Isaiah 5:26

5:26 He lifts a signal flag for a distant nation, ¹ 

he whistles for it to come from the far regions of the earth.

Look, they ²  come quickly and swiftly.

Isaiah 42:17

42:17 Those who trust in idols

will turn back and be utterly humiliated, ³ 

those who say to metal images, ‘You are our gods.’”

Isaiah 43:17

43:17 the one who led chariots and horses to destruction, ⁴ 

together with a mighty army.

They fell down, ⁵  never to rise again;

they were extinguished, put out like a burning wick:

Isaiah 48:7

48:7 Now they come into being, ⁶  not in the past;

before today you did not hear about them,

so you could not say,

‘Yes, ⁷  I know about them.’

Isaiah 62:6

62:6 I ⁸  post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;

they should keep praying all day and all night. ⁹ 

You who pray to ¹⁰  the Lord, don’t be silent!

[5:26]  ¹ tc The Hebrew text has literally, “for nations from a distance.” The following verses use singular forms to describe this nation, so the final mem (ם) on לְגּוֹיִם (lÿgoyim) may be enclitic or dittographic. In the latter case one could read לְגוֹי מֵרָחוֹק (lÿgoy merakhoq, “for a nation from a distance”; see Deut 28:49; Joel 3:8). Another possibility is to emend the text from לַגּוֹיִם מֵרָחוֹק (laggoyim merakhoq) to לְגוֹי מִמֶּרְחָק (lÿgoy mimmerkhaq, “for a nation from a distant place”) a phrase which occurs in Jer 5:15. In this case an error of misdivision has occurred in MT, the mem of the prefixed preposition being accidentally taken as a plural ending on the preceding word.

[5:26]  ² tn Heb “he.” Singular forms are used throughout vv. 26-30 to describe this nation, but for stylistic reasons the translation uses the plural for these collective singulars.

[42:17]  ³ tn Heb “be ashamed with shame”; ASV, NASB “be utterly put to shame.”

[43:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “led out chariots and horses.” The words “to destruction” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The verse refers to the destruction of the Egyptians at the Red Sea.

[43:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “lay down”; NAB “lie prostrate together”; CEV “lie dead”; NRSV “they lie down.”

[48:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “are created” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “They are brand new.”

[48:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “look”; KJV, NASB “Behold.”

[62:6]  ⁹ sn The speaker here is probably the prophet.

[62:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “all day and all night continually they do not keep silent.” The following lines suggest that they pray for the Lord’s intervention and restoration of the city.

[62:6]  ¹¹ tn Or “invoke”; NIV “call on”; NASB, NRSV “remind.”