Isaiah 57:5

57:5 you who practice ritual sex ¹  under the oaks and every green tree,

who slaughter children near the streams under the rocky overhangs. ² 

Isaiah 55:13

55:13 Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes,

firs will grow in place of nettles;

they will be a monument to the Lord, ³ 

a permanent reminder that will remain. ⁴ 

Isaiah 61:3

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ⁵  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ⁶  instead of discouragement. ⁷ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ⁸ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ⁹ 

Isaiah 24:5

24:5 The earth is defiled by ¹⁰  its inhabitants, ¹¹ 

for they have violated laws,

disregarded the regulation, ¹² 

and broken the permanent treaty. ¹³ 

Isaiah 43:4

43:4 Since you are precious and special in my sight, ¹⁴ 

and I love you,

I will hand over people in place of you,

nations in place of your life.

Isaiah 60:15

60:15 You were once abandoned

and despised, with no one passing through,

but I will make you ¹⁵  a permanent source of pride

and joy to coming generations.

Isaiah 3:24

3:24 A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices, ¹⁶ 

a rope will replace a belt,

baldness will replace braided locks of hair,

a sackcloth garment will replace a fine robe,

and a prisoner’s brand will replace beauty.

Isaiah 3:6

3:6 Indeed, a man will grab his brother

right in his father’s house ¹⁷  and say, ¹⁸ 

‘You own a coat –

you be our leader!

This heap of ruins will be under your control.’ ¹⁹ 

Isaiah 10:4

10:4 You will have no place to go, except to kneel with the prisoners,

or to fall among those who have been killed. ²⁰ 

Despite all this, his anger does not subside,

and his hand is ready to strike again. ²¹ 

Isaiah 61:7

61:7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion; ²² 

instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive. ²³ 

Yes, ²⁴  they will possess a double portion in their land

and experience lasting joy.

Isaiah 51:6

51:6 Look up at the sky!

Look at the earth below!

For the sky will dissipate ²⁵  like smoke,

and the earth will wear out like clothes;

its residents will die like gnats.

But the deliverance I give ²⁶  is permanent;

the vindication I provide ²⁷  will not disappear. ²⁸ 

Isaiah 53:12

53:12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, ²⁹ 

he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, ³⁰ 

because he willingly submitted ³¹  to death

and was numbered with the rebels,

when he lifted up the sin of many

and intervened ³²  on behalf of the rebels.”

Isaiah 60:17

60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,

instead of iron, I will bring you silver,

instead of wood, I will bring you ³³  bronze,

instead of stones, I will bring you ³⁴  iron.

I will make prosperity ³⁵  your overseer,

and vindication your sovereign ruler. ³⁶ 

[57:5]  ¹ tn Heb “inflame yourselves”; NRSV “burn with lust.” This verse alludes to the practice of ritual sex that accompanied pagan fertility rites.

[57:5]  ² sn This apparently alludes to the practice of child sacrifice (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).

[55:13]  ³ tn Heb “to the Lord for a name.” For שֵׁם (shem) used in the sense of “monument,” see also 56:5, where it stands parallel to יָד (yad).

[55:13]  ⁴ tn Or, more literally, “a permanent sign that will not be cut off.”

[61:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ⁸ tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”

[61:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[24:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “beneath”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “under”; NAB “because of.”

[24:5]  ⁸ sn Isa 26:21 suggests that the earth’s inhabitants defiled the earth by shedding the blood of their fellow human beings. See also Num 35:33-34, which assumes that bloodshed defiles a land.

[24:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “moved past [the?] regulation.”

[24:5]  ¹⁰ tn Or “everlasting covenant” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the ancient covenant”; CEV “their agreement that was to last forever.”

[43:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “Since you are precious in my eyes and you are honored.”

[60:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”

[3:24]  ¹³ tn Heb “and it will be in place of spices there will be a stench.” The nouns for “spices” and “stench” are right next to each other in the MT for emphatic contrast. The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[3:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “[in] the house of his father” (so ASV); NIV “at his father’s home.”

[3:6]  ¹⁶ tn The words “and say” are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[3:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “your hand”; NASB “under your charge.”

[10:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “except one kneels in the place of the prisoner, and in the place of the slain [who] fall.” On the force of בִּלְתִּי (bilti, “except”) and its logical connection to what precedes, see BDB 116 s.v. בֵלֶת. On the force of תַּחַת (takhat, “in the place of”) here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:258, n. 6.

[10:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in all this his anger was not turned, and still his hand was outstretched”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “his had is stretched out still.”

[61:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “instead of your shame, a double portion.”

[61:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and [instead of] humiliation they will rejoice [over] their portion.” The term תָחָת (takhat, “instead of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[61:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “therefore” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “and so.”

[51:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “will be torn in pieces.” The perfect indicates the certitude of the event, from the Lord’s rhetorical perspective.

[51:6]  ²² tn Heb “my deliverance.” The same Hebrew word can also be translated “salvation” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); cf. CEV “victory.”

[51:6]  ²³ tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”].”

[51:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “will not be shattered [or “dismayed”].”

[53:12]  ²³ tn Scholars have debated the precise meaning of the term רַבִּים (rabbim) that occurs five times in this passage (Isa 52:14, 15; 53:11, 12 [2x]). Its two broad categories of translation are “much”/“many” and “great” (HALOT 1171-72 s.v. I רַב). Unlike other Hebrew terms for might or strength, this term is linked with numbers or abundance. In all sixteen uses outside of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (articular and plural) it signifies an inclusive meaning: “the majority” or “the multitude” (J. Jeremias, TDNT 6:536-37). This term occurs in parallelism with עֲצוּמִים (’atsumim), which normally signifies “numerous” or “large” or “powerful” (through large numbers). Like רַבִּים (rabbim), it refers to greatness in numbers (cf. Deut 4:38; 7:1; 9:1; 11:34). It emphasizes the multitudes with whom the Servant will share the spoil of his victory. As J. Olley wrote: “Yahweh has won the victory and vindicates his Servant, giving to him many subservient people, together with their spoils. These numerous peoples in turn receive blessing, sharing in the “peace” resulting from Yahweh’s victory and the Servant’s suffering” (John W. Olley, “‘The Many’: How Is Isa 53,12a to Be Understood,” Bib 68 [1987]: 330-56).

[53:12]  ²⁴ sn The servant is compared here to a warrior who will be richly rewarded for his effort and success in battle.

[53:12]  ²⁵ tn Heb “because he laid bare his life”; traditionally, ASV “because he (+ hath KJV) poured out his soul (life NIV) unto death.”

[53:12]  ²⁶ tn The Hiphil of פָּגַע (paga’) can mean “cause to attack” (v. 6), “urge, plead verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25), or “intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16). Perhaps the third nuance fits best here, for military imagery is employed in the first two lines of the verse.

[60:17]  ²⁵ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).

[60:17]  ²⁶ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).

[60:17]  ²⁷ tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).

[60:17]  ²⁸ tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.