Discovery BoxIsaiah 44:24--48:22
Context44:24 This is what the Lord, your protector, 1 says,
the one who formed you in the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made everything,
who alone stretched out the sky,
who fashioned the earth all by myself, 2
44:25 who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers 3
and humiliates 4 the omen readers,
who overturns the counsel of the wise men 5
and makes their advice 6 seem foolish,
44:26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants 7
and brings to pass the announcements 8 of his messengers,
who says about Jerusalem, 9 ‘She will be inhabited,’
and about the towns of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt,
her ruins I will raise up,’
44:27 who says to the deep sea, ‘Be dry!
I will dry up your sea currents,’
44:28 who commissions 10 Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd 11
to carry out all my wishes 12
and to decree concerning Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’
and concerning the temple, ‘It will be reconstructed.’” 13
45:1 This is what the Lord says to his chosen 14 one,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold 15
in order to subdue nations before him,
and disarm kings, 16
to open doors before him,
so gates remain unclosed:
45:2 “I will go before you
and level mountains. 17
Bronze doors I will shatter
and iron bars 18 I will hack through.
45:3 I will give you hidden treasures, 19
riches stashed away in secret places,
so you may recognize that I am the Lord,
the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel.
45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one,
I call you by name
and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize 20 me.
45:5 I am the Lord, I have no peer, 21
there is no God but me.
I arm you for battle, 22 even though you do not recognize 23 me.
45:6 I do this 24 so people 25 will recognize from east to west
that there is no God but me;
I am the Lord, I have no peer.
45:7 I am 26 the one who forms light
and creates darkness; 27
the one who brings about peace
and creates calamity. 28
I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.
45:8 O sky, rain down from above!
Let the clouds send down showers 29 of deliverance!
Let the earth absorb it 30 so salvation may grow, 31
and deliverance may sprout up 32 along with it.
I, the Lord, create it. 33
45:9 One who argues with his creator is in grave danger, 34
one who is like a mere 35 shard among the other shards on the ground!
The clay should not say to the potter, 36
“What in the world 37 are you doing?
Your work lacks skill!” 38
45:10 Danger awaits one who says 39 to his father,
“What in the world 40 are you fathering?”
and to his mother,
“What in the world are you bringing forth?” 41
45:11 This is what the Lord says,
the Holy One of Israel, 42 the one who formed him,
concerning things to come: 43
“How dare you question me 44 about my children!
How dare you tell me what to do with 45 the work of my own hands!
45:12 I made the earth,
I created the people who live 46 on it.
It was me – my hands 47 stretched out the sky, 48
I give orders to all the heavenly lights. 49
45:13 It is me – I stir him up and commission him; 50
I will make all his ways level.
He will rebuild my city;
he will send my exiled people home,
but not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
45:14 This is what the Lord says:
“The profit 51 of Egypt and the revenue 52 of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you 53 and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. 54
They will bow down to you
and pray to you: 55
‘Truly God is with 56 you; he has no peer; 57
there is no other God!’”
45:15 Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden,
O God of Israel, deliverer!
45:16 They will all be ashamed and embarrassed;
those who fashion idols will all be humiliated. 58
45:17 Israel will be delivered once and for all by the Lord; 59
you will never again be ashamed or humiliated. 60
45:18 For this is what the Lord says,
the one who created the sky –
he is the true God, 61
the one who formed the earth and made it;
he established it,
he did not create it without order, 62
he formed it to be inhabited –
“I am the Lord, I have no peer.
45:19 I have not spoken in secret,
in some hidden place. 63
I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,
‘Seek me in vain!’ 64
I am the Lord,
the one who speaks honestly,
who makes reliable announcements. 65
45:20 Gather together and come!
Approach together, you refugees from the nations!
Those who carry wooden idols know nothing,
those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.
45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence! 66
Let them consult with one another!
Who predicted this in the past?
Who announced it beforehand?
Was it not I, the Lord?
I have no peer, there is no God but me,
a God who vindicates and delivers; 67
there is none but me.
45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, 68
all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!
For I am God, and I have no peer.
