Isaiah 9:16

9:16 The leaders of this nation were misleading people,

and the people being led were destroyed. ¹ 

Isaiah 3:12

3:12 Oppressors treat my ²  people cruelly;

creditors rule over them. ³ 

My people’s leaders mislead them;

they give you confusing directions. ⁴ 

Isaiah 49:19

49:19 Yes, your land lies in ruins;

it is desolate and devastated. ⁵ 

But now you will be too small to hold your residents,

and those who devoured you will be far away.

Isaiah 19:3

19:3 The Egyptians will panic, ⁶ 

and I will confuse their strategy. ⁷ 

They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead,

from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians. ⁸ 

Isaiah 25:7-8

25:7 On this mountain he will swallow up

the shroud that is over all the peoples, ⁹ 

the woven covering that is over all the nations; ¹⁰ 

25:8 he will swallow up death permanently. ¹¹ 

The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face,

and remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.

Indeed, the Lord has announced it! ¹² 

Isaiah 28:4

28:4 The withering flower, its beautiful splendor,

situated at the head of a rich valley,

will be like an early fig before harvest –

as soon as someone notices it,

he grabs it and swallows it. ¹³ 

Isaiah 28:7

28:7 Even these men ¹⁴  stagger because of wine,

they stumble around because of beer –

priests and prophets stagger because of beer,

they are confused ¹⁵  because of wine,

they stumble around because of beer;

they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, ¹⁶ 

they totter while making legal decisions. ¹⁷ 

[9:16]  ¹ tn Heb “and the ones being led were swallowed up.” Instead of taking מְבֻלָּעִים (mÿbulla’im) from בָּלַע (bala’, “to swallow”), HALOT 134 s.v. בלע proposes a rare homonymic root בלע (“confuse”) here.

[3:12]  ² sn This may refer to the prophet or to the Lord.

[3:12]  ³ tc The Hebrew text appears to read literally, “My people, his oppressors, he deals severely, and women rule over them.” The correct text and precise meaning of the verse are debated. The translation above assumes (1) an emendation of נֹגְשָׂיו (nogÿsayv, “his oppressors”) to נֹגְשִׂים (nogÿshim, “oppressors”) by moving the mem (ם) on the following form to the end of the word and dropping the vav (ו) as virtually dittographic; (2) an emendation of מְעוֹלֵל (mÿ’olel, a singular participle that does not agree with the preceding plural subject) to עֹלְלוּ (’olÿlu), a third plural Poel perfect from עָלַל (’alal, “deal severely”; note that the following form begins with a vav [ו]; the text may be haplographic or misdivided); and (3) an emendation (with support from the LXX) of נָשִׁים (nashim, “women”) to נֹשִׁים (noshim, “creditors”; a participle from נָשַׁא, nasa’). Another option is to emend מְעוֹלֵל to עוֹלְלִים (’olÿlim, “children”) and read, “My people’s oppressors are children; women rule over them.” In this case the point is the same as in v. 4; the leadership void left by the judgment will be filled by those incompetent to lead the community – children and women. (The text reflects the ancient Israelite patriarchal mindset.)

[3:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “and the way of your paths they confuse.” The verb בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”; HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”; see HALOT 134 s.v. בלע).

[49:19]  ³ tn Heb “Indeed your ruins and your desolate places, and the land of your destruction.” This statement is abruptly terminated in the Hebrew text and left incomplete.

[19:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “and the spirit of Egypt will be laid waste in its midst.”

[19:3]  ⁵ tn The verb בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (bala’, “swallow”); see HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע.

[19:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “they will inquire of the idols and of the spirits of the dead and of the ritual pits and of the magicians.” Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. See the note on “incantations” in 8:19.

[25:7]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text reads, “the face of the shroud, the shroud over all the nations.” Some emend the second הַלּוֹט (hallot) to a passive participle הַלּוּט (hallut, “that is wrapped”).

[25:7]  ⁶ sn The point of the imagery is unclear. Perhaps the shroud/covering referred to was associated with death in some way (see v. 8).

[25:8]  ⁶ sn The image of the Lord “swallowing” death would be especially powerful, for death was viewed in Canaanite mythology and culture as a hungry enemy that swallows its victims. See the note at 5:14.

[25:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “has spoken” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[28:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “which the one seeing sees, while still it is in his hand he swallows it.”

[28:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “these.” The demonstrative pronoun anticipates “priests and prophets” two lines later.

[28:7]  ⁹ tn According to HALOT 135 s.v. III בלע, the verb form is derived from בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”), not the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”). See earlier notes at 3:12 and 9:16.

[28:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in the seeing.”

[28:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[in] giving a decision.”