Isaiah 32:15

32:15 This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven. ¹ 

Then the desert will become an orchard

and the orchard will be considered a forest. ² 

Isaiah 33:9

33:9 The land ³  dries up ⁴  and withers away;

the forest of Lebanon shrivels up ⁵  and decays.

Sharon ⁶  is like the desert; ⁷ 

Bashan and Carmel ⁸  are parched. ⁹ 

[32:15]  ¹ tn Heb “until a spirit is emptied out on us from on high.” The words “this desolation will continue” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic purposes. The verb עָרָה (’arah), used here in the Niphal, normally means “lay bare, expose.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is often understood here as a reference to the divine spirit (cf. 44:3 and NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT), but it appears here without an article (cf. NRSV “a spirit”), pronominal suffix, or a genitive (such as “of the Lord”). The translation assumes that it carries an impersonal nuance “vivacity, vigor” in this context.

[32:15]  ² sn The same statement appears in 29:17b, where, in conjunction with the preceding line, it appears to picture a reversal. Here it seems to depict supernatural growth. The desert will blossom into an orchard, and the trees of the orchard will multiply and grow tall, becoming a forest.

[33:9]  ³ tn Or “earth” (KJV); NAB “the country.”

[33:9]  ⁴ tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. I אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism. See 24:4.

[33:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “Lebanon is ashamed.” The Hiphil is exhibitive, expressing the idea, “exhibits shame.” In this context the statement alludes to the withering of vegetation.

[33:9]  ⁶ sn Sharon was a fertile plain along the Mediterranean coast. See 35:2.

[33:9]  ⁷ tn Or “the Arabah” (NIV). See 35:1.

[33:9]  ⁸ sn Both of these areas were known for their trees and vegetation. See 2:13; 35:2.

[33:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “shake off [their leaves]” (so ASV, NRSV); NAB “are stripped bare.”