Isaiah 50:11

50:11 Look, all of you who start a fire

and who equip yourselves with ¹  flaming arrows, ² 

walk ³  in the light ⁴  of the fire you started

and among the flaming arrows you ignited! ⁵ 

This is what you will receive from me: ⁶ 

you will lie down in a place of pain. ⁷ 

Isaiah 51:20

51:20 Your children faint;

they lie at the head of every street

like an antelope in a snare.

They are left in a stupor by the Lord’s anger,

by the battle cry of your God. ⁸ 

Isaiah 56:10

56:10 All their watchmen ⁹  are blind,

they are unaware. ¹⁰ 

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant, ¹¹  lie down,

and love to snooze.

[50:11]  ¹ tc Several more recent commentators have proposed an emendation of מְאַזְּרֵי (mÿ’azzÿre, “who put on”) to מְאִירִי (mÿ’iri, “who light”). However, both Qumran scrolls of Isaiah and the Vulgate support the MT reading (cf. NIV, ESV).

[50:11]  ² tn On the meaning of זִיקוֹת (ziqot, “flaming arrows”), see HALOT 268 s.v. זִיקוֹת.

[50:11]  ³ tn The imperative is probably rhetorical and has a predictive force.

[50:11]  ⁴ tn Or perhaps, “flame” (so ASV).

[50:11]  ⁵ sn Perhaps the servant here speaks to his enemies and warns them that they will self-destruct.

[50:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “from my hand” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[50:11]  ⁷ sn The imagery may be that of a person who becomes ill and is forced to lie down in pain on a sickbed. Some see this as an allusion to a fiery place of damnation because of the imagery employed earlier in the verse.

[51:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “those who are full of the anger of the Lord, the shout [or “rebuke”] of your God.”

[56:10]  ¹⁵ sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.

[56:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”

[56:10]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.