Isaiah 48:4

48:4 I did this ¹  because I know how stubborn you are.

Your neck muscles are like iron

and your forehead like bronze. ² 

Isaiah 48:18

48:18 If only you had obeyed my ³  commandments,

prosperity would have flowed to you like a river, ⁴ 

deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea. ⁵ 

[48:4]  ¹ 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]  ² sn The image is that of a person who has tensed the muscles of the face and neck as a sign of resolute refusal.

[48:18]  ³ tn Heb “paid attention to” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “had listened to.”

[48:18]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) probably refers here to divine deliverance from enemies. See v. 19.