45:23 I solemnly make this oath 69 –
what I say is true and reliable: 70
‘Surely every knee will bow to me,
every tongue will solemnly affirm; 71
45:24 they will say about me,
“Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” 72
All who are angry at him will cower before him. 73
45:25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord
and will boast in him. 74
Nebo 76 bends low.
Their images weigh down animals and beasts. 77
Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. 78
46:2 Together they bend low and kneel down;
they are unable to rescue the images; 79
they themselves 80 head off into captivity. 81
46:3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, 82
all you who are left from the family of Israel, 83
you who have been carried from birth, 84
you who have been supported from the time you left the womb. 85
46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, 86
even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.
I made you and I will support you;
I will carry you and rescue you. 87
46:5 To whom can you compare and liken me?
Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!
46:6 Those who empty out gold from a purse
and weigh out silver on the scale 88
hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god.
They then bow down and worship it.
46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;
they put it in its place and it just stands there;
it does not 89 move from its place.
Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;
it does not deliver him from his distress.
46:8 Remember this, so you can be brave! 90
Think about it, you rebels! 91
46:9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity! 92
Truly I am God, I have no peer; 93
I am God, and there is none like me,
46:10 who announces the end from the beginning
and reveals beforehand 94 what has not yet occurred,
who says, ‘My plan will be realized,
I will accomplish what I desire,’
46:11 who summons an eagle 95 from the east,
from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.
Yes, I have decreed, 96
yes, I will bring it to pass;
I have formulated a plan,
yes, I will carry it out.
46:12 Listen to me, you stubborn people, 97
you who distance yourself from doing what is right. 98
46:13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;
I am bringing my salvation near, 99 it does not wait.
I will save Zion; 100
I will adorn Israel with my splendor.” 101
47:1 “Fall down! Sit in the dirt,
O virgin 102 daughter Babylon!
Sit on the ground, not on a throne,
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed, 103 you will no longer be called delicate and pampered.
47:2 Pick up millstones and grind flour!
Remove your veil,
strip off your skirt,
expose your legs,
cross the streams!
47:3 Let your private parts be exposed!
Your genitals will be on display! 104
I will get revenge;
I will not have pity on anyone,” 105
47:4 says our protector –
the Lord who commands armies is his name,
the Holy One of Israel. 106
47:5 “Sit silently! Go to a hiding place, 107
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed, 108 you will no longer be called ‘Queen of kingdoms.’
47:6 I was angry at my people;
I defiled my special possession
and handed them over to you.
You showed them no mercy; 109
you even placed a very heavy burden on old people. 110
47:7 You said,
‘I will rule forever as permanent queen!’ 111
You did not think about these things; 112
you did not consider how it would turn out. 113
47:8 So now, listen to this,
O one who lives so lavishly, 114
who lives securely,
who says to herself, 115
‘I am unique! No one can compare to me! 116
I will never have to live as a widow;
I will never lose my children.’ 117
47:9 Both of these will come upon you
suddenly, in one day!
You will lose your children and be widowed. 118
You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, 119
despite 120 your many incantations
and your numerous amulets. 121
47:10 You were complacent in your evil deeds; 122
you thought, 123 ‘No one sees me.’
Your self-professed 124 wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,
when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’ 125
47:11 Disaster will overtake you;
you will not know how to charm it away. 126
Destruction will fall on you;
you will not be able to appease it.
Calamity will strike you suddenly,
before you recognize it. 127
47:12 Persist 128 in trusting 129 your amulets
and your many incantations,
which you have faithfully recited 130 since your youth!
Maybe you will be successful 131 –
maybe you will scare away disaster. 132
47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. 133
Let them take their stand –
the ones who see omens in the sky,
who gaze at the stars,
who make monthly predictions –
let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! 134
47:14 Look, they are like straw,
which the fire burns up;
they cannot rescue themselves
from the heat 135 of the flames.
There are no coals to warm them,
no firelight to enjoy. 136
47:15 They will disappoint you, 137
those you have so faithfully dealt with since your youth. 138
Each strays off in his own direction, 139
leaving no one to rescue you.”
