Isaiah 55:4

55:4 Look, I made him a witness to nations, ¹ 

a ruler and commander of nations.”

Isaiah 17:12-13

17:12 The many nations massing together are as good as dead, ² 

those who make a commotion as loud as the roaring of the sea’s waves. ³ 

The people making such an uproar are as good as dead, ⁴ 

those who make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves. ⁵ 

17:13 Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves, ⁶ 

when he shouts at ⁷  them, they will flee to a distant land,

driven before the wind like dead weeds on the hills,

or like dead thistles ⁸  before a strong gale.

Isaiah 43:9

43:9 All nations gather together,

the peoples assemble.

Who among them announced this?

Who predicted earlier events for us? ⁹ 

Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right;

let them listen and affirm, ‘It is true.’

Isaiah 49:1

Ideal Israel Delivers the Exiles

49:1 Listen to me, you coastlands! ¹⁰ 

Pay attention, you people who live far away!

The Lord summoned me from birth; ¹¹ 

he commissioned me when my mother brought me into the world. ¹² 

Isaiah 60:2

60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth

and deep darkness covers ¹³  the nations,

but the Lord shines on you;

his splendor ¹⁴  appears over you.

[55:4]  ¹ sn Ideally the Davidic king was to testify to the nations of God’s greatness (cf. Pss 18:50 HT [18:49 ET]; 22:28 HT [22:27 ET]). See J. H. Eaton, Kingship in the Psalms (SBT), 182-84.

[17:12]  ² tn Heb “Woe [to] the massing of the many nations.” The word הוֹי (hoy) could be translated as a simple interjection here (“ah!”), but since the following verses announce the demise of these nations, it is preferable to take הוֹי as a funeral cry. See the note on the first phrase of 1:4.

[17:12]  ³ tn Heb “like the loud noise of the seas, they make a loud noise.”

[17:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “the uproar of the peoples.” The term הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse; the words “are as good as dead” are supplied in the translation to reflect this.

[17:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “like the uproar of mighty waters they are in an uproar.”

[17:13]  ³ tn Heb “the peoples are in an uproar like the uproar of mighty waters.”

[17:13]  ⁴ tn Or “rebukes.” The verb and related noun are used in theophanies of God’s battle cry which terrifies his enemies. See, for example, Pss 18:15; 76:7; 106:9; Isa 50:2; Nah 1:4, and A. Caquot, TDOT 3:49-53.

[17:13]  ⁵ tn Or perhaps “tumbleweed” (NAB, NIV, CEV); KJV “like a rolling thing.”

[43:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “and the former things was causing us to hear?”

[49:1]  ⁵ tn Or “islands” (NASB, NIV); NLT “in far-off lands.”

[49:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “called me from the womb.”

[49:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “from the inner parts of my mother he mentioned my name.”

[60:2]  ⁶ tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[60:2]  ⁷ tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”