Isaiah 40:7

40:7 The grass dries up,

the flowers wither,

when the wind sent by the Lord ¹  blows on them.

Surely humanity ²  is like grass.

Isaiah 53:4

53:4 But he lifted up our illnesses,

he carried our pain; ³ 

even though we thought he was being punished,

attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done. ⁴ 

[40:7]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text has רוּחַ יְהוָה (ruakh yehvah), which in this context probably does not refer to the Lord’s personal Spirit. The phrase is better translated “the breath of the Lord,” or “the wind of [i.e., sent by] the Lord.” The Lord’s sovereign control over nature, including the hot desert winds that dry up vegetation, is in view here (cf. Ps 147:18; Isa 59:19).

[40:7]  ² tn Heb “the people” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[53:4]  ³ sn Illness and pain stand by metonymy (or perhaps as metaphors) for sin and its effects, as vv. 11-12 make clear.

[53:4]  ⁴ tn The words “for something he had done” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The group now realizes he suffered because of his identification with them, not simply because he was a special target of divine anger.