48:1 Listen to this, O family of Jacob, 140
you who are called by the name ‘Israel,’
and are descended from Judah, 141
who take oaths in the name of the Lord,
and invoke 142 the God of Israel –
but not in an honest and just manner. 143
48:2 Indeed, they live in the holy city; 144
they trust in 145 the God of Israel,
whose name is the Lord who commands armies.
48:3 “I announced events beforehand, 146
I issued the decrees and made the predictions; 147
suddenly I acted and they came to pass.
48:4 I did this 148 because I know how stubborn you are.
Your neck muscles are like iron
and your forehead like bronze. 149
48:5 I announced them to you beforehand;
before they happened, I predicted them for you,
so you could never say,
‘My image did these things,
my idol, my cast image, decreed them.’
48:6 You have heard; now look at all the evidence! 150
Will you not admit that what I say is true? 151
From this point on I am announcing to you new events
that are previously unrevealed and you do not know about. 152
48:7 Now they come into being, 153 not in the past;
before today you did not hear about them,
so you could not say,
‘Yes, 154 I know about them.’
48:8 You did not hear,
you do not know,
you were not told beforehand. 155
For I know that you are very deceitful; 156
you were labeled 157 a rebel from birth.
48:9 For the sake of my reputation 158 I hold back my anger;
for the sake of my prestige 159 I restrain myself from destroying you. 160
48:10 Look, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have purified you 161 in the furnace of misery.
48:11 For my sake alone 162 I will act,
for how can I allow my name to be defiled? 163
I will not share my glory with anyone else! 164
48:12 Listen to me, O Jacob,
Israel, whom I summoned!
I am the one;
I am present at the very beginning
and at the very end. 165
48:13 Yes, my hand founded the earth;
my right hand spread out the sky.
I summon them;
they stand together.
48:14 All of you, gather together and listen!
Who among them 166 announced these things?
The Lord’s ally 167 will carry out his desire against Babylon;
he will exert his power against the Babylonians. 168
48:15 I, I have spoken –
yes, I have summoned him;
I lead him and he will succeed. 169
48:16 Approach me! Listen to this!
From the very first I have not spoken in secret;
when it happens, 170 I am there.”
So now, the sovereign Lord has sent me, accompanied by his spirit. 171
48:17 This is what the Lord, your protector, 172 says,
the Holy One of Israel: 173
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you how to succeed,
who leads you in the way you should go.
48:18 If only you had obeyed my 174 commandments,
prosperity would have flowed to you like a river, 175
deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea. 176
48:19 Your descendants would have been as numerous as sand, 177
and your children 178 like its granules.
Their name would not have been cut off
and eliminated from my presence. 179
48:20 Leave Babylon!
Flee from the Babylonians!
Announce it with a shout of joy!
Make this known!
Proclaim it throughout the earth! 180
Say, ‘The Lord protects 181 his servant Jacob.
48:21 They do not thirst as he leads them through dry regions;
he makes water flow out of a rock for them;
he splits open a rock and water flows out.’ 182
48:22 There will be no prosperity for the wicked,” says the Lord.
[44:24] 1 tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[44:24] 2 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has “Who [was] with me?” The marginal reading (Qere) is “from with me,” i.e., “by myself.” See BDB 87 s.v. II אֵת 4.c.
[44:25] 3 tc The Hebrew text has בַּדִּים (baddim), perhaps meaning “empty talkers” (BDB 95 s.v. III בַּד). In the four other occurrences of this word (Job 11:3; Isa 16:6; Jer 48:30; 50:36) the context does not make the meaning of the term very clear. Its primary point appears to be that the words spoken are meaningless or false. In light of its parallelism with “omen readers,” some have proposed an emendation to בָּרִים (barim, “seers”). The Mesopotamian baru-priests were divination specialists who played an important role in court life. See R. Wilson, Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel, 93-98. Rather than supporting an emendation, J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:189, n. 79) suggests that Isaiah used בַּדִּים purposively as a derisive wordplay on the Akkadian word baru (in light of the close similarity of the d and r consonants).
