Isaiah 53:6

53:6 All of us had wandered off like sheep;

each of us had strayed off on his own path,

but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him. ¹ 

Isaiah 53:1

53:1 Who would have believed ²  what we ³  just heard? ⁴ 

When ⁵  was the Lord’s power ⁶  revealed through him?

Isaiah 3:18

3:18 ⁷ At that time ⁸  the sovereign master will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry, ⁹  neck ornaments, crescent shaped ornaments,

Isaiah 3:1

A Coming Leadership Crisis

3:1 Look, the sovereign Lord who commands armies ¹⁰ 

is about to remove from Jerusalem ¹¹  and Judah

every source of security, including ¹² 

all the food and water, ¹³ 

Isaiah 3:16

Washing Away Impurity

3:16 The Lord says,

“The women ¹⁴  of Zion are proud.

They walk with their heads high ¹⁵ 

and flirt with their eyes.

They skip along ¹⁶ 

and the jewelry on their ankles jingles. ¹⁷ 

Isaiah 4:1

4:1 Seven women will grab hold of

one man at that time. ¹⁸ 

They will say, “We will provide ¹⁹  our own food,

we will provide ²⁰  our own clothes;

but let us belong to you ²¹  –

take away our shame!” ²² 

Isaiah 4:1

4:1 Seven women will grab hold of

one man at that time. ²³ 

They will say, “We will provide ²⁴  our own food,

we will provide ²⁵  our own clothes;

but let us belong to you ²⁶  –

take away our shame!” ²⁷ 

[53:6]  ¹ tn Elsewhere the Hiphil of פָגַע (paga’) means “to intercede verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25) or “to intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16), but neither nuance fits here. Apparently here the Hiphil is the causative of the normal Qal meaning, “encounter, meet, touch.” The Qal sometimes refers to a hostile encounter or attack; when used in this way the object is normally introduced by the preposition -בְּ (bet, see Josh 2:16; Judg 8:21; 15:12, etc.). Here the causative Hiphil has a double object – the Lord makes “sin” attack “him” (note that the object attacked is introduced by the preposition -בְּ. In their sin the group was like sheep who had wandered from God’s path. They were vulnerable to attack; the guilt of their sin was ready to attack and destroy them. But then the servant stepped in and took the full force of the attack.

[53:1]  ² tn The perfect has a hypothetical force in this rhetorical question. For another example, see Gen 21:7.

[53:1]  ³ sn The speaker shifts here from God to an unidentified group (note the first person plural pronouns throughout vv. 1-6). The content of the speech suggests that the prophet speaks here as representative of the sinful nation Israel. The group acknowledges its sin and recognizes that the servant suffered on their behalf.

[53:1]  ⁴ tn The first half of v. 1 is traditionally translated, “Who has believed our report?” or “Who has believed our message?” as if the group speaking is lamenting that no one will believe what they have to say. But that doesn’t seem to be the point in this context. Here the group speaking does not cast itself in the role of a preacher or evangelist. No, they are repentant sinners, who finally see the light. The phrase “our report” can mean (1) the report which we deliver, or (2) the report which was delivered to us. The latter fits better here, where the report is most naturally taken as the announcement that has just been made in 52:13-15.

[53:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “to whom” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[53:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “the arm of the Lord.” The “arm of the Lord” is a metaphor of military power; it pictures the Lord as a warrior who bares his arm, takes up his weapon, and crushes his enemies (cf. 51:9-10; 63:5-6). But Israel had not seen the Lord’s military power at work in the servant.

[3:18]  ⁷ sn The translation assumes that the direct quotation ends with v. 17. The introductory formula “in that day” and the shift from a poetic to prosaic style indicate that a new speech unit begins in v. 18.

[3:18]  ⁸ tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[3:18]  ⁹ tn Or “the beauty of [their] ankle jewelry.”

[3:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at 1:9.

[3:1]  ¹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:1]  ¹² tn Heb “support and support.” The masculine and feminine forms of the noun are placed side-by-side to emphasize completeness. See GKC 394 §122.v.

[3:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “all the support of food, and all the support of water.”

[3:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “daughters” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).

[3:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “with an outstretched neck.” They proudly hold their heads high so that others can see the jewelry around their necks.

[3:16]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “walking and skipping, they walk.”

[3:16]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and with their feet they jingle.”

[4:1]  ¹⁸ tn Or “in that day” (ASV).

[4:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “eat” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “buy.”

[4:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “wear” (so NASB, NRSV); NCV “make.”

[4:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “only let your name be called over us.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28, and BDB 896 s.v. I ָקרָא Niph. 2.d.(4). The language reflects the cultural reality of ancient Israel, where women were legally the property of their husbands.

[4:1]  ²² sn This refers to the humiliation of being unmarried and childless. The women’s words reflect the cultural standards of ancient Israel, where a woman’s primary duties were to be a wife and mother.

[4:1]  ²³ tn Or “in that day” (ASV).

[4:1]  ²⁴ tn Heb “eat” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “buy.”

[4:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “wear” (so NASB, NRSV); NCV “make.”

[4:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “only let your name be called over us.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28, and BDB 896 s.v. I ָקרָא Niph. 2.d.(4). The language reflects the cultural reality of ancient Israel, where women were legally the property of their husbands.

[4:1]  ²⁷ sn This refers to the humiliation of being unmarried and childless. The women’s words reflect the cultural standards of ancient Israel, where a woman’s primary duties were to be a wife and mother.