Isaiah 42:14

42:14 “I have been inactive ¹  for a long time;

I kept quiet and held back.

Like a woman in labor I groan;

I pant and gasp. ² 

Isaiah 46:9

46:9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity! ³ 

Truly I am God, I have no peer; ⁴ 

I am God, and there is none like me,

Isaiah 63:19

63:19 We existed from ancient times, ⁵ 

but you did not rule over them,

they were not your subjects. ⁶ 

Isaiah 63:16

63:16 For you are our father,

though Abraham does not know us

and Israel does not recognize us.

You, Lord, are our father;

you have been called our protector from ancient times. ⁷ 

[42:14]  ¹ tn Heb “silent” (so NASB, NIV, TEV, NLT); CEV “have held my temper.”

[42:14]  ² sn The imagery depicts the Lord as a warrior who is eager to fight and can no longer hold himself back from the attack.

[46:9]  ³ tn Heb “remember the former things, from antiquity”; KJV, ASV “the former things of old.”

[46:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “and there is no other” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[63:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “we were from antiquity” (see v. 16). The collocation עוֹלָם + מִן + הָיָה (hayah + min + ’olam) occurs only here.

[63:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “you did not rule them, your name was not called over them.” The expression “the name is called over” indicates ownership; see the note at 4:1. As these two lines stand they are very difficult to interpret. They appear to be stating that the adversaries just mentioned in v. 18 have not been subject to the Lord’s rule in the past, perhaps explaining why they could commit the atrocity described in v. 18b.

[63:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “our protector [or “redeemer”] from antiquity [is] your name.”