Discovery BoxIsaiah 63:7--64:12
Context63:7 I will tell of the faithful acts of the Lord,
of the Lord’s praiseworthy deeds.
I will tell about all 1 the Lord did for us,
the many good things he did for the family of Israel, 2
because of 3 his compassion and great faithfulness.
63:8 He said, “Certainly they will be my people,
children who are not disloyal.” 4
He became their deliverer.
63:9 Through all that they suffered, he suffered too. 5
The messenger sent from his very presence 6 delivered them.
In his love and mercy he protected 7 them;
he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times. 8
63:10 But they rebelled and offended 9 his holy Spirit, 10
so he turned into an enemy
and fought against them.
63:11 His people remembered the ancient times. 11
Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea,
along with the shepherd of 12 his flock?
Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them, 13
63:12 the one who made his majestic power available to Moses, 14
who divided the water before them,
gaining for himself a lasting reputation, 15
63:13 who led them through the deep water?
Like a horse running on flat land 16 they did not stumble.
63:14 Like an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, 17
so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest.
In this way 18 you guided your people,
gaining for yourself an honored reputation. 19
63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice,
from your holy, majestic palace!
Where are your zeal 20 and power?
Do not hold back your tender compassion! 21
63:16 For you are our father,
though Abraham does not know us
and Israel does not recognize us.
You, Lord, are our father;
you have been called our protector from ancient times. 22
63:17 Why, Lord, do you make us stray 23 from your ways, 24
and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you? 25
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your inheritance!
63:18 For a short time your special 26 nation possessed a land, 27
but then our adversaries knocked down 28 your holy sanctuary.
63:19 We existed from ancient times, 29
but you did not rule over them,
they were not your subjects. 30
64:1 (63:19b) 31 If only you would tear apart the sky 32 and come down!
The mountains would tremble 33 before you!
64:2 (64:1) As when fire ignites dry wood,
or fire makes water boil,
let your adversaries know who you are, 34
and may the nations shake at your presence!
64:3 When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise, 35
you came down, and the mountains trembled 36 before you.
64:4 Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, 37
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who intervenes for those who wait for him.
64:5 You assist 38 those who delight in doing what is right, 39
who observe your commandments. 40
Look, you were angry because we violated them continually.
How then can we be saved? 41
64:6 We are all like one who is unclean,
all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. 42
We all wither like a leaf;
our sins carry us away like the wind.
64:7 No one invokes 43 your name,
or makes an effort 44 to take hold of you.
For you have rejected us 45
and handed us over to our own sins. 46
64:8 Yet, 47 Lord, you are our father.
We are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the product of your labor. 48
64:9 Lord, do not be too angry!
Do not hold our sins against us continually! 49
Take a good look at your people, at all of us! 50
64:10 Your chosen 51 cities have become a desert;
Zion has become a desert,
Jerusalem 52 is a desolate ruin.
64:11 Our holy temple, our pride and joy, 53
the place where our ancestors praised you,
has been burned with fire;
all our prized possessions have been destroyed. 54
64:12 In light of all this, 55 how can you still hold back, Lord?
How can you be silent and continue to humiliate us?
[63:7] 1 tn Heb “according to all which.”
[63:7] 2 tn Heb “greatness of goodness to the house of Israel which he did for them.”
[63:7] 3 tn Heb “according to.”
[63:8] 4 tn Heb “children [who] do not act deceitfully.” Here the verb refers to covenantal loyalty.
[63:9] 5 tn Heb “in all their distress, there was distress to him” (reading לוֹ [lo] with the margin/Qere).
[63:9] 6 tn Heb “the messenger [or “angel”] of his face”; NIV “the angel of his presence.”
[63:9] 7 tn Or “redeemed” (KJV, NAB, NIV), or “delivered.”
[63:9] 8 tn Heb “all the days of antiquity”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “days of old.”
[63:10] 9 tn Or “grieved, hurt the feelings of.”
[63:10] 10 sn The phrase “holy Spirit” occurs in the OT only here (in v. 11 as well) and in Ps 51:11 (51:13 HT), where it is associated with the divine presence.
[63:11] 11 tn Heb “and he remembered the days of antiquity, Moses, his people.” The syntax of the statement is unclear. The translation assumes that “his people” is the subject of the verb “remembered.” If original, “Moses” is in apposition to “the days of antiquity,” more precisely identifying the time period referred to. However, the syntactical awkwardness suggests that “Moses” may have been an early marginal note (perhaps identifying “the shepherd of his flock” two lines later) that has worked its way into the text.
[63:11] 12 tn The Hebrew text has a plural form, which if retained and taken as a numerical plural, would probably refer to Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite tribal leaders at the time of the Exodus. Most prefer to emend the form to the singular (רָעָה, ra’ah) and understand this as a reference just to Moses.
[63:11] 13 sn See the note at v. 10.
[63:12] 14 tn Heb “who caused to go at the right hand of Moses the arm of his splendor.”
[63:12] 15 tn Heb “making for himself a lasting name.”
[63:13] 16 tn Heb “in the desert [or “steppe”].”
[63:14] 17 tn The words “to graze” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[63:14] 18 tn Or “so” (KJV, ASV), or “thus” (NAB, NRSV).
[63:14] 19 tn Heb “making for yourself a majestic name.”
[63:15] 20 tn This probably refers to his zeal for his people, which motivates him to angrily strike out against their enemies.
