Discovery BoxIsaiah 42:24
Context42:24 Who handed Jacob over to the robber?
Who handed Israel over to the looters? 1
Was it not the Lord, against whom we sinned?
They refused to follow his commands;
they disobeyed his law. 2
Isaiah 64:5
Context64:5 You assist 3 those who delight in doing what is right, 4
who observe your commandments. 5
Look, you were angry because we violated them continually.
How then can we be saved? 6
[42:24] 1 tn Heb “Who gave to the robber Jacob, and Israel to the looters?” In the first line the consonantal text (Kethib) has מְשׁוֹסֶה (mÿshoseh), a Polel participle from שָׁסָה (shasah, “plunder”). The marginal reading (Qere) is מְשִׁיסָּה (mÿshissah), a noun meaning “plunder.” In this case one could translate “Who handed Jacob over as plunder?”
[42:24] 2 tn Heb “they were not willing in his ways to walk, and they did not listen to his law.”
[64:5] 3 tn Heb “meet [with kindness].”
[64:5] 4 tn Heb “the one who rejoices and does righteousness.”
[64:5] 5 tn Heb “in your ways they remember you.”
[64:5] 6 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “look, you were angry and we sinned against them continually [or perhaps, “in ancient times”] and we were delivered.” The statement makes little sense as it stands. The first vav [ו] consecutive (“and we sinned”) must introduce an explanatory clause here (see Num 1:48 and Isa 39:1 for other examples of this relatively rare use of the vav [ו] consecutive). The final verb (if rendered positively) makes no sense in this context – God’s anger at their sin resulted in judgment, not deliverance. One of the alternatives involves an emendation to וַנִּרְשָׁע (vannirsha’, “and we were evil”; LXX, NRSV, TEV). The Vulgate and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa support the MT reading. One can either accept an emendation or cast the statement as a question (as above).
