Isaiah 61:7

61:7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion; ¹ 

instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive. ² 

Yes, ³  they will possess a double portion in their land

and experience lasting joy.

Isaiah 57:6

57:6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;

they, they are the object of your devotion. ⁴ 

You pour out liquid offerings to them,

you make an offering.

Because of these things I will seek vengeance. ⁵ 

Isaiah 17:14

17:14 In the evening there is sudden terror; ⁶ 

by morning they vanish. ⁷ 

This is the fate of those who try to plunder us,

the destiny of those who try to loot us! ⁸ 

Isaiah 53:12

53:12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, ⁹ 

he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, ¹⁰ 

because he willingly submitted ¹¹  to death

and was numbered with the rebels,

when he lifted up the sin of many

and intervened ¹²  on behalf of the rebels.”

Isaiah 34:17

34:17 He assigns them their allotment; ¹³ 

he measures out their assigned place. ¹⁴ 

They will live there ¹⁵  permanently;

they will settle in it through successive generations.

Isaiah 7:6

7:6 They say, “Let’s attack Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it. ¹⁶  Then we’ll set up the son of Tabeel as its king.” ¹⁷ 

Isaiah 6:13

6:13 Even if only a tenth of the people remain in the land, it will again be destroyed, ¹⁸  like one of the large sacred trees ¹⁹  or an Asherah pole, when a sacred pillar on a high place is thrown down. ²⁰  That sacred pillar symbolizes the special chosen family.” ²¹ 

[61:7]  ¹ tn Heb “instead of your shame, a double portion.”

[61:7]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “therefore” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “and so.”

[57:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “among the smooth stones of the stream [is] your portion, they, they [are] your lot.” The next line indicates idols are in view.

[57:6]  ⁵ tn The text reads literally, “Because of these am I relenting?” If the prefixed interrogative particle is retained at the beginning of the sentence, then the question would be rhetorical, with the Niphal of נָחָם (nakham) probably being used in the sense of “relent, change one’s mind.” One could translate: “Because of these things, how can I relent?” However, the initial letter he may be dittographic (note the final he [ה] on the preceding word). In this case one may understand the verb in the sense of “console oneself, seek vengeance,” as in 1:24.

[17:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “at the time of evening, look, sudden terror.”

[17:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “before morning he is not.”

[17:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “this is the portion of those who plunder us, and the lot of those who loot us.”

[53:12]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ sn The servant is compared here to a warrior who will be richly rewarded for his effort and success in battle.

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

[53:12]  ¹³ 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.

[34:17]  ¹³ tn Heb “and he causes the lot to fall for them.” Once again the pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).

[34:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and his hand divides for them with a measuring line.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) now switches to masculine plural, referring to all the animals and birds mentioned in vv. 11-15, some of which were identified with masculine nouns. This signals closure for this portion of the speech, which began in v. 11. The following couplet (v. 17b) forms an inclusio with v. 11a through verbal repetition.

[34:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV); NCV “they will own that land forever.”

[7:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and let us break it open for ourselves”; NASB “make for ourselves a breach in its walls”; NLT “fight our way into.”

[7:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and we will make the son of Tabeel king in its midst.”

[6:13]  ¹⁹ tn Or “be burned” (NRSV); NIV “laid waste.”

[6:13]  ²⁰ tn Heb “like a massive tree or like a big tree” (perhaps, “like a terebinth or like an oak”).

[6:13]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew text has “which in the felling, a sacred pillar in them.” Some take מַצֶּבֶת (matsevet) as “stump,” and translate, “which, when chopped down, have a stump remaining in them.” But elsewhere מַצֶּבֶת refers to a memorial pillar (2 Sam 18:18) and the word resembles מַצֶּבָה (matsevah, “sacred pillar”). בָּם (bam, “in them”) may be a corruption of בָּמָה (bamah, “high place”; the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has במה). אֳשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) becomes a problem in this case, but one might emend the form to וּכְּאֲשֵׁרָה (ukÿ’asherah, “or like an Asherah pole”) and translate, “like one of the large sacred trees or an Asherah pole.” Though the text is difficult, the references to sacred trees and a sacred pillar suggest that the destruction of a high place is in view, an apt metaphor for the judgment of idolatrous Judah.

[6:13]  ²² tn Heb “a holy offspring [is] its sacred pillar.” If מַצֶּבֶת (matsevet) is taken as “stump,” one can see in this statement a brief glimpse of hope. The tree (the nation) is chopped down, but the stump (a righteous remnant) remains from which God can restore the nation. However, if מַצֶּבֶת is taken as “sacred pillar” (מַצֶּבָה, matsevah; see the previous note), it is much more difficult to take the final statement in a positive sense. In this case “holy offspring” alludes to God’s ideal for his covenant people, the offspring of the patriarchs. Ironically that “holy” nation is more like a “sacred pillar” and it will be thrown down like a sacred pillar from a high place and its land destroyed like the sacred trees located at such shrines. Understood in this way, the ironic statement is entirely negative in tone, just like the rest of the preceding announcement of judgment. It also reminds the people of their failure; they did not oppose pagan religion, instead they embraced it. Now they will be destroyed in the same way they should have destroyed paganism.