Isaiah 63:5

63:5 I looked, but there was no one to help;

I was shocked because there was no one offering support. ¹ 

So my right arm accomplished deliverance;

my raging anger drove me on. ² 

Isaiah 26:3

26:3 You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith,

for they trust in you. ³ 

Isaiah 48:2

48:2 Indeed, they live in the holy city; ⁴ 

they trust in ⁵  the God of Israel,

whose name is the Lord who commands armies.

Isaiah 59:16

The Lord Intervenes

59:16 He sees there is no advocate; ⁶ 

he is shocked ⁷  that no one intervenes.

So he takes matters into his own hands; ⁸ 

his desire for justice drives him on. ⁹ 

Isaiah 36:6

36:6 Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him!

[63:5]  ¹ sn See Isa 59:16 for similar language.

[63:5]  ² tn Heb “and my anger, it supported me”; NIV “my own wrath sustained me.”

[26:3]  ³ tn Heb “[one of] firm purpose you will keep [in] peace, peace, for in you he possesses trust.” The Hebrew term יֵצֶר (yetser) refers to what one devises in the mind; סָמוּךְ (samukh) probably functions here like an attributive adjective and carries the nuance “firm.” So the phrase literally means, “a firm purpose,” but as the object of the verb “keep, guard,” it must stand by metonymy for the one(s) who possess a firm purpose. In this context the “righteous nation” (v. 2) is probably in view and the “firm purpose” refers to their unwavering faith in God’s vindication (see 25:9). In this context שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”), which is repeated for emphasis, likely refers to national security, not emotional or psychological composure (see vv. 1-2). The passive participle בָּטוּחַ (batuakh) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action.

[48:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “they call themselves [or “are called”] from the holy city.” The precise meaning of the statement is uncertain. The Niphal of קָרָא (qara’) is combined with the preposition מִן (min) only here. When the Qal of קָרָא is used with מִן, the preposition often indicates the place from which one is summoned (see 46:11). So one could translate, “from the holy city they are summoned,” meaning that they reside there.

[48:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “lean on” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “rely on.”

[59:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “man” (so KJV, ASV); TEV “no one to help.”

[59:16]  ⁸ tn Or “appalled” (NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “disgusted.”

[59:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “and his arm delivers for him.”

[59:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and his justice [or “righteousness”] supports him.”