Isaiah 40:10

40:10 Look, the sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior; ¹ 

his military power establishes his rule. ² 

Look, his reward is with him;

his prize goes before him. ³ 

Isaiah 49:4

49:4 But I thought, ⁴  “I have worked in vain;

I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing.” ⁵ 

But the Lord will vindicate me;

my God will reward me. ⁶ 

Isaiah 61:8

61:8 For I, the Lord, love justice

and hate robbery and sin.

I will repay them because of my faithfulness; ⁷ 

I will make a permanent covenant with them.

Isaiah 62:11

62:11 Look, the Lord announces to the entire earth: ⁸ 

“Say to Daughter Zion,

‘Look, your deliverer comes!

Look, his reward is with him

and his reward goes before him!’” ⁹ 

Isaiah 65:7

65:7 for your sins and your ancestors’ sins,” ¹⁰  says the Lord.

“Because they burned incense on the mountains

and offended ¹¹  me on the hills,

I will punish them in full measure.” ¹² 

[40:10]  ¹ tn Heb “comes as a strong one”; ASV “will come as a mighty one.” The preposition בְּ (bet) here carries the nuance “in the capacity of.” It indicates that the Lord possesses the quality expressed by the noun. See GKC 379 §119.i and HALOT 104 s.v. בְּ.

[40:10]  ² tn Heb “his arm rules for him” (so NIV, NRSV). The Lord’s “arm” symbolizes his military power (see Isa 51:9-10; 63:5).

[40:10]  ³ tn As the Lord returns to Jerusalem as a victorious warrior, he brings with him the spoils of victory, called here his “reward” and “prize.” These terms might also be translated “wages” and “recompense.” Verse 11 indicates that his rescued people, likened to a flock of sheep, are his reward.

[49:4]  ⁴ tn Or “said” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “I replied.”

[49:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “for nothing and emptiness.” Synonyms are combined to emphasize the common idea.

[49:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “But my justice is with the Lord, and my reward [or “wage”] with my God.”

[61:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”

[62:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so NASB, NRSV).

[62:11]  ¹¹ sn As v. 12 indicates, the returning exiles are the Lord’s reward/prize. See also 40:10 and the note there.

[65:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “the iniquities of your fathers.”

[65:7]  ¹⁴ tn Or perhaps, “taunted”; KJV “blasphemed”; NAB “disgraced”; NASB “scorned”; NIV “defied”; NRSV “reviled.”

[65:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “I will measure out their pay [from the] beginning into their lap,” i.e., he will give them everything they have earned.