[44:25] 4 tn Or “makes fools of” (NIV, NRSV); NAB and NASB both similar.
[44:25] 5 tn Heb “who turns back the wise” (so NRSV); NIV “overthrows the learning of the wise”; TEV “The words of the wise I refute.”
[44:25] 6 tn Heb “their knowledge” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[44:26] 7 tn Heb “the word of his servant.” The following context indicates that the Lord’s prophets are in view.
[44:26] 8 tn Heb “counsel.” The Hebrew term עֵצָה (’etsah) probably refers here to the divine plan as announced by the prophets. See HALOT 867 s.v. I עֵצָה.
[44:26] 9 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[44:28] 10 tn Heb “says to.” It is possible that the sentence is not completed, as the description of Cyrus and his God-given role is developed in the rest of the verse. 45:1 picks up where 44:28a leaves off with the Lord’s actual words to Cyrus finally being quoted in 45:2.
[44:28] 11 tn Heb “my shepherd.” The shepherd motif is sometimes applied, as here, to a royal figure who is responsible for the well-being of the people whom he rules.
[44:28] 12 tn Heb “that he might bring to completion all my desire.”
[44:28] 13 tn Heb “and [concerning the] temple, you will be founded.” The preposition -לְ (lÿ) is understood by ellipsis at the beginning of the second line. The verb תִּוָּסֵד (tivvased, “you will be founded”) is second masculine singular and is probably addressed to the personified temple (הֵיכָל [hekhal, “temple”] is masculine).
[45:1] 14 tn Heb “anointed” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “his appointed king.”
[45:1] 15 sn The “right hand” is a symbol of activity and strength; the Lord directs Cyrus’ activities and assures his success.
[45:1] 16 tn Heb “and the belts of kings I will loosen”; NRSV “strip kings of their robes”; NIV “strip kings of their armor.”
[45:2] 17 tc The form הֲדוּרִים (hadurim) makes little, if any, sense here. It is probably a corruption of an original הָרָרִים (hararim, “mountains”), the reduplicated form of הָר (har, “mountain”).
[45:2] 18 tn That is, on the gates. Cf. CEV “break the iron bars on bronze gates.”
[45:3] 19 tn Heb “treasures of darkness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “treasures from dark, secret places.”
[45:4] 20 tn Or “know” (NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT); NIV “acknowledge.”
[45:5] 21 tn Heb “and there is none besides.” On the use of עוֹד (’od) here, see BDB 729 s.v. 1.c.
[45:5] 22 tn Heb “gird you” (so NASB) or “strengthen you” (so NIV).
[45:5] 23 tn Or “know” (NAB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT); NIV “have not acknowledged.”
[45:6] 24 tn The words “I do this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[45:6] 25 tn Heb “they” (so KJV, ASV); TEV, CEV “everyone”; NLT “all the world.”
[45:7] 26 tn The words “I am” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the participle at the beginning of v. 7 stands in apposition to “the Lord” in v. 6.
[45:7] 27 tn On the surface v. 7a appears to describe God’s sovereign control over the cycle of day and night, but the following statement suggests that “light” and “darkness” symbolize “deliverance” and “judgment.”
[45:7] 28 sn This verses affirms that God is ultimately sovereign over his world, including mankind and nations. In accordance with his sovereign will, he can cause wars to cease and peace to predominate (as he was about to do for his exiled people through Cyrus), or he can bring disaster and judgment on nations (as he was about to do to Babylon through Cyrus).
[45:8] 29 tn Heb “let the clouds drip with”; KJV “let the skies pour down.”
[45:8] 30 tn Heb “open up” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “open wide.”
[45:8] 31 tc The plural verb should be emended to a singular form. The vav (ו) ending is probably virtually dittographic (note the yod at the beginning of the following word).
[45:8] 32 tc The Hiphil verb form (תַצְמִיחַ, tatsmiakh) should probably be emended to a Qal (תִצְמַח, titsmakh). The יח sequence at the end of the form is probably due to dittography (note the following יַחַד, yakhad).
[45:8] 33 tn The masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers back to יָשַׁע (yasha’, “salvation”).
