Isaiah 5:12

5:12 They have stringed instruments, ¹  tambourines, flutes,

and wine at their parties.

So they do not recognize what the Lord is doing,

they do not perceive what he is bringing about. ² 

Isaiah 17:7-8

17:7 At that time ³  men will trust in their creator; ⁴ 

they will depend on ⁵  the Holy One of Israel. ⁶ 

17:8 They will no longer trust in ⁷  the altars their hands made,

or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made. ⁸ 

Isaiah 22:11

22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls

for the water of the old pool –

but you did not trust in ⁹  the one who made it; ¹⁰ 

you did not depend on ¹¹  the one who formed it long ago!

Isaiah 22:2

22:2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds;

the town is filled with revelry. ¹² 

Your slain were not cut down by the sword;

they did not die in battle. ¹³ 

Isaiah 16:7

16:7 So Moab wails over its demise ¹⁴  –

they all wail!

Completely devastated, they moan

about what has happened to the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth. ¹⁵ 

Jeremiah 2:13

2:13 “Do so because my people have committed a double wrong:

they have rejected me,

the fountain of life-giving water, ¹⁶ 

and they have dug cisterns for themselves,

cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water.”

Jeremiah 17:5

Individuals Are Challenged to Put Their Trust in the Lord ¹⁷ 

17:5 The Lord says,

“I will put a curse on people

who trust in mere human beings,

who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength, ¹⁸ 

and whose hearts ¹⁹  have turned away from the Lord.

Hosea 14:3

14:3 Assyria cannot save us;

we will not ride warhorses.

We will never again say, ‘Our gods’

to what our own hands have made.

For only you will show compassion to Orphan Israel!” ²⁰ 

[5:12]  ¹ tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).

[5:12]  ² tn Heb “the work of the Lord they do not look at, and the work of his hands they do not see.” God’s “work” can sometimes be his creative deeds, but in this context it is the judgment that he is planning to bring upon his people (cf. vv. 19, 26; 10:12; 28:21).

[17:7]  ³ tn Heb “in that day” (so ASV, NASB, NIV); KJV “At that day.”

[17:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “man will gaze toward his maker.”

[17:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “his eyes will look toward.”

[17:7]  ⁶ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[17:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “he will not gaze toward.”

[17:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “and that which his fingers made he will not see, the Asherah poles and the incense altars.”

[22:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “look at”; NAB, NRSV “did not look to.”

[22:11]  ¹⁰ tn The antecedent of the third feminine singular suffix here and in the next line is unclear. The closest feminine noun is “pool” in the first half of the verse. Perhaps this “old pool” symbolizes the entire city, which had prospered because of God’s provision and protection through the years.

[22:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “did not see.”

[22:2]  ¹² tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.

[22:2]  ¹³ sn Apparently they died from starvation during the siege that preceded the final conquest of the city. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:409.

[16:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “So Moab wails for Moab.”

[16:7]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew text has, “for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth you [masculine plural] moan, surely destroyed.” The “raisin cakes” could have cultic significance (see Hos 3:1), but the next verse focuses on agricultural disaster, so here the raisin cakes are mentioned as an example of the fine foods that are no longer available (see 2 Sam 6:19; Song 2:5) because the vines have been destroyed by the invader (see v. 8). Some prefer to take אֲשִׁישֵׁי (’ashishe, “raisin cakes of”) as “men of” (see HALOT 95 s.v. *אָשִׁישׁ; cf. NIV). The verb form תֶהְגּוּ (tehgu, “you moan”) is probably the result of dittography (note that the preceding word ends in tav [ת]) and should be emended to הגו (a perfect, third plural form), “they moan.”

[2:13]  ¹⁶ tn It is difficult to decide whether to translate “fresh, running water” which the Hebrew term for “living water” often refers to (e.g., Gen 26:19; Lev 14:5), or “life-giving water” which the idiom “fountain of life” as source of life and vitality often refers to (e.g., Ps 36:9; Prov 13:14; 14:27). The contrast with cisterns, which collected and held rain water, suggests “fresh, running water,” but the reality underlying the metaphor contrasts the Lord, the source of life, health, and vitality, with useless idols that cannot do anything.

[17:5]  ¹⁷ sn Verses 5-11 are a collection of wisdom-like sayings (cf. Ps 1) which set forth the theme of the two ways and their consequences. It has as its background the blessings and the curses of Deut 28 and the challenge to faith in Deut 29-30 which climaxes in Deut 30:15-20. The nation is sinful and God is weary of showing them patience. However, there is hope for individuals within the nation if they will trust in him.

[17:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “who make flesh their arm.” The “arm” is the symbol of strength and the flesh is the symbol of mortal man in relation to the omnipotent God. The translation “mere flesh and blood” reflects this.

[17:5]  ¹⁹ sn In the psychology of ancient Hebrew thought the heart was the center not only of the emotions but of the thoughts and motivations. It was also the seat of moral conduct (cf. its placement in the middle of the discussion of moral conduct in Prov 4:20-27, i.e., in v. 23).

[14:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “For the orphan is shown compassion by you.” The present translation takes “orphan” as a figurative reference to Israel, which is specified in the translation for clarity.