 2:9

2:9 Therefore, as surely as I live,” says the Lord who commands armies, the God of Israel,

“be certain that Moab will become like Sodom

and the Ammonites like Gomorrah.

They will be overrun by weeds, ¹³ 

filled with salt pits, ¹⁴ 

and permanently desolate.

Those of my people who are left ¹⁵  will plunder their belongings; ¹⁶ 

those who are left in Judah ¹⁷  will take possession of their land.”

[32:13]  ¹ tn “Mourn” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.

[32:13]  ² tn Heb “indeed, over all the houses of joy.” It is not certain if this refers to individual homes or to places where parties and celebrations were held.

[32:13]  ³ sn This same phrase is used in 22:2.

[32:14]  ⁴ tn Or “noisy” (NAB, NIV, NCV).

[32:14]  ⁵ tn Hebrew עֹפֶל (’ofel), probably refers here to a specific area within the city of Jerusalem. See HALOT 861 s.v. II עֹפֶל.

[32:14]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text has בְעַד מְעָרוֹת (vÿ’ad mÿ’arot). The force of בְעַד, which usually means “behind, through, round about,” or “for the benefit of,” is uncertain here. HALOT 616 s.v. *מְעָרָה takes מְעָרוֹת (mÿ’arot) as a homonym of “cave” and define it here as “cleared field.” Despite these lexical problems, the general point of the statement seems clear – the city will be uninhabited.

[32:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “the joy of wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks.”

[9:6]  ⁸ tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “Behold!”) is used frequently in prophetic announcements, introducing a solemn or important declaration, particularly in threats of judgment (BDB 244 s.v. הִנֵּה b.β). Many modern English versions leave this particle untranslated here.

[9:6]  ⁹ tn The conjunction כִּי (ki) introduces a concessive clause: “Although, when, if, even if” (BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 2.c.β). It has a force approximating “even if” (so NIV, NCV, NRSV, CEV, NLT), but it represents a situation as more likely to occur than אִם (‘im, “if”). The concessive use of כִּי is normally followed by an imperfect, but occasionally a perfect is used, as is the case here (e.g., Mic 7:8; Nah 1:10; Pss 21:12; 119:83).

[9:6]  ¹⁰ tn The verb קָבַץ (qavats, “to gather together”) should be nuanced “grab hold” in this context (HALOT 1063 s.v. קבץ). This pictures a personified Egypt taking the fugitives prisoner.

[9:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the treasured things of their silver”; NASB, NIV, TEV, NLT “treasures of silver.”

[9:6]  ¹² tn Heb “their tents” (so NIV, NRSV); CEV “your tents.”

[2:9]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew text reads מִמְשַׁק חָרוּל (mimshaq kharul, “[?] of weeds”). The meaning of the first word is unknown. The present translation (“They will be overrun by weeds”) is speculative, based on the general sense of the context. For a defense of “overrun” on linguistic grounds, see R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 347. Cf. NEB “a pile of weeds”; NIV “a place of weeds”; NRSV “a land possessed by nettles.”

[2:9]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew text reads וּמִכְרֵה־מֶלַח (umikhreh-melakh, “and a [?] of salt”). The meaning of the first word is unclear, though “pit” (NASB, NIV, NRSV; NKJV “saltpit”), “mine,” and “heap” (cf. NEB “a rotting heap of saltwort”) are all options. The words “filled with” are supplied for clarification.

[2:9]  ¹⁵ tn Or “The remnant of my people.”

[2:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “them.” The actual object of the plundering, “their belongings,” has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “[the] nation.” For clarity the “nation” has been specified as “Judah” in the translation.