[45:9] 34 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who argues with the one who formed him.”
[45:9] 35 tn The words “one who is like a mere” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and clarification.
[45:9] 36 tn Heb “Should the clay say to the one who forms it?” The rhetorical question anticipates a reply, “Of course not!”
[45:9] 37 tn The words “in the world” are supplied in the translation to approximate in English idiom the force of the sarcastic question.
[45:9] 38 tn Heb “your work, there are no hands for it,” i.e., “your work looks like something made by a person who has no hands.”
[45:10] 39 tn Heb “Woe [to] one who says” (NASB and NIV both similar); NCV “How terrible it will be.”
[45:10] 40 tn See the note at v. 9. This phrase occurs a second time later in this verse.
[45:10] 41 sn Verses 9-10 may allude to the exiles’ criticism that the Lord does not appear to know what he is doing.
[45:11] 42 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[45:11] 43 tc The Hebrew text reads “the one who formed him, the coming things.” Among various suggestions, some have proposed an emendation of יֹצְרוֹ (yotsÿro, “the one who formed him”) to יֹצֵר (yotser, “the one who forms”; the suffixed form in the Hebrew text may be influenced by vv. 9-10, where the same form appears twice) and takes “coming things” as the object of the participle (either objective genitive or accusative): “the one who brings the future into being.”
[45:11] 44 tn Heb “Ask me” The rhetorical command sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.
[45:11] 45 tn Heb “Do you command me about…?” The rhetorical question sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.
[45:12] 46 tn The words “who live” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[45:12] 47 tn Heb “I, even my hands”; NASB “I stretched out…with My hands”; NRSV “it was my hands that stretched out.” The same construction occurs at the beginning of v. 13.
[45:12] 48 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[45:12] 49 tn Heb “and to all their host I commanded.” See the notes at 40:26.
[45:13] 50 tn Heb “I stir him up in righteousness”; NASB “I have aroused him.” See the note at 41:2. Cyrus (cf. 44:28) is in view here.
[45:14] 51 tn Heb “labor,” which stands metonymically for the fruits of labor, either “monetary profit,” or “products.”
[45:14] 52 tn Or perhaps, “merchandise” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “the gain of Ethiopia”; CEV “the treasures of Ethiopia.”
[45:14] 53 tn Heb “they will pass over to you”; NASB, NIV “will come over to you”; CEV “will belong to you.”
[45:14] 54 sn Restored Israel is depicted here in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion as an imperial power that receives riches and slaves as tribute.
[45:14] 55 sn Israel’s vassals are portrayed as so intimidated and awed that they treat Israel as an intermediary to God or sub-deity.
[45:14] 56 tn Or perhaps, “among.” Cf. KJV, ASV “Surely God is in thee.”
[45:14] 57 tn Heb “there is no other” (so NIV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs at the end of v. 18, in v. 21, and at the end of v. 22.
[45:16] 58 tn “together they will walk in humiliation, the makers of images.”
[45:17] 59 tn Heb “Israel will be delivered by the Lord [with] a permanent deliverance.”
[45:17] 60 tn Heb “you will not be ashamed and you will not be humiliated for ages of future time.”
[45:18] 61 tn Heb “he [is] the God.” The article here indicates uniqueness.
[45:18] 62 tn Or “unformed.” Gen 1:2 describes the world as “unformed” (תֹהוּ, tohu) prior to God’s creative work, but God then formed the world and made it fit for habitation.
[45:19] 63 tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”
[45:19] 64 tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”
[45:19] 65 tn The translation above assumes that צֶדֶק (tsedeq) and מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim) are adverbial accusatives (see 33:15). If they are taken as direct objects, indicating the content of what is spoken, one might translate, “who proclaims deliverance, who announces justice.”
[45:21] 66 tn Heb “Declare! Bring near!”; NASB “Declare and set forth your case.” See 41:21.
[45:21] 67 tn Or “a righteous God and deliverer”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “a righteous God and a Savior.”
[45:22] 68 tn The Niphal imperative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose after the preceding imperative. The Niphal probably has a tolerative sense, “allow yourselves to be delivered, accept help.”
