Isaiah 33:20-22

33:20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals!

You ¹  will see Jerusalem, ² 

a peaceful settlement,

a tent that stays put; ³ 

its stakes will never be pulled up;

none of its ropes will snap in two.

33:21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king. ⁴ 

Rivers and wide streams will flow through it; ⁵ 

no war galley will enter; ⁶ 

no large ships will sail through. ⁷ 

33:22 For the Lord, our ruler,

the Lord, our commander,

the Lord, our king –

he will deliver us.

Isaiah 35:9-10

35:9 No lions will be there,

no ferocious wild animals will be on it ⁸  –

they will not be found there.

Those delivered from bondage will travel on it,

35:10 those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way. ⁹ 

They will enter Zion with a happy shout.

Unending joy will crown them, ¹⁰ 

happiness and joy will overwhelm ¹¹  them;

grief and suffering will disappear. ¹² 

Isaiah 60:17-18

60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,

instead of iron, I will bring you silver,

instead of wood, I will bring you ¹³  bronze,

instead of stones, I will bring you ¹⁴  iron.

I will make prosperity ¹⁵  your overseer,

and vindication your sovereign ruler. ¹⁶ 

60:18 Sounds of violence ¹⁷  will no longer be heard in your land,

or the sounds of ¹⁸  destruction and devastation within your borders.

You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’

and your gates, ‘Praise.’

Jeremiah 23:5-6

23:5 “I, the Lord, promise ¹⁹  that a new time will certainly come ²⁰ 

when I will raise up for them a righteous branch, ²¹  a descendant of David.

He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding ²² 

and will do what is just and right in the land. ²³ 

23:6 Under his rule ²⁴  Judah will enjoy safety ²⁵ 

and Israel will live in security. ²⁶ 

This is the name he will go by:

‘The Lord has provided us with justice.’ ²⁷ 

Jeremiah 33:16

33:16 Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety ²⁸  and Jerusalem ²⁹  will live in security. At that time Jerusalem will be called “The Lord has provided us with justice.” ³⁰ 

Ezekiel 34:25-26

34:25 “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and will rid the land of wild beasts, so that they can live securely ³¹  in the wilderness and even sleep in the woods. ³²  34:26 I will turn them and the regions around my hill into a blessing. I will make showers come down in their season; they will be showers that bring blessing. ³³ 

Hosea 2:18-23

New Covenant Relationship with Repentant Israel

2:18 “At that time ³⁴  I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals,

the birds of the air, and the creatures that crawl on the ground.

I will abolish ³⁵  the warrior’s bow and sword

– that is, every weapon of warfare ³⁶  – from the land,

and I will allow them to live securely.” ³⁷ 

2:19 I will commit myself to you ³⁸  forever;

I will commit myself to you in ³⁹  righteousness and justice,

in steadfast love and tender compassion.

2:20 I will commit myself to you in faithfulness;

then ⁴⁰  you will acknowledge ⁴¹  the Lord.” ⁴² 

Agricultural Fertility Restored to the Repentant Nation

2:21 “At that time, ⁴³  I will willingly respond,” ⁴⁴  declares the Lord.

“I will respond to the sky,

and the sky ⁴⁵  will respond to the ground;

2:22 then the ground will respond to the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil;

and they will respond to ‘God Plants’ (Jezreel)! ⁴⁶ 

2:23 Then I will plant her as my own ⁴⁷  in the land.

I will have pity on ‘No Pity’ (Lo-Ruhamah).

I will say to ‘Not My People’ (Lo-Ammi), ‘You are my people!’

And he ⁴⁸  will say, ‘You are ⁴⁹  my God!’”

Zechariah 2:5

2:5 But I (the Lord says) will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem ⁵⁰  and the source of glory in her midst.’”

Zechariah 2:8

2:8 For the Lord who rules over all says to me that for his own glory ⁵¹  he has sent me to the nations that plundered you – for anyone who touches you touches the pupil ⁵²  of his ⁵³  eye.

Hebrews 4:9

4:9 Consequently a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God.

Hebrews 4:1

God’s Promised Rest

4:1 Therefore we must be wary ⁵⁴  that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it.

Hebrews 4:16

4:16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help. ⁵⁵ 

[33:20]  ¹ tn Heb “your eyes” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[33:20]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[33:20]  ³ tn Or “that does not travel”; NASB “which shall not be folded.”

