Isaiah 5:6

5:6 I will make it a wasteland;

no one will prune its vines or hoe its ground, ¹ 

and thorns and briers will grow there.

I will order the clouds

not to drop any rain on it.

Isaiah 8:19

Darkness Turns to Light as an Ideal King Arrives

8:19 ² They will say to you, “Seek oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations. ³  Should people not seek oracles from their gods, by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?” ⁴ 

Isaiah 11:2

11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him ⁵  –

a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, ⁶ 

a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, ⁷ 

a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. ⁸ 

Isaiah 13:4

13:4 ⁹ There is a loud noise on the mountains –

it sounds like a large army! ¹⁰ 

There is great commotion among the kingdoms ¹¹  –

nations are being assembled!

The Lord who commands armies is mustering

forces for battle.

Isaiah 15:9

15:9 Indeed, the waters of Dimon ¹²  are full of blood!

Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. ¹³ 

A lion will attack ¹⁴  the Moabite fugitives

and the people left in the land.

Isaiah 22:22

22:22 I will place the key ¹⁵  to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it.

Isaiah 26:21

26:21 For look, the Lord is coming out of the place where he lives, ¹⁶ 

to punish the sin of those who live on the earth.

The earth will display the blood shed on it;

it will no longer cover up its slain. ¹⁷ 

Isaiah 28:1

The Lord Will Judge Samaria

28:1 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed, ¹⁸ 

the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, ¹⁹ 

situated ²⁰  at the head of a rich valley,

the crown of those overcome with wine. ²¹ 

Isaiah 28:4

28:4 The withering flower, its beautiful splendor,

situated at the head of a rich valley,

will be like an early fig before harvest –

as soon as someone notices it,

he grabs it and swallows it. ²² 

Isaiah 40:24

40:24 Indeed, they are barely planted;

yes, they are barely sown;

yes, they barely take root in the earth,

and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up,

and the wind carries them away like straw.

Isaiah 50:10

50:10 Who among you fears the Lord?

Who obeys ²³  his servant?

Whoever walks in deep darkness, ²⁴ 

without light,

should trust in the name of the Lord

and rely on his God.

Isaiah 64:7

64:7 No one invokes ²⁵  your name,

or makes an effort ²⁶  to take hold of you.

For you have rejected us ²⁷ 

and handed us over to our own sins. ²⁸ 

[5:6]  ¹ tn Heb “it will not be pruned or hoed” (so NASB); ASV and NRSV both similar.

[8:19]  ² tn It is uncertain if the prophet or the Lord is speaking in vv. 19-22. If the latter, then vv. 19-22 resume the speech recorded in vv. 12-15, after the prophet’s response in vv. 16-18.

[8:19]  ³ tn Heb “inquire of the ritual pits and of the magicians who chirp and mutter.” The Hebrew word אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. In 1 Sam 28:7 the witch of Endor is called a אוֹב-בַּעֲלַת (ba’alat-’ov, “owner of a ritual pit”). See H. Hoffner, “Second Millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’OñBù,” JBL 86 (1967): 385-401.

[8:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “Should a nation not inquire of its gods on behalf of the living, (by inquiring) of the dead?” These words appear to be a continuation of the quotation begun in the first part of the verse. אֱלֹהָיו (’elohayv) may be translated “its gods” or “its God.” Some take the second half of the verse as the prophet’s (or the Lord’s) rebuke of the people who advise seeking oracles at the ritual pits, but in this case the words “the dead on behalf of the living” are difficult to explain.

[11:2]  ³ sn Like David (1 Sam 16:13), this king will be energized by the Lord’s spirit.

[11:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “a spirit of wisdom and understanding.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of wisdom he will possess. His wisdom will enable him to make just legal decisions (v. 3). A very similar phrase occurs in Eph 1:17.

[11:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “a spirit of counsel [or “strategy”] and strength.” The construction is a hendiadys; the point is that he will have the strength/ability to execute the plans/strategies he devises. This ability will enable him to suppress oppressors and implement just policies (v. 4).

[11:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.” “Knowledge” is used here in its covenantal sense and refers to a recognition of God’s authority and a willingness to submit to it. See Jer 22:16. “Fear” here refers to a healthy respect for God’s authority which produces obedience. Taken together the two terms emphasize the single quality of loyalty to the Lord. This loyalty guarantees that he will make just legal decisions and implement just policies (vv. 4-5).

[13:4]  ⁴ sn In vv. 4-10 the prophet appears to be speaking, since the Lord is referred to in the third person. However, since the Lord refers to himself in the third person later in this chapter (see v. 13), it is possible that he speaks throughout the chapter.

[13:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “a sound, a roar [is] on the mountains, like many people.”

[13:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “a sound, tumult of kingdoms.”

[15:9]  ⁵ tc The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads “Dibon” instead of “Dimon” in this verse.

[15:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “Indeed I will place on Dimon added things.” Apparently the Lord is speaking.

[15:9]  ⁷ tn The words “will attack” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[22:22]  ⁶ sn This may refer to a literal insignia worn by the chief administrator. Even so, it would still symbolize the administrator’s authority to grant or exclude access to the king. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:422.

[26:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “out of his place” (so KJV, ASV).

[26:21]  ⁸ sn This implies that rampant bloodshed is one of the reasons for divine judgment. See the note at 24:5.

[28:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “Woe [to] the crown [or “wreath”] of the splendor [or “pride”] of the drunkards of Ephraim.” The “crown” is Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom (Ephraim). Priests and prophets are included among these drunkards in v. 7.

[28:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “the beauty of his splendor.” In the translation the masculine pronoun (“his”) has been replaced by “its” because the referent (the “crown”) is the city of Samaria.

[28:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “which [is].”

[28:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “ones overcome with wine.” The words “the crown of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The syntactical relationship of the final phrase to what precedes is uncertain. הֲלוּמֵי יָיִן (halume yayin, “ones overcome with wine”) seems to correspond to שִׁכֹּרֵי אֶפְרַיִם (shikkore ’efrayim, “drunkards of Ephraim”) in line 1. The translation assumes that the phrase “the splendid crown” is to be understood in the final line as well.

[28:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “which the one seeing sees, while still it is in his hand he swallows it.”

[50:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[who] listens to the voice of his servant?” The interrogative is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[50:10]  ¹¹ tn The plural indicates degree. Darkness may refer to exile and/or moral evil.

[64:7]  ¹¹ tn Or “calls out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “calls on.”

[64:7]  ¹² tn Or “rouses himself”; NASB “arouses himself.”

[64:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “for you have hidden your face from us.”

[64:7]  ¹⁴ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and you caused us to melt in the hand of our sin.” The verb וַתְּמוּגֵנוּ (vattÿmugenu) is a Qal preterite 2nd person masculine singular with a 1st person common plural suffix from the root מוּג (mug, “melt”). However, elsewhere the Qal of this verb is intransitive. If the verbal root מוּג (mug) is retained here, the form should be emended to a Polel pattern (וַתְּמֹגְגֵנוּ, vattÿmogÿgenu). The translation assumes an emendation to וַתְּמַגְּנֵנוּ (vattÿmaggÿnenu, “and you handed us over”). This form is a Piel preterite 2nd person masculine singular with a 1st person common plural suffix from the verbal root מִגֵּן (miggen, “hand over, surrender”; see HALOT 545 s.v. מגן and BDB 171 s.v. מָגָן). The point is that God has abandoned them to their sinful ways and no longer seeks reconciliation.