[45:23] 69 tn Heb “I swear by myself”; KJV, NASB “have sworn.”
[45:23] 70 tn Heb “a word goes out from my mouth [in] truth and will not return.”
[45:23] 71 tn Heb “swear” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “confess allegiance.”
[45:24] 72 tn Heb “‘Yes, in the Lord,’ one says about me, ‘is deliverance and strength.’”
[45:24] 73 tn Heb “will come to him and be ashamed.”
[45:25] 74 tn Heb “In the Lord all the offspring of Israel will be vindicated and boast.”
[46:1] 75 sn Bel was the name of a Babylonian god. The name was originally associated with Enlil, but later was applied to Marduk. See HALOT 132 s.v. בֵּל.
[46:1] 76 sn Nebo is a variation of the name of the Babylonian god Nabu.
[46:1] 77 tn Heb “their images belong to animals and beasts”; NIV “their idols are borne by beasts of burden”; NLT “are being hauled away.”
[46:1] 78 tn Heb “your loads are carried [as] a burden by a weary [animal].”
[46:2] 79 tn Heb “[the] burden,” i.e., their images, the heavy burden carried by the animals.
[46:2] 80 tn נַפְשָׁם (nafsham, “their souls/lives”) is equivalent here to a third masculine plural suffix, but the third feminine singular verb הָלָכָה (halakhah, “they go”) agrees with the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, life”).
[46:2] 81 sn The downfall of Babylon is depicted here. The idols are carried off by the victorious enemy; the gods are likened to defeated captives who cower before the enemy and are taken into exile.
[46:3] 82 tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV “descendants of Jacob.”
[46:3] 83 tn Heb “and all the remnant of the house of Israel.”
[46:3] 84 tn Heb “from the womb” (so NRSV); KJV “from the belly”; NAB “from your infancy.”
[46:3] 85 tn Heb “who have been lifted up from the womb.”
[46:4] 86 tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”
[46:4] 87 sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.
[46:6] 88 tn Heb “the reed,” probably referring to the beam of a scales. See BDB 889 s.v. קָנֶה 4.c.
[46:7] 89 tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.
[46:8] 90 tn The meaning of the verb אָשַׁשׁ (’ashash, which appears here in the Hitpolel stem) is uncertain. BDB 84 s.v. אשׁשׁ relates it to a root meaning “found, establish” in Arabic; HALOT 100 s.v. II אשׁשׁ gives the meaning “pluck up courage.” The imperative with vav (ו) may indicate purpose following the preceding imperative.
[46:8] 91 tn Heb “return [it], rebels, to heart”; NRSV “recall it to mind, you transgressors.”
[46:9] 92 tn Heb “remember the former things, from antiquity”; KJV, ASV “the former things of old.”
[46:9] 93 tn Heb “and there is no other” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[46:10] 94 tn Or “from long ago”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “from ancient times.”
[46:11] 95 tn Or, more generally, “a bird of prey” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV; see 18:6).
[46:11] 96 tn Heb “spoken”; KJV “I have spoken it.”
[46:12] 97 tn Heb “strong of heart [or, mind]”; KJV “stouthearted”; NAB “fainthearted”; NIV “stubborn-hearted.”
[46:12] 98 tn Heb “who are far from righteousness [or perhaps, “deliverance”].”
[46:13] 99 tn Heb “my salvation.” The verb “I am bringing near” is understood by ellipsis (note the previous line).
[46:13] 100 tn Heb “I will place in Zion salvation”; NASB “I will grant salvation in Zion.”
[46:13] 101 tn Heb “to Israel my splendor”; KJV, ASV “for Israel my glory.”
[47:1] 102 tn בְּתוּלַה (bÿtulah) often refers to a virgin, but the phrase “virgin daughter” is apparently stylized (see also 23:12; 37:22). In the extended metaphor of this chapter, where Babylon is personified as a queen (vv. 5, 7), she is depicted as being both a wife and mother (vv. 8-9).
[47:1] 103 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
[47:3] 104 tn Heb “Your shame will be seen.” In this context “shame” is a euphemism referring to the genitals.
