Isaiah 6:2

6:2 Seraphs ¹  stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, ²  and they used the remaining two to fly.

Isaiah 1:31

1:31 The powerful will be like ³  a thread of yarn,

their deeds like a spark;

both will burn together,

and no one will put out the fire.

Isaiah 7:21

7:21 At that time ⁴  a man will keep alive a young cow from the herd and a couple of goats.

Isaiah 51:19

51:19 These double disasters confronted you.

But who feels sorry for you?

Destruction and devastation,

famine and sword.

But who consoles you? ⁵ 

Isaiah 7:16

7:16 Here is why this will be so: ⁶  Before the child knows how to reject evil and choose what is right, the land ⁷  whose two kings you fear will be desolate. ⁸ 

Isaiah 8:14

8:14 He will become a sanctuary, ⁹ 

but a stone that makes a person trip,

and a rock that makes one stumble –

to the two houses of Israel. ¹⁰ 

He will become ¹¹  a trap and a snare

to the residents of Jerusalem. ¹² 

Isaiah 17:6

17:6 There will be some left behind,

like when an olive tree is beaten –

two or three ripe olives remain toward the very top,

four or five on its fruitful branches,”

says the Lord God of Israel.

Isaiah 47:9

47:9 Both of these will come upon you

suddenly, in one day!

You will lose your children and be widowed. ¹³ 

You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, ¹⁴ 

despite ¹⁵  your many incantations

and your numerous amulets. ¹⁶ 

Isaiah 7:4

7:4 Tell him, ‘Make sure you stay calm! ¹⁷  Don’t be afraid! Don’t be intimidated ¹⁸  by these two stubs of smoking logs, ¹⁹  or by the raging anger of Rezin, Syria, and the son of Remaliah.

[6:2]  ¹ tn Hebrew שָׂרָף (saraf, “seraph”) literally means “burning one,” perhaps suggesting that these creatures had a fiery appearance (cf. TEV, CEV “flaming creatures”; NCV “heavenly creatures of fire”). Elsewhere in the OT the word “seraph” refers to poisonous snakes (Num 21:6; Deut 8:15; Isa 14:29; 30:6). Perhaps they were called “burning ones” because of their appearance or the effect of their venomous bites, which would cause a victim to burn up with fever. It is possible that the seraphs seen by Isaiah were at least partially serpentine in appearance. Though it might seem strange for a snake-like creature to have wings, two of the texts where “seraphs” are snakes describe them as “flying” (Isa 14:29; 30:6), perhaps referring to their darting movements. See the note at 14:29.

[6:2]  ² sn Some understand “feet” here as a euphemistic reference to the genitals.

[1:31]  ³ tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).

[7:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[51:19]  ⁷ tc The Hebrew text has אֲנַחֲמֵךְ (’anakhamekh), a first person form, but the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads correctly יִנַחֲמֵךְ (yinakhamekh), a third person form.

[7:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “for, because.” The particle introduces the entire following context (vv. 16-25), which explains why Immanuel will be an appropriate name for the child, why he will eat sour milk and honey, and why experiencing such a diet will contribute to his moral development.

[7:16]  ¹⁰ sn Since “two kings” are referred to later in the verse, the “land” must here refer to Syria-Israel.

[7:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the land will be abandoned, which you fear because of its two kings.” After the verb קוּץ (quts, “loathe, dread”) the phrase מִפְּנֵי (mipney, “from before”) introduces the cause of loathing/dread (see Gen 27:46; Exod 1:12; Num 22:3).

[8:14]  ¹¹ tn Because the metaphor of protection (“sanctuary”) does not fit the negative mood that follows in vv. 14b-15, some contend that מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash, “sanctuary”) is probably a corruption of an original מוֹקֵשׁ (moqesh, “snare”), a word that appears in the next line (cf. NAB and H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:355-56). If the MT reading is retained (as in the above translation), the fact that Yahweh is a sanctuary wraps up the point of v. 13 and stands in contrast to God’s treatment of those who rebel against him (the rest of v. 14).

[8:14]  ¹² sn The two “houses” of Israel (= the patriarch Jacob) are the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.

[8:14]  ¹³ tn These words are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. וְהָיָה (vÿhayah, “and he will be”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse.

[8:14]  ¹⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[47:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.

[47:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”

[47:9]  ¹⁵ tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.

[47:9]  ¹⁶ sn Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.

[7:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “guard yourself and be quiet,” but the two verbs should be coordinated.

[7:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and let not your heart be weak”; ASV “neither let thy heart be faint.”

[7:4]  ¹⁷ sn The derogatory metaphor indicates that the power of Rezin and Pekah is ready to die out.