Isaiah 55:6

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; ¹ 

call to him while he is nearby!

Isaiah 13:6

13:6 Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment ²  is near;

it comes with all the destructive power of the sovereign judge. ³ 

Isaiah 33:13

33:13 You who are far away, listen to what I have done!

You who are close by, recognize my strength!”

Isaiah 13:22

13:22 Wild dogs will yip in her ruined fortresses,

jackals will yelp in the once-splendid palaces. ⁴ 

Her time is almost up, ⁵ 

her days will not be prolonged. ⁶ 

Isaiah 50:8

50:8 The one who vindicates me is close by.

Who dares to argue with me? Let us confront each other! ⁷ 

Who is my accuser? ⁸  Let him challenge me! ⁹ 

Isaiah 57:19

57:19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate. ¹⁰ 

Complete prosperity ¹¹  is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,”

says the Lord, “and I will heal them.

Isaiah 51:5

51:5 I am ready to vindicate, ¹² 

I am ready to deliver, ¹³ 

I will establish justice among the nations. ¹⁴ 

The coastlands ¹⁵  wait patiently for me;

they wait in anticipation for the revelation of my power. ¹⁶ 

Isaiah 56:1

The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter

56:1 This is what the Lord says,

“Promote ¹⁷  justice! Do what is right!

For I am ready to deliver you;

I am ready to vindicate you openly. ¹⁸ 

[55:6]  ¹ tn Heb “while he allows himself to be found.” The Niphal form has a tolerative force here.

[13:6]  ² tn Heb “the day of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB).

[13:6]  ³ tn Heb “like destruction from the sovereign judge it comes.” The comparative preposition (כְּ, kÿ) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the destruction unleashed will have all the earmarks of divine judgment. One could paraphrase, “it comes as only destructive divine judgment can.” On this use of the preposition in general, see GKC 376 §118.x.

[13:22]  ³ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “wild dogs will yip among his widows, and jackals in the palaces of pleasure.” The verb “yip” is supplied in the second line; it does double duty in the parallel structure. “His widows” makes little sense in this context; many emend the form (אַלְמנוֹתָיו, ’almnotayv) to the graphically similar אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ (’armÿnoteha, “her fortresses”), a reading that is assumed in the present translation. The use of “widows” may represent an intentional wordplay on “fortresses,” indicating that the fortresses are like dejected widows (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:308, n. 1).

[13:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “near to come is her time.”

[13:22]  ⁵ sn When was the prophecy of Babylon’s fall fulfilled? Some argue that the prophecy was fulfilled in 689 b.c. when the Assyrians under Sennacherib sacked and desecrated the city (this event is alluded to in 23:13). This may have been an initial phase in the fulfillment of the prophecy, but the reference to the involvement of the Medes (v. 17) and the suggestion that Babylon’s demise will bring about the restoration of Israel (14:1-2) indicate that the fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians in 538 b.c. is the primary focus of the prophecy. (After all, the Lord did reveal to Isaiah that the Chaldeans [not the Assyrians] would someday conquer Jerusalem and take the people into exile [see 39:5-7].) However, the vivid picture of destruction in vv. 15-22 raises a problem. The Medes and Persians did not destroy the city; in fact Cyrus’ takeover of Babylon, though preceded by a military campaign, was relatively peaceful and even welcomed by some Babylonian religious officials. How then does one explain the prophecy’s description of the city’s violent fall? As noted above, the events of 689 b.c. and 538 b.c. may have been merged in the prophecy. However, it is more likely that the language is stylized and exaggerated for rhetorical effect. See Isa 34:11-15; Jer 50:39-40 (describing Babylon’s fall in 538 b.c.); 51:36-37 (describing Babylon’s fall in 538 b.c.); Zeph 2:13-15; the extra-biblical Sefire treaty curses; and Ashurbanipal’s description of the destruction of Elam in his royal annals. In other words, the events of 538 b.c. essentially, though not necessarily literally, fulfill the prophecy.

[50:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “Let us stand together!”

[50:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “Who is the master of my judgment?”

[50:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “let him approach me”; NAB, NIV “Let him confront me.”

[57:19]  ⁵ tc The Hebrew text has literally, “one who creates fruit of lips.” Perhaps the pronoun אֲנִי (’ani) should be inserted after the participle; it may have been accidentally omitted by haplography: נוּב שְׂפָתָיִם[אֲנִי] בּוֹרֵא (bore’ [’ani] nuv sÿfatayim). “Fruit of the lips” is often understood as a metonymy for praise; perhaps it refers more generally to joyful shouts (see v. 18).

[57:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “Peace, peace.” The repetition of the noun emphasizes degree.

[51:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”] is near.”

[51:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “my deliverance goes forth.”

[51:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “and my arms will judge [on behalf of] nations.”

[51:5]  ⁹ tn Or “islands” (NIV); TEV “Distant lands.”

[51:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for my arm” (so NIV, NRSV).

[56:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “guard”; KJV “Keep”; NAB “Observe”; NASB “Preserve”; NIV, NRSV “Maintain.”

[56:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “for near is my deliverance to enter, and my vindication [or “righteousness”] to be revealed.”