[47:3] 105 tn Heb “I will not meet a man.” The verb פָּגַע (pagah) apparently carries the nuance “meet with kindness” here (cf. 64:5, and see BDB 803 s.v. Qal.2).
[47:4] 106 tc The Hebrew text reads, “Our redeemer – the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] is his name, the Holy One of Israel.” The ancient Greek version adds “says” before “our redeemer.” אָמַר (’amar) may have accidentally dropped from the text by virtual haplography. Note that the preceding word אָדָם (’adam) is graphically similar.
[47:5] 107 tn Heb “darkness,” which may indicate a place of hiding where a fugitive would seek shelter and protection.
[47:5] 108 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
[47:6] 109 tn Or “compassion.”
[47:6] 110 tn Heb “on the old you made very heavy your yoke.”
[47:7] 111 tn Heb “Forever I [will be] permanent queen”; NIV “the eternal queen”; CEV “queen forever.”
[47:7] 112 tn Heb “you did not set these things upon your heart [or “mind”].”
[47:7] 113 tn Heb “you did not remember its outcome”; NAB “you disregarded their outcome.”
[47:8] 114 tn Or perhaps, “voluptuous one” (NAB); NAB “you sensual one”; NLT “You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom.”
[47:8] 115 tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”
[47:8] 116 tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.” See Zeph 2:15.
[47:8] 117 tn Heb “I will not live [as] a widow, and I will not know loss of children.”
[47:9] 118 tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.
[47:9] 119 tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”
[47:9] 120 tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.
[47:9] 121 sn Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.
[47:10] 122 tn Heb “you trusted in your evil”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “wickedness.”
[47:10] 123 tn Or “said”; NAB “said to yourself”’ NASB “said in your heart.”
[47:10] 124 tn The words “self-professed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[47:10] 125 tn See the note at v. 8.
[47:11] 126 tc The Hebrew text has שַׁחְרָהּ (shakhrah), which is either a suffixed noun (“its dawning,” i.e., origin) or infinitive (“to look early for it”). Some have suggested an emendation to שַׁחֲדָהּ (shakhadah), a suffixed infinitive from שָׁחַד (shakhad, “[how] to buy it off”; see BDB 1005 s.v. שָׁחַד). This forms a nice parallel with the following couplet. The above translation is based on a different etymology of the verb in question. HALOT 1466 s.v. III שׁחר references a verbal root with these letters (שׁחד) that refers to magical activity.
[47:11] 127 tn Heb “you will not know”; NIV “you cannot foresee.”
[47:12] 128 tn Heb “stand” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “Stand fast.”
[47:12] 129 tn The word “trusting” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See v. 9.
[47:12] 130 tn Heb “in that which you have toiled.”
[47:12] 131 tn Heb “maybe you will be able to profit.”
[47:12] 132 tn Heb “maybe you will cause to tremble.” The object “disaster” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See the note at v. 9.
[47:13] 133 tn Heb “you are tired because of the abundance of your advice.”
[47:13] 134 tn Heb “let them stand and rescue you – the ones who see omens in the sky, who gaze at the stars, who make known by months – from those things which are coming upon you.”
[47:14] 135 tn Heb “hand,” here a metaphor for the strength or power of the flames.
[47:14] 136 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “there is no coal [for?] their food, light to sit before it.” Some emend לַחְמָם (lakhmam, “their food”) to לְחֻמָּם (lÿkhummam, “to warm them”; see HALOT 328 s.v. חמם). This statement may allude to Isa 44:16, where idolaters are depicted warming themselves over a fire made from wood, part of which was used to form idols. The fire of divine judgment will be no such campfire; its flames will devour and destroy.
[47:15] 137 tn Heb “So they will be to you”; NIV “That is all they can do for you.”
[47:15] 138 tn Heb “that for which you toiled, your traders from your youth.” The omen readers and star gazers are likened to merchants with whom Babylon has had an ongoing economic relationship.
[47:15] 139 tn Heb “each to his own side, they err.”
[48:1] 140 tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV, CEV “people of Israel.”
