Isaiah 64:10

64:10 Your chosen ¹  cities have become a desert;

Zion has become a desert,

Jerusalem ²  is a desolate ruin.

Isaiah 35:1

The Land and Its People Are Transformed

35:1 Let the desert and dry region be happy; ³ 

let the wilderness ⁴  rejoice and bloom like a lily!

Isaiah 21:1

The Lord Will Judge Babylon

21:1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: ⁵ 

Like strong winds blowing in the south, ⁶ 

one invades from the desert,

from a land that is feared.

Isaiah 32:15

32:15 This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven. ⁷ 

Then the desert will become an orchard

and the orchard will be considered a forest. ⁸ 

Isaiah 42:11

42:11 Let the desert and its cities shout out,

the towns where the nomads of Kedar live!

Let the residents of Sela shout joyfully;

let them shout loudly from the mountaintops.

Isaiah 41:18

41:18 I will make streams flow down the slopes

and produce springs in the middle of the valleys.

I will turn the desert into a pool of water

and the arid land into springs.

Isaiah 63:1

The Victorious Divine Warrior

63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, ⁹ 

dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah? ¹⁰ 

Who ¹¹  is this one wearing royal attire, ¹² 

who marches confidently ¹³  because of his great strength?

“It is I, the one who announces vindication,

and who is able to deliver!” ¹⁴ 

Isaiah 16:8

16:8 For the fields of Heshbon are dried up,

as well as the vines of Sibmah.

The rulers of the nations trample all over its vines,

which reach Jazer and spread to the desert;

their shoots spread out and cross the sea.

Isaiah 50:2

50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?

Why does no one respond when I call? ¹⁵ 

Is my hand too weak ¹⁶  to deliver ¹⁷  you?

Do I lack the power to rescue you?

Look, with a mere shout ¹⁸  I can dry up the sea;

I can turn streams into a desert,

so the fish rot away and die

from lack of water. ¹⁹ 

[64:10]  ¹ tn Heb “holy” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT); NIV “sacred.”

[64:10]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[35:1]  ³ tn The final mem (ם) on the verb יְשֻׂשׂוּם (yÿsusum) is dittographic (note the initial mem on the following noun מִדְבָּר [midbar]). The ambiguous verbal form is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel). The jussive is used rhetorically here, not as a literal command or prayer.

[35:1]  ⁴ tn Or “Arabah” (NASB); NAB, NIV, TEV “desert.”

[21:1]  ⁵ sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “desert” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like a desolate desert.

[21:1]  ⁶ tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).

[32:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “until a spirit is emptied out on us from on high.” The words “this desolation will continue” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic purposes. The verb עָרָה (’arah), used here in the Niphal, normally means “lay bare, expose.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is often understood here as a reference to the divine spirit (cf. 44:3 and NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT), but it appears here without an article (cf. NRSV “a spirit”), pronominal suffix, or a genitive (such as “of the Lord”). The translation assumes that it carries an impersonal nuance “vivacity, vigor” in this context.

[32:15]  ⁸ sn The same statement appears in 29:17b, where, in conjunction with the preceding line, it appears to picture a reversal. Here it seems to depict supernatural growth. The desert will blossom into an orchard, and the trees of the orchard will multiply and grow tall, becoming a forest.

[63:1]  ⁹ sn Edom is here an archetype for the Lord’s enemies. See 34:5.

[63:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[in] bright red garments, from Bozrah.”

[63:1]  ¹¹ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the first line of the verse.

[63:1]  ¹² tn Heb “honored in his clothing”; KJV, ASV “glorious in his apparel.”

[63:1]  ¹³ tc The Hebrew text has צָעָה (tsa’ah), which means “stoop, bend” (51:14). The translation assumes an emendation to צָעַד (tsa’ad, “march”; see BDB 858 s.v. צָעָה).

[63:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “I, [the one] speaking in vindication [or “righteousness”], great to deliver.”

[50:2]  ¹¹ sn The present tense translation of the verbs assumes that the Lord is questioning why Israel does not attempt to counter his arguments. Another possibility is to take the verbs as referring to past events: “Why did no one meet me when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” In this case the Lord might be asking why Israel rejected his calls to repent and his offer to deliver them.

[50:2]  ¹² tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ¹³ tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “with my rebuke.”

[50:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”