Isaiah 33:8

33:8 Highways are empty, ¹ 

there are no travelers. ² 

Treaties are broken, ³ 

witnesses are despised, ⁴ 

human life is treated with disrespect. ⁵ 

Isaiah 7:16

7:16 Here is why this will be so: ⁶  Before the child knows how to reject evil and choose what is right, the land ⁷  whose two kings you fear will be desolate. ⁸ 

Isaiah 8:6

8:6 “These people ⁹  have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah ¹⁰  and melt in fear over Rezin and the son of Remaliah. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 33:15

33:15 The one who lives ¹²  uprightly ¹³ 

and speaks honestly;

the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures

and rejects a bribe; ¹⁴ 

the one who does not plot violent crimes ¹⁵ 

and does not seek to harm others ¹⁶  –

[33:8]  ¹ tn Or “desolate” (NAB, NASB); NIV, NRSV, NLT “deserted.”

[33:8]  ² tn Heb “the one passing by on the road ceases.”

[33:8]  ³ tn Heb “one breaks a treaty”; NAB “Covenants are broken.”

[33:8]  ⁴ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “he despises cities.” The term עָרִים (’arim, “cities”) is probably a corruption of an original עֵדִים (’edim, “[legal] witnesses”), a reading that is preserved in the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a. Confusion of dalet (ד) and resh (ר) is a well-attested scribal error.

[33:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “he does not regard human beings.”

[7:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “for, because.” The particle introduces the entire following context (vv. 16-25), which explains why Immanuel will be an appropriate name for the child, why he will eat sour milk and honey, and why experiencing such a diet will contribute to his moral development.

[7:16]  ⁷ sn Since “two kings” are referred to later in the verse, the “land” must here refer to Syria-Israel.

[7:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “the land will be abandoned, which you fear because of its two kings.” After the verb קוּץ (quts, “loathe, dread”) the phrase מִפְּנֵי (mipney, “from before”) introduces the cause of loathing/dread (see Gen 27:46; Exod 1:12; Num 22:3).

[8:6]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text begins with “because.” In the Hebrew text vv. 6-7 are one long sentence, with v. 6 giving the reason for judgment and v. 7 formally announcing it.

[8:6]  ¹² sn The phrase “waters of Shiloah” probably refers to a stream that originated at the Gihon Spring and supplied the city of Jerusalem with water. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:225. In this context these waters stand in contrast to the flood waters of Assyria and symbolize God’s presence and blessings.

[8:6]  ¹³ tn The precise meaning of v. 6 has been debated. The translation above assumes that “these people” are the residents of Judah and that מָשׂוֹשׂ (masos) is alternate form of מָסוֹס (masos, “despair, melt”; see HALOT 606 s.v. מסס). In this case vv. 7-8 in their entirety announce God’s disciplinary judgment on Judah. However, “these people” could refer to the Israelites and perhaps also the Syrians (cf v. 4). In this case מָשׂוֹשׂ probably means “joy.” One could translate, “and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah.” In this case v. 7a announces the judgment of Israel, with vv. 7b-8 then shifting the focus to the judgment of Judah.

[33:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “walks” (so NASB, NIV).

[33:15]  ¹⁷ tn Or, possibly, “justly”; NAB “who practices virtue.”

[33:15]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “[who] shakes off his hands from grabbing hold of a bribe.”

[33:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “[who] shuts his ear from listening to bloodshed.”

[33:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “[who] closes his eyes from seeing evil.”