Isaiah 45:25

45:25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord

and will boast in him. ¹ 

Isaiah 5:23

5:23 They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff,

they ignore the just cause of the innocent. ² 

Isaiah 43:26

43:26 Remind me of what happened! Let’s debate!

You, prove to me that you are right! ³ 

Isaiah 50:8

50:8 The one who vindicates me is close by.

Who dares to argue with me? Let us confront each other! ⁴ 

Who is my accuser? ⁵  Let him challenge me! ⁶ 

Isaiah 53:11

53:11 Having suffered, he will reflect on his work,

he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done. ⁷ 

“My servant ⁸  will acquit many, ⁹ 

for he carried their sins. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 43:9

43:9 All nations gather together,

the peoples assemble.

Who among them announced this?

Who predicted earlier events for us? ¹¹ 

Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right;

let them listen and affirm, ‘It is true.’

[45:25]  ¹ tn Heb “In the Lord all the offspring of Israel will be vindicated and boast.”

[5:23]  ² tn Heb “and the just cause of the innocent ones they turn aside from him.”

[43:26]  ³ tn Heb “you, tell in order that you may be right”; NAB “prove your innocence.”

[50:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “Let us stand together!”

[50:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “Who is the master of my judgment?”

[50:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “let him approach me”; NAB, NIV “Let him confront me.”

[53:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “he will be satisfied by his knowledge,” i.e., “when he knows.” The preposition is understood as temporal and the suffix as a subjective genitive. Some take בְּדַעְתּוֹ (bÿda’to, “by his knowledge”) with what follows and translate “by knowledge of him,” understanding the preposition as instrumental and the suffix as objective.

[53:11]  ⁶ sn The song ends as it began (cf. 52:13-15), with the Lord announcing the servant’s vindication and exaltation.

[53:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “he will acquit, a righteous one, my servant, many.” צַדִּיק (tsadiq) may refer to the servant, but more likely it is dittographic (note the preceding verb יַצְדִּיק, yatsdiq). The precise meaning of the verb (the Hiphil of צָדַק, tsadaq) is debated. Elsewhere the Hiphil is used at least six times in the sense of “make righteous” in a legal sense, i.e., “pronounce innocent, acquit” (see Exod 23:7; Deut 25:1; 1 Kgs 8:32 = 2 Chr 6:23; Prov 17:15; Isa 5:23). It can also mean “render justice” (as a royal function, see 2 Sam 15:4; Ps 82:3), “concede” (Job 27:5), “vindicate” (Isa 50:8), and “lead to righteousness” (by teaching and example, Dan 12:3). The preceding context and the next line suggest a legal sense here. Because of his willingness to carry the people’s sins, the servant is able to “acquit” them.

[53:11]  ⁸ tn The circumstantial clause (note the vav [ו] + object + subject + verb pattern) is understood as causal here. The prefixed verb form is either a preterite or an imperfect used in a customary manner.

[43:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the former things was causing us to hear?”