[63:15] 21 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “the agitation of your intestines and your compassion to me they are held back.” The phrase “agitation of your intestines” is metonymic, referring to the way in which one’s nervous system reacts when one feels pity and compassion toward another. אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) is awkward in this context, where the speaker represents the nation and, following the introduction (see v. 7), utilizes first person plural forms. The translation assumes an emendation to the negative particle אַל (’al). This also necessitates emending the following verb form (which is a plural perfect) to a singular jussive (תִתְאַפָּק, tit’appaq). The Hitpael of אָפַק (’afaq) also occurs in 42:14.
[63:16] 22 tn Heb “our protector [or “redeemer”] from antiquity [is] your name.”
[63:17] 23 tn Some suggest a tolerative use of the Hiphil here, “[why do] you allow us to stray?” (cf. NLT). Though the Hiphil of תָעָה (ta’ah) appears to be tolerative in Jer 50:6, elsewhere it is preferable or necessary to take it as causative. See Isa 3:12; 9:15; and 30:28, as well as Gen 20:13; 2 Kgs 21:9; Job 12:24-25; Prov 12:26; Jer 23:13, 32; Hos 4:12; Amos 2:4; Mic 3:5.
[63:17] 24 tn This probably refers to God’s commands.
[63:17] 25 tn Heb “[Why do] you harden our heart[s] so as not to fear you.” The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[63:18] 26 tn Or “holy” (ASV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).
[63:18] 27 tn Heb “for a short time they had a possession, the people of your holiness.”
[63:18] 28 tn Heb “your adversaries trampled on.”
[63:19] 29 tn Heb “we were from antiquity” (see v. 16). The collocation עוֹלָם + מִן + הָיָה (hayah + min + ’olam) occurs only here.
[63:19] 30 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.
[64:1] 31 sn In BHS the chapter division occurs in a different place from the English Bible: 64:1 ET (63:19b HT) and 64:2-12 (64:1-11 HT). Beginning with 65:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.
[64:1] 32 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[64:1] 33 tn Or “quake.” נָזֹלּוּ (nazollu) is from the verbal root זָלַל (zalal, “quake”; see HALOT 272 s.v. II זלל). Perhaps there is a verbal allusion to Judg 5:5, the only other passage where this verb occurs. In that passage the poet tells how the Lord’s appearance to do battle caused the mountains to shake.
[64:2] 34 tn Heb “to make known your name to your adversaries.” Perhaps the infinitive construct with preposition -לְ (lamed) should be construed with “come down” in v. 1a, or subordinated to the following line: “To make known your name to your adversaries, let the nations shake from before you.”
[64:3] 35 tn Heb “[for which] we were not waiting.”
[64:3] 36 tn See the note at v. 1.
[64:4] 37 tn Heb “from ancient times they have not heard, they have not listened.”
[64:5] 38 tn Heb “meet [with kindness].”
[64:5] 39 tn Heb “the one who rejoices and does righteousness.”
[64:5] 40 tn Heb “in your ways they remember you.”
[64:5] 41 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “look, you were angry and we sinned against them continually [or perhaps, “in ancient times”] and we were delivered.” The statement makes little sense as it stands. The first vav [ו] consecutive (“and we sinned”) must introduce an explanatory clause here (see Num 1:48 and Isa 39:1 for other examples of this relatively rare use of the vav [ו] consecutive). The final verb (if rendered positively) makes no sense in this context – God’s anger at their sin resulted in judgment, not deliverance. One of the alternatives involves an emendation to וַנִּרְשָׁע (vannirsha’, “and we were evil”; LXX, NRSV, TEV). The Vulgate and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa support the MT reading. One can either accept an emendation or cast the statement as a question (as above).
[64:6] 42 tn Heb “and like a garment of menstruation [are] all our righteous acts”; KJV, NIV “filthy rags”; ASV “a polluted garment.”
[64:7] 43 tn Or “calls out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “calls on.”
[64:7] 44 tn Or “rouses himself”; NASB “arouses himself.”
[64:7] 45 tn Heb “for you have hidden your face from us.”
[64:7] 46 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and you caused us to melt in the hand of our sin.” The verb וַתְּמוּגֵנוּ (vattÿmugenu) is a Qal preterite 2nd person masculine singular with a 1st person common plural suffix from the root מוּג (mug, “melt”). However, elsewhere the Qal of this verb is intransitive. If the verbal root מוּג (mug) is retained here, the form should be emended to a Polel pattern (וַתְּמֹגְגֵנוּ, vattÿmogÿgenu). The translation assumes an emendation to וַתְּמַגְּנֵנוּ (vattÿmaggÿnenu, “and you handed us over”). This form is a Piel preterite 2nd person masculine singular with a 1st person common plural suffix from the verbal root מִגֵּן (miggen, “hand over, surrender”; see HALOT 545 s.v. מגן and BDB 171 s.v. מָגָן). The point is that God has abandoned them to their sinful ways and no longer seeks reconciliation.
[64:8] 47 tn On the force of וְעַתָּה (vÿ’attah) here, see HALOT 902 s.v. עַתָּה.
[64:8] 48 tn Heb “the work of your hand.”
[64:9] 49 tn Heb “do not remember sin continually.”
[64:9] 50 tn Heb “Look, gaze at your people, all of us.” Another option is to translate, “Take a good look! We are all your people.”
[64:10] 51 tn Heb “holy” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT); NIV “sacred.”
[64:10] 52 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[64:11] 53 tn Heb “our source of pride.”
[64:11] 54 tn Or “all that we valued has become a ruin.”
[64:12] 55 tn Heb “because of these”; KJV, ASV “for these things.”
