Isaiah 9:1

9:1 (8:23) ¹  The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious. ² 

In earlier times he ³  humiliated

the land of Zebulun,

and the land of Naphtali; ⁴ 

but now he brings honor ⁵ 

to the way of the sea,

the region beyond the Jordan,

and Galilee of the nations. ⁶ 

Isaiah 30:6

30:6 This is a message ⁷  about the animals in the Negev:

Through a land of distress and danger,

inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, ⁸ 

by snakes and darting adders, ⁹ 

they transport ¹⁰  their wealth on the backs of donkeys,

their riches on the humps of camels,

to a nation that cannot help them. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 37:24

37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, ¹² 

‘With my many chariots I climbed up

the high mountains,

the slopes of Lebanon.

I cut down its tall cedars

and its best evergreens.

I invaded its most remote regions, ¹³ 

its thickest woods.

Isaiah 41:25

41:25 I have stirred up one out of the north ¹⁴  and he advances,

one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name. ¹⁵ 

He steps on ¹⁶  rulers as if they were clay,

like a potter treading the clay.

Isaiah 44:19

44:19 No one thinks to himself,

nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:

‘I burned half of it in the fire –

yes, I baked bread over the coals;

I roasted meat and ate it.

With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?

Should I bow down to dry wood?’ ¹⁷ 

Isaiah 49:23

49:23 Kings will be your children’s ¹⁸  guardians;

their princesses will nurse your children. ¹⁹ 

With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you

and they will lick the dirt on ²⁰  your feet.

Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;

those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.

Isaiah 51:6

51:6 Look up at the sky!

Look at the earth below!

For the sky will dissipate ²¹  like smoke,

and the earth will wear out like clothes;

its residents will die like gnats.

But the deliverance I give ²²  is permanent;

the vindication I provide ²³  will not disappear. ²⁴ 

Isaiah 57:8

57:8 Behind the door and doorpost you put your symbols. ²⁵ 

Indeed, ²⁶  you depart from me ²⁷  and go up

and invite them into bed with you. ²⁸ 

You purchase favors from them, ²⁹ 

you love their bed,

and gaze longingly ³⁰  on their genitals. ³¹ 

Isaiah 59:21

59:21 “As for me, this is my promise to ³²  them,” says the Lord. “My spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,” ³³  says the Lord.

Isaiah 65:12

65:12 I predestine you to die by the sword, ³⁴ 

all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block, ³⁵ 

because I called to you, and you did not respond,

I spoke and you did not listen.

You did evil before me; ³⁶ 

you chose to do what displeases me.”

Isaiah 66:4

66:4 So I will choose severe punishment ³⁷  for them;

I will bring on them what they dread,

because I called, and no one responded,

I spoke and they did not listen.

They did evil before me; ³⁸ 

they chose to do what displeases me.”

[9:1]  ¹ sn In the Hebrew text (BHS) the chapter division comes one verse later than in the English Bible; 9:1 (8:23 HT). Thus 9:2-21 in the English Bible = 9:1-20 in the Hebrew text. Beginning with 10:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.

[9:1]  ² tn The Hebrew text reads, “Indeed there is no gloom for the one to whom there was anxiety for her.” The feminine singular pronominal suffix “her” must refer to the land (cf. vv. 22a, 23b). So one could translate, “Indeed there will be no gloom for the land which was anxious.” In this case the statement introduces the positive message to follow. Some assume an emendation of לֹא (lo’, “no”) to לוֹ (lo, “to him”) and of לָהּ (lah, “to her”) to לוֹ (lo, “to him”), yielding this literal reading: “indeed there is gloom for him, for the one to whom there was anxiety for him.” In this case the statement concludes the preceding description of judgment.

[9:1]  ³ tn The Lord must be understood as the subject of the two verbs in this verse.

[9:1]  ⁴ sn The statement probably alludes to the Assyrian conquest of Israel in ca. 734-733 b.c., when Tiglath-pileser III annexed much of Israel’s territory and reduced Samaria to a puppet state.

[9:1]  ⁵ tn Heb Just as in earlier times he humiliated…, [in] the latter times he has brought honor.” The main verbs in vv. 1b-4 are Hebrew perfects. The prophet takes his rhetorical stance in the future age of restoration and describes future events as if they have already occurred. To capture the dramatic effect of the original text, the translation uses the English present or present perfect.

[9:1]  ⁶ sn These three geographical designations may refer to provinces established by the Assyrians in 734-733 b.c. The “way of the sea” is the province of Dor, along the Mediterranean coast, the “region beyond the Jordan” is the province of Gilead in Transjordan, and “Galilee of the nations” (a title that alludes to how the territory had been overrun by foreigners) is the province of Megiddo located west of the Sea of Galilee. See Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, 374.

[30:6]  ⁷ tn Traditionally, “burden” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “oracle.”