[48:1] 141 tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and from the waters of Judah came out.” מִמֵּי (mimme) could be a corruption of מִמְּעֵי (mimmÿ’e, “from the inner parts of”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT, NRSV) as suggested in the above translation. Some translations (ESV, NKJV) retain the MT reading because the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa, which corrects a similar form to “from inner parts of” in 39:7, does not do it here.
[48:1] 142 tn Heb “cause to remember”; KJV, ASV “make mention of.”
[48:1] 143 tn Heb “not in truth and not in righteousness.”
[48:2] 144 tn Heb “they call themselves [or “are called”] from the holy city.” The precise meaning of the statement is uncertain. The Niphal of קָרָא (qara’) is combined with the preposition מִן (min) only here. When the Qal of קָרָא is used with מִן, the preposition often indicates the place from which one is summoned (see 46:11). So one could translate, “from the holy city they are summoned,” meaning that they reside there.
[48:2] 145 tn Heb “lean on” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “rely on.”
[48:3] 146 tn Heb “the former things beforehand I declared.”
[48:3] 147 tn Heb “and from my mouth they came forth and I caused them to be heard.”
[48:4] 148 tn The words “I did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 4 is subordinated to v. 3.
[48:4] 149 sn The image is that of a person who has tensed the muscles of the face and neck as a sign of resolute refusal.
[48:6] 150 tn Heb “gaze [at] all of it”; KJV “see all this.”
[48:6] 151 tn Heb “[as for] you, will you not declare?”
[48:6] 152 tn Heb “and hidden things, and you do not know them.”
[48:7] 153 tn Heb “are created” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “They are brand new.”
[48:7] 154 tn Heb “look”; KJV, NASB “Behold.”
[48:8] 155 tn Heb “beforehand your ear did not open.”
[48:8] 156 tn Heb “deceiving, you deceive.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
[48:8] 157 tn Or “called” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[48:9] 158 tn Heb “for the sake of my name” (so NAB, NASB); NLT “for my own sake.”
[48:9] 159 tn Heb “and my praise.” לְמַעַן (lÿma’an, “for the sake of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[48:9] 160 tn Heb “I restrain [myself] concerning you not to cut you off.”
[48:10] 161 tc The Hebrew text has בְּחַרְתִּיךָ (bÿkhartikha, “I have chosen you”), but the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads correctly בחנתיכה (“I have tested you”). The metallurgical background of the imagery suggests that purification through testing is the idea.
[48:11] 162 tn The Hebrew text repeats לְמַעֲנִי (lÿma’ani, “for my sake”) for emphasis.
[48:11] 163 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “for how can it be defiled?” The subject of the verb is probably “name” (v. 9).
[48:12] 165 tn Heb “I [am] he, I [am the] first, also I [am the] last.”
[48:14] 166 sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).
[48:14] 167 tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”
[48:14] 168 tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”
[48:15] 169 tn Heb “and his way will be prosperous.”
[48:16] 170 tn Heb “from the time of its occurring.”
[48:16] 171 sn The speaker here is not identified specifically, but he is probably Cyrus, the Lord’s “ally” mentioned in vv. 14-15.
[48:17] 172 tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[48:17] 173 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[48:18] 174 tn Heb “paid attention to” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “had listened to.”
[48:18] 175 tn Heb “like a river your peace would have been.” שָׁלוֹם (shalom) probably refers here to the peace and prosperity which God promised in return for obedience to the covenant.
[48:18] 176 tn Heb “and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) probably refers here to divine deliverance from enemies. See v. 19.
[48:19] 177 tn Heb “like sand”; NCV “as many as the grains of sand.”
[48:19] 178 tn Heb “and the issue from your inner parts.”
[48:19] 179 tn Heb “and his name would not be cut off and would not be destroyed from before me.”
[48:20] 180 tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
[48:20] 181 tn Heb “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.
[48:21] 182 sn The translation above (present tense) assumes that this verse describes God’s provision for returning Babylonian exiles (see v. 20; 35:6; 49:10) in terms reminiscent of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exod 17:6).
