Isaiah 5:28

5:28 Their arrows are sharpened,

and all their bows are prepared. ¹ 

The hooves of their horses are hard as flint, ² 

and their chariot wheels are like a windstorm. ³ 

Isaiah 49:2

49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,

he hid me in the hollow of his hand;

he made me like a sharpened ⁴  arrow,

he hid me in his quiver. ⁵ 

Isaiah 37:33

37:33 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:

‘He will not enter this city,

nor will he shoot an arrow here. ⁶ 

He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, ⁷ 

nor will he build siege works against it.

[5:28]  ¹ tn Heb “bent” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “are strung.”

[5:28]  ² tn Heb “regarded like flint.”

[5:28]  ³ sn They are like a windstorm in their swift movement and in the way they kick up dust.

[49:2]  ⁴ tn Or perhaps, “polished” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NASB “a select arrow.”

[49:2]  ⁵ sn The figurative language emphasizes the servant’s importance as the Lord’s effective instrument. The servant’s mouth, which stands metonymically for his words, is compared to a sharp sword because he will be an effective spokesman on God’s behalf (see 50:4). The Lord holds his hand on the servant, ready to draw and use him at the appropriate time. The servant is like a sharpened arrow reserved in a quiver for just the right moment.

[37:33]  ⁷ tn Heb “there” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). In terms of English style “here” is expected in collocation with “this” in the previous line.

[37:33]  ⁸ tn Heb “[with] a shield” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV).