Isaiah 63:18-19

63:18 For a short time your special ¹  nation possessed a land, ² 

but then our adversaries knocked down ³  your holy sanctuary.

63:19 We existed from ancient times, ⁴ 

but you did not rule over them,

they were not your subjects. ⁵ 

[63:18]  ¹ tn Or “holy” (ASV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[63:18]  ² tn Heb “for a short time they had a possession, the people of your holiness.”

[63:18]  ³ tn Heb “your adversaries trampled on.”

[63:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “we were from antiquity” (see v. 16). The collocation עוֹלָם + מִן + הָיָה (hayah + min + ’olam) occurs only here.

[63:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “you did not rule them, your name was not called over them.” The expression “the name is called over” indicates ownership; see the note at 4:1. As these two lines stand they are very difficult to interpret. They appear to be stating that the adversaries just mentioned in v. 18 have not been subject to the Lord’s rule in the past, perhaps explaining why they could commit the atrocity described in v. 18b.