[30:6]  ⁸ tc Heb “[a land of] a lioness and a lion, from them.” Some emend מֵהֶם (mehem, “from them”) to מֵהֵם (mehem), an otherwise unattested Hiphil participle from הָמַם (hamam, “move noisily”). Perhaps it would be better to take the initial mem (מ) as enclitic and emend the form to הֹמֶה (homeh), a Qal active participle from הָמָה (hamah, “to make a noise”); cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:542, n. 9.

[30:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “flying fiery one.” See the note at 14:29.

[30:6]  ¹⁰ tn Or “carry” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[30:6]  ¹¹ sn This verse describes messengers from Judah transporting wealth to Egypt in order to buy Pharaoh’s protection through a treaty.

[37:24]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[37:24]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the height of its extremity”; ASV “its farthest height.”

[41:25]  ¹⁹ sn That is, Cyrus the Persian. See the note at v. 2.

[41:25]  ²⁰ tn Heb “[one] from the rising of the sun [who] calls in my name.”

[41:25]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew text has וְיָבֹא (vÿyavo’, “and he comes”), but this is likely a corruption of an original וַיָּבָס (vayyavas), from בּוּס (bus, “step on”).

[44:19]  ²⁵ tn There is no formal interrogative sign here, but the context seems to indicate these are rhetorical questions. See GKC 473 §150.a.

[49:23]  ³¹ tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).

[49:23]  ³² tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.

[49:23]  ³³ tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”

[51:6]  ³⁷ tn Heb “will be torn in pieces.” The perfect indicates the certitude of the event, from the Lord’s rhetorical perspective.

[51:6]  ³⁸ tn Heb “my deliverance.” The same Hebrew word can also be translated “salvation” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); cf. CEV “victory.”

[51:6]  ³⁹ tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”].”

[51:6]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “will not be shattered [or “dismayed”].”

[57:8]  ⁴³ tn The precise referent of זִכָּרוֹן (zikkaron) in this context is uncertain. Elsewhere the word refers to a memorial or commemorative sign. Here it likely refers to some type of idolatrous symbol.

[57:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).

[57:8]  ⁴⁵ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “from me you uncover.” The translation assumes an emendation of the Piel form גִּלִּית (gillit, “you uncover”), which has no object expressed here, to the Qal גָּלִית (galit, “you depart”).

[57:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “you make wide your bed” (NASB similar).

[57:8]  ⁴⁷ tc Heb “and you [second masculine singular, unless the form be taken as third feminine singular] cut for yourself [feminine singular] from them.” Most English translations retain the MT reading in spite of at least three problems. This section makes significant use of feminine verbs and noun suffixes because of the sexual imagery. The verb in question is likely a 2nd person masculine singular verb. Nevertheless, this kind of fluctuation in gender appears elsewhere (GKC 127-28 §47.k and 462 §144.p; cf. Jer 3:5; Ezek 22:4; 23:32; cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:473, n. 13). Secondly, when this verbal root signifies establishing a covenant, it is normally accompanied by the noun for “covenant” (בְּרִית, bÿrit). Finally, this juxtaposition of the verb “to cut” and “covenant” normally is followed by the preposition “with,” while here it is “from.” The translation above assumes an emendation of וַתִּכְרָת (vatikhrah, “and you cut”) to וְכָרִית (vÿkharit, “and you purchase”) from the root כָּרָה (kharah); see HALOT 497 s.v. II כרה.

[57:8]  ⁴⁸ tn The Hebrew text has simply חָזָה (khazah, “gaze”). The adverb “longingly” is interpretive (see the context, where sexual lust is depicted).

[57:8]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “[at] a hand you gaze.” The term יָד (yad, “hand”) probably has the sense of “power, manhood” here, where it is used, as in Ugaritic, as a euphemism for the genitals. See HALOT 387 s.v. I יָד.

[59:21]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “my covenant with” (so many English versions); NCV “my agreement with.”

[59:21]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “from now and on into the future.”

[65:12]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “I assign you to the sword.” Some emend the Qal verb form מָנִיתִי (maniti, “I assign”) to the Piel מִנִּיתִי (minniti, “ I ordain”). The verb sounds like the name of the god Meni (מְנִי, mÿni, “Destiny, Fate”). The sound play draws attention to the irony of the statement. The sinners among God’s people worship the god Meni, apparently in an effort to ensure a bright destiny for themselves. But the Lord is the one who really determines their destiny and he has decreed their demise.

[65:12]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “at the slaughter”; NIV “for the slaughter”; NLT “before the executioner.”

[65:12]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”

[66:4]  ⁶¹ tn The precise meaning of the noun is uncertain. It occurs only here and in 3:4 (but see the note there). It appears to be derived from the verbal root עָלַל (’alal), which can carry the nuance “deal severely.”

[66:4]  ⁶² tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”