[33:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “But there [as] a mighty one [will be] the Lord for us.”

[33:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “a place of rivers, streams wide of hands [i.e., on both sides].”

[33:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “a ship of rowing will not go into it.”

[33:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “and a mighty ship will not pass through it.”

[35:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “will go up on it”; TEV “will pass that way.”

[35:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the redeemed will walk, the ransomed of the Lord will return.”

[35:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.

[35:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “will overtake” (NIV); NLT “they will be overcome with.”

[35:10]  ¹² tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee”; KJV “sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

[60:17]  ¹³ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).

[60:17]  ¹⁴ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).

[60:17]  ¹⁵ tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).

[60:17]  ¹⁶ tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.

[60:18]  ¹⁷ tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[60:18]  ¹⁸ tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[23:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Behold the days are coming.”

[23:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “a righteous sprig to David” or “a righteous shoot” (NAB).

[23:5]  ²² tn Heb “he will reign as king and act wisely.” This is another example of the use of two verbs joined by “and” where one becomes the adverbial modifier of the other (hendiadys). For the nuance of the verb “act wisely” rather than “prosper” see Amos 5:13; Ps 2:10 (cf. BDB 968 s.v. שָׂכַל Hiph.5).

[23:5]  ²³ sn This has been the constant emphasis in this section. See 22:3 for the demand, 22:15 for its fulfillment, and 22:13 for its abuse. The ideal king would follow in the footsteps of his illustrious ancestor David (2 Sam 8:15) who set this forth as an ideal for his dynasty (2 Sam 23:3) and prayed for it to be true of his son Solomon (Ps 72:1-2).

[23:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “In his days [= during the time he rules].”

[23:6]  ²⁵ tn Parallelism and context (cf. v. 4) suggest this nuance for the word often translated “be saved.” For this nuance elsewhere see Ps 119:117; Prov 28:18 for the verb (יָשַׁע [yasha’] in the Niphal); and Ps 12:6; Job 5:4, 11 for the related noun (יֶשַׁע, yesha’).

[23:6]  ²⁶ sn It should be noted that this brief oracle of deliverance implies the reunification of Israel and Judah under the future Davidic ruler. Jeremiah has already spoken about this reunification earlier in 3:18 and will have more to say about it in 30:3; 31:27, 31. This same ideal was espoused in the prophecies of Hosea (1:10-11 [2:1-2 HT]), Isaiah (11:1-4, 10-12), and Ezekiel (37:15-28) all of which have messianic and eschatological significance.

[23:6]  ²⁷ tn Heb “his name will be called ‘The Lord our righteousness’.”

[33:16]  ²⁸ tn For the translation of this term in this context see the parallel context in 23:6 and consult the translator’s note there.

[33:16]  ²⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[33:16]  ³⁰ tn Heb “And this is what will be called to it: ‘The Lord our righteousness.’”

[34:25]  ³¹ tn The phrase “live securely” occurs in Ezek 28:26; 38:8, 11, 14; 39:26 as an expression of freedom from fear. It is a promised blessing resulting from obedience (see Lev 26:5-6).

[34:25]  ³² sn The woods were typically considered to be places of danger (Ps 104:20-21; Jer 5:6).

[34:26]  ³³ tn Heb “showers of blessing.” Abundant rain, which in turn produces fruit and crops (v. 27), is a covenantal blessing for obedience (Lev 26:4).

[2:18]  ³⁴ tn Heb “And in that day” (so KJV, ASV).

[2:18]  ³⁵ tn Heb “I will break”; NAB “I will destroy”; NCV “I will smash”; NLT “I will remove.”

[2:18]  ³⁶ tn Heb “bow and sword and warfare.” The first two terms in the triad וְקֶשֶׁת וְחֶרֶב וּמִלְחָמָה (vÿqeshet vÿkherev umilkhamah, literally, “bow and sword and warfare”) are examples of synecdoche of specific (bow and sword) for general (weapons of war, so CEV). However, they might be examples of metonymy (bow and sword) of association (warfare).

[2:18]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and I will cause them to lie down in safety.” The causative nuance (“will make them”) is retained in several English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[2:19]  ³⁸ tn Heb “I will betroth you to me” (so NIV) here and in the following lines. Cf. NRSV “I will take you for my wife forever.”

