Isaiah 7:3

7:3 So the Lord told Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub ¹  and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ² 

Isaiah 16:5

16:5 Then a trustworthy king will be established;

he will rule in a reliable manner,

this one from David’s family. ³ 

He will be sure to make just decisions

and will be experienced in executing justice. ⁴ 

Isaiah 21:9

21:9 Look what’s coming!

A charioteer,

a team of horses.” ⁵ 

When questioned, he replies, ⁶ 

“Babylon has fallen, fallen!

All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”

Isaiah 36:2

36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser ⁷  from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, ⁸  along with a large army. The chief adviser ⁹  stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ¹⁰ 

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 47:11

47:11 Disaster will overtake you;

you will not know how to charm it away. ¹¹ 

Destruction will fall on you;

you will not be able to appease it.

Calamity will strike you suddenly,

before you recognize it. ¹² 

Isaiah 48:14

48:14 All of you, gather together and listen!

Who among them ¹³  announced these things?

The Lord’s ally ¹⁴  will carry out his desire against Babylon;

he will exert his power against the Babylonians. ¹⁵ 

Isaiah 51:9

51:9 Wake up! Wake up!

Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord! ¹⁶ 

Wake up as in former times, as in antiquity!

Did you not smash ¹⁷  the Proud One? ¹⁸ 

Did you not ¹⁹  wound the sea monster? ²⁰ 

Isaiah 55:7

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ²¹ 

and sinful people their plans. ²² 

They should return ²³  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ²⁴ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ²⁵ 

[7:3]  ¹ tn The name means “a remnant will return.” Perhaps in this context, where the Lord is trying to encourage Ahaz, the name suggests that only a few of the enemy invaders will return home; the rest will be defeated.

[7:3]  ² tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “the Washerman’s Field.”

[16:5]  ³ tn Heb “and a throne will be established in faithfulness, and he will sit on it in reliability, in the tent of David.”

[16:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “one who judges and seeks justice, and one experienced in fairness.” Many understand מְהִר (mÿhir) to mean “quick, prompt” (see BDB 555 s.v. מָהִיר), but HALOT 552 s.v. מָהִיר offers the meaning “skillful, experienced,” and translates the phrase in v. 5 “zealous for what is right.”

[21:9]  ⁵ tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”

[21:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).

[36:2]  ⁷ sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.

[36:2]  ⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[36:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[36:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[47:11]  ⁹ tc The Hebrew text has שַׁחְרָהּ (shakhrah), which is either a suffixed noun (“its dawning,” i.e., origin) or infinitive (“to look early for it”). Some have suggested an emendation to שַׁחֲדָהּ (shakhadah), a suffixed infinitive from שָׁחַד (shakhad, “[how] to buy it off”; see BDB 1005 s.v. שָׁחַד). This forms a nice parallel with the following couplet. The above translation is based on a different etymology of the verb in question. HALOT 1466 s.v. III שׁחר references a verbal root with these letters (שׁחד) that refers to magical activity.

[47:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you will not know”; NIV “you cannot foresee.”

[48:14]  ¹¹ sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).

[48:14]  ¹² tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”

[48:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”

[51:9]  ¹³ tn The arm of the Lord is a symbol of divine military power. Here it is personified and told to arouse itself from sleep and prepare for action.

[51:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Are you not the one who smashed?” The feminine singular forms agree grammatically with the feminine noun “arm.” The Hebrew text has ַהמַּחְצֶבֶת (hammakhtsevet), from the verbal root חָצַב (khatsav, “hew, chop”). The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has, probably correctly, המחצת, from the verbal root מָחַץ (makhats, “smash”) which is used in Job 26:12 to describe God’s victory over “the Proud One.”

[51:9]  ¹⁵ tn This title (רַהַב, rahav, “proud one”) is sometimes translated as a proper name: “Rahab” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). It is used here of a symbolic sea monster, known elsewhere in the Bible and in Ugaritic myth as Leviathan. This sea creature symbolizes the forces of chaos that seek to destroy the created order. In the Bible “the Proud One” opposes God’s creative work, but is defeated (see Job 26:12; Ps 89:10). Here the title refers to Pharaoh’s Egyptian army that opposed Israel at the Red Sea (see v. 10, and note also Isa 30:7 and Ps 87:4, where the title is used of Egypt).

[51:9]  ¹⁶ tn The words “did you not” are understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line). The rhetorical questions here and in v. 10 expect the answer, “Yes, you certainly did!”

[51:9]  ¹⁷ tn Hebrew תַּנִּין (tannin) is another name for the symbolic sea monster. See the note at 27:1. In this context the sea creature represents Egypt. See the note on the title “Proud One” earlier in this verse.

[55:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ¹⁸ tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ¹⁹ sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.