Isaiah 32:6

32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; ¹ 

his mind plans out sinful deeds. ² 

He commits godless deeds ³ 

and says misleading things about the Lord;

he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite ⁴ 

and gives the thirsty nothing to drink. ⁵ 

Isaiah 49:7

49:7 This is what the Lord,

the protector ⁶  of Israel, their Holy One, ⁷  says

to the one who is despised ⁸  and rejected ⁹  by nations, ¹⁰ 

a servant of rulers:

“Kings will see and rise in respect, ¹¹ 

princes will bow down,

because of the faithful Lord,

the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”

Isaiah 53:12

53:12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, ¹² 

he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, ¹³ 

because he willingly submitted ¹⁴  to death

and was numbered with the rebels,

when he lifted up the sin of many

and intervened ¹⁵  on behalf of the rebels.”

Isaiah 58:5

58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? ¹⁶ 

Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, ¹⁷ 

bowing their heads like a reed

and stretching out ¹⁸  on sackcloth and ashes?

Is this really what you call a fast,

a day that is pleasing to the Lord?

Isaiah 61:10

61:10 I ¹⁹  will greatly rejoice ²⁰  in the Lord;

I will be overjoyed because of my God. ²¹ 

For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;

he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. ²² 

I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would;

I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry. ²³ 

Isaiah 66:3

66:3 The one who slaughters a bull also strikes down a man; ²⁴ 

the one who sacrifices a lamb also breaks a dog’s neck; ²⁵ 

the one who presents an offering includes pig’s blood with it; ²⁶ 

the one who offers incense also praises an idol. ²⁷ 

They have decided to behave this way; ²⁸ 

they enjoy these disgusting practices. ²⁹ 

[32:6]  ¹ tn Or “foolishness,” in a moral-ethical sense. See 9:17.

[32:6]  ² tn Heb “and his heart commits sin”; KJV, ASV “his heart will work iniquity”; NASB “inclines toward wickedness.”

[32:6]  ³ tn Heb “in order to do [or “so that he does”] what is godless [or “defiled”].”

[32:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “so that he leaves empty the appetite [or “desire”] of the hungry.”

[32:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the drink of the thirsty he causes to fail.”

[49:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[49:7]  ⁷ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[49:7]  ⁸ tc The Hebrew text reads literally “to [one who] despises life.” It is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a לבזוי, which should be vocalized as a passive participle, לִבְזוּי (livzuy, “to the one despised with respect to life” [נֶפֶשׁ is a genitive of specification]). The consonantal sequence וי was probably misread as ה in the MT tradition. The contextual argument favors the 1QIsa^a reading. As J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:294) points out, the three terse phrases “convey a picture of lowliness, worthlessness, and helplessness.”

[49:7]  ⁹ tn MT’s Piel participle (“to the one who rejects”) does not fit contextually. The form should be revocalized as a Pual, “to the one rejected.”

[49:7]  ¹⁰ tn Parallelism (see “rulers,” “kings,” “princes”) suggests that the singular גּוֹי (goy) be emended to a plural or understood in a collective sense (see 55:5).

[49:7]  ¹¹ tn For this sense of קוּם (qum), see Gen 19:1; 23:7; 33:10; Lev 19:32; 1 Sam 20:41; 25:41; 1 Kgs 2:19; Job 29:8.

[53:12]  ¹¹ tn Scholars have debated the precise meaning of the term רַבִּים (rabbim) that occurs five times in this passage (Isa 52:14, 15; 53:11, 12 [2x]). Its two broad categories of translation are “much”/“many” and “great” (HALOT 1171-72 s.v. I רַב). Unlike other Hebrew terms for might or strength, this term is linked with numbers or abundance. In all sixteen uses outside of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (articular and plural) it signifies an inclusive meaning: “the majority” or “the multitude” (J. Jeremias, TDNT 6:536-37). This term occurs in parallelism with עֲצוּמִים (’atsumim), which normally signifies “numerous” or “large” or “powerful” (through large numbers). Like רַבִּים (rabbim), it refers to greatness in numbers (cf. Deut 4:38; 7:1; 9:1; 11:34). It emphasizes the multitudes with whom the Servant will share the spoil of his victory. As J. Olley wrote: “Yahweh has won the victory and vindicates his Servant, giving to him many subservient people, together with their spoils. These numerous peoples in turn receive blessing, sharing in the “peace” resulting from Yahweh’s victory and the Servant’s suffering” (John W. Olley, “‘The Many’: How Is Isa 53,12a to Be Understood,” Bib 68 [1987]: 330-56).

[53:12]  ¹² sn The servant is compared here to a warrior who will be richly rewarded for his effort and success in battle.

[53:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “because he laid bare his life”; traditionally, ASV “because he (+ hath KJV) poured out his soul (life NIV) unto death.”

[53:12]  ¹⁴ tn The Hiphil of פָּגַע (paga’) can mean “cause to attack” (v. 6), “urge, plead verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25), or “intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16). Perhaps the third nuance fits best here, for military imagery is employed in the first two lines of the verse.

[58:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”

[58:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[58:5]  ¹⁸ tn Or “making [their] bed.”

[61:10]  ²¹ sn The speaker in vv. 10-11 is not identified, but it is likely that the personified nation (or perhaps Zion) responds here to the Lord’s promise of restoration.

[61:10]  ²² tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[61:10]  ²³ tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”

[61:10]  ²⁴ tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”

[61:10]  ²⁵ tn Heb “like a bridegroom [who] acts like a priest [by wearing] a turban, and like a bride [who] wears her jewelry.” The words “I look” are supplied for stylistic reasons and clarification.

[66:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “one who slaughters a bull, one who strikes down a man.” Some understand a comparison here and in the following lines. In God’s sight the one who sacrifices is like (i.e., regarded as) a murderer or one whose worship is ritually defiled or idolatrous. The translation above assumes that the language is not metaphorical, but descriptive of the sinners’ hypocritical behavior. (Note the last two lines of the verse, which suggests they are guilty of abominable practices.) On the one hand, they act pious and offer sacrifices; but at the same time they commit violent crimes against men, defile their sacrifices, and worship other gods.

[66:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “one who sacrifices a lamb, one who breaks a dog’s neck.” Some understand a comparison, but see the previous note.

[66:3]  ²⁸ tn Heb “one who offers an offering, pig’s blood.” Some understand a comparison, but see the note at the end of the first line.

[66:3]  ²⁹ tn Heb “one who offers incense as a memorial offering, one who blesses something false.” Some understand a comparison, but see the note at the end of the first line. אָוֶן (’aven), which has a wide variety of attested nuances, here refers metonymically to an idol. See HALOT 22 s.v. and BDB 20 s.v. 2.

[66:3]  ³⁰ tn Heb “also they have chosen their ways.”

[66:3]  ³¹ tn Heb “their being [or “soul”] takes delight in their disgusting [things].”