[2:19]  ³⁹ tn The preposition בְּ (bet), which is repeated throughout 2:19-20 [21-22], denotes price paid (BDB 90 s.v. בְּ III.3; e.g., Ezek 3:14). The text contains an allusion to the payment of bridal gifts. The Lord will impute the moral character to Israel that will be necessary for a successful covenant relationship (contra 4:1).

[2:20]  ⁴⁰ tn The vav consecutive on the suffix conjugation verb וְיָדַעַתְּ (véyada’at, “then you will know”) introduces a result clause (cf. NASB, CEV).

[2:20]  ⁴¹ tn Or “know.” The term יָדַע (yada’, “know, acknowledge”) is often used in covenant contexts. It can refer to the suzerain’s acknowledgment of his covenant obligations to his vassal or to the vassal’s acknowledgment of his covenant obligations to his suzerain. When used in reference to a vassal, the verb “know” is metonymical (cause for effect) for “obey.” See H. Huffmann, “The Treaty Background of Hebrew ya„daà,” BASOR 181 (1966): 31-37.

[2:20]  ⁴² tc The MT reads יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the Lord”); however, many Hebrew mss read כִּי אָנִי (ki ’ani, “that it is I”), as also reflected in the Latin Vulgate (cf. CEV “know who I am”).

[2:21]  ⁴³ tn Heb “And in that day”; NAB, NRSV “On that day.”

[2:21]  ⁴⁴ tn The verb עָנָה, (’anah) which is used throughout 2:23-24, is related to the root I עָנָה (’anah), “to answer, listen attentively, react willingly” (BDB 772 s.v. 1.b; HALOT 852 s.v. ענה 3.b).

[2:21]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “and they.” In the Hebrew text the plural pronoun is used because it refers back to the term translated “sky,” which is a dual form in Hebrew. Many English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV) use the plural term “heavens” here, which agrees with a plural pronoun (cf. also NIV, NCV “skies”).

[2:22]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “Jezreel.” The use of the name יִזְרְעֶאל (yizré’e’l, “Jezreel”) creates a powerful three-fold wordplay: (1) The proper name יִזְרְעֶאל (“Jezreel”) is a phonetic wordplay on the similar sounding name יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisra’el, “Israel”): God will answer Israel, that is, Jezreel. (2) The name יִזְרְעֶאל (“Jezreel”) plays on the verb זָרַע (zara’, “to sow, plant”), the immediately following word: וּזְרַעְתִּיהָ (uzéra’tiha, vav + Qal perfect 1st person common singular + 3rd person feminine singular suffix: “I will sow/plant her”). This wordplay creates a popular etymology for יִזְרְעֶאל meaning, “God sows/plants,” which fits well into the agricultural fertility imagery in 2:21-23 [2:23-25]. (3) This positive connotation of יִזְרְעֶאל (“Jezreel”) in 2:21-23[23-25] reverses the negative connotation of יִזְרְעֶאל (“Jezreel”) in 1:4-5 (bloodshed of Jehu in the Jezreel Valley).

[2:23]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “for myself.”

[2:23]  ⁴⁸ tn The Hebrew text, carrying out the reference to the son born in 1:8-9, uses the third person masculine singular pronoun here; some English translations use third person plural (“they,” so KJV, NASB, NIV, CEV) in keeping with the immediate context, which refers to reestablished Israel.

[2:23]  ⁴⁹ tn The words “You are” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are implied. It is necessary to supply the phrase in the translation to prevent the reader from understanding the predicate “my God” as an exclamation (cf. NAB).

[2:5]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:8]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “After glory has he sent me” (similar KJV, NASB). What is clearly in view is the role of Zechariah who, by faithful proclamation of the message, will glorify the Lord.

[2:8]  ⁵² tn Heb “gate” (בָּבָה, bavah) of the eye, that is, pupil. The rendering of this term by KJV as “apple” has created a well-known idiom in the English language, “the apple of his eye” (so ASV, NIV). The pupil is one of the most vulnerable and valuable parts of the body, so for Judah to be considered the “pupil” of the Lord’s eye is to raise her value to an incalculable price (cf. NLT “my most precious possession”).

[2:8]  ⁵³ tc A scribal emendation (tiqqun sopherim) has apparently altered an original “my eye” to “his eye” in order to allow the prophet to be the speaker throughout vv. 8-9. This alleviates the problem of the Lord saying, in effect, that he has sent himself on the mission to the nations.

[4:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “let us fear.”

[4:16]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “for timely help.”