Isaiah 34:16

34:16 Carefully read the scroll of the Lord! ¹ 

Not one of these creatures will be missing, ² 

none will lack a mate. ³ 

For the Lord has issued the decree, ⁴ 

and his own spirit gathers them. ⁵ 

Isaiah 66:8

66:8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?

Who has ever seen this?

Can a country ⁶  be brought forth in one day?

Can a nation be born in a single moment?

Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!

[34:16]  ¹ tn Heb “Seek from upon the scroll of the Lord and read.”

[34:16]  ² tn Heb “one from these will not be missing.” הֵנָּה (hennah, “these”) is feminine plural in the Hebrew text. It may refer only to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or may include all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).

[34:16]  ³ tn Heb “each its mate they will not lack.”

[34:16]  ⁴ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for a mouth, it has commanded.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and a few medieval mss have פִּיהוּ (pihu, “his mouth [has commanded]”), while a few other medieval mss read פִּי יְהוָה (pi yÿhvah, “the mouth of the Lord [has commanded]”).

[34:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “and his spirit, he gathers them.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).

[66:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “land,” but here אֶרֶץ (’erets) stands metonymically for an organized nation (see the following line).