Isaiah 8:6

8:6 “These people ¹  have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah ²  and melt in fear over Rezin and the son of Remaliah. ³ 

Isaiah 8:2

8:2 Then I will summon ⁴  as my reliable witnesses Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”

Isaiah 15:1

The Lord Will Judge Moab

15:1 Here is a message about Moab:

Indeed, in a night it is devastated,

Ar of Moab is destroyed!

Indeed, in a night it is devastated,

Kir of Moab is destroyed!

Psalms 83:3-5

83:3 They carefully plot ⁵  against your people,

and make plans to harm ⁶  the ones you cherish. ⁷ 

83:4 They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation! ⁸ 

Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”

83:5 Yes, ⁹  they devise a unified strategy; ¹⁰ 

they form an alliance ¹¹  against you.

[8:6]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text begins with “because.” In the Hebrew text vv. 6-7 are one long sentence, with v. 6 giving the reason for judgment and v. 7 formally announcing it.

[8:6]  ² sn The phrase “waters of Shiloah” probably refers to a stream that originated at the Gihon Spring and supplied the city of Jerusalem with water. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:225. In this context these waters stand in contrast to the flood waters of Assyria and symbolize God’s presence and blessings.

[8:6]  ³ tn The precise meaning of v. 6 has been debated. The translation above assumes that “these people” are the residents of Judah and that מָשׂוֹשׂ (masos) is alternate form of מָסוֹס (masos, “despair, melt”; see HALOT 606 s.v. מסס). In this case vv. 7-8 in their entirety announce God’s disciplinary judgment on Judah. However, “these people” could refer to the Israelites and perhaps also the Syrians (cf v. 4). In this case מָשׂוֹשׂ probably means “joy.” One could translate, “and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah.” In this case v. 7a announces the judgment of Israel, with vv. 7b-8 then shifting the focus to the judgment of Judah.

[8:2]  ⁴ tn The form in the text is a cohortative with prefixed vav (ו), suggesting that the Lord is announcing what he will do. Some prefer to change the verb to an imperative, “and summon as witnesses,” a reading that finds support from the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a. Another option is to point the prefixed conjunction as a vav consecutive and translate, “So I summoned as witnesses.” In this case Isaiah is recalling his response to the Lord’s commission. In any case, the reference to witnesses suggests that the name and the child who bears it will function as signs.

[83:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “they make crafty a plot.”

[83:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “and consult together against.”

[83:3]  ⁷ tn The passive participle of the Hebrew verb צָפַן (tsafan, “to hide”) is used here in the sense of “treasured; cherished.”

[83:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “we will cause them to disappear from [being] a nation.”

[83:5]  ⁹ tn Or “for.”

[83:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “they consult [with] a heart together.”

[83:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”