Discovery BoxIsaiah 9:6-7
Context9:6 For a child has been 1 born to us,
a son has been given to us.
He shoulders responsibility
and is called: 2
Extraordinary Strategist, 3
Mighty God, 4
Everlasting Father, 5
Prince of Peace. 6
9:7 His dominion will be vast 7
and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. 8
He will rule on David’s throne
and over David’s kingdom, 9
establishing it 10 and strengthening it
by promoting justice and fairness, 11
from this time forward and forevermore.
The Lord’s intense devotion to his people 12 will accomplish this.
Isaiah 59:15--60:22
Context59:15 Honesty has disappeared;
the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.
The Lord watches and is displeased, 13
for there is no justice.
59:16 He sees there is no advocate; 14
he is shocked 15 that no one intervenes.
So he takes matters into his own hands; 16
his desire for justice drives him on. 17
59:17 He wears his desire for justice 18 like body armor, 19
and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head. 20
He puts on the garments of vengeance 21
and wears zeal like a robe.
59:18 He repays them for what they have done,
dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries
and punishing his enemies. 22
He repays the coastlands. 23
59:19 In the west, people respect 24 the Lord’s reputation; 25
in the east they recognize his splendor. 26
For he comes like a rushing 27 stream
driven on by wind sent from the Lord. 28
59:20 “A protector 29 comes to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds,” 30 says the Lord.
59:21 “As for me, this is my promise to 31 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,” 32 says the Lord.
60:1 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!
The splendor 33 of the Lord shines on you!
60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth
and deep darkness covers 34 the nations,
but the Lord shines on you;
his splendor 35 appears over you.
60:3 Nations come to your light,
kings to your bright light.
They all gather and come to you –
your sons come from far away
and your daughters are escorted by guardians.
60:5 Then you will look and smile, 37
you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. 38
For the riches of distant lands 39 will belong to you
and the wealth of nations will come to you.
60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, 40
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
All the merchants of Sheba 41 will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing praises to the Lord. 42
60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. 43
They will go up on my altar acceptably, 44
and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.
60:8 Who are these who float along 45 like a cloud,
who fly like doves to their shelters? 46
60:9 Indeed, the coastlands 47 look eagerly for me,
the large ships 48 are in the lead,
bringing your sons from far away,
along with their silver and gold,
to honor the Lord your God, 49
the Holy One of Israel, 50 for he has bestowed honor on you.
60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;
their kings will serve you.
Even though I struck you down in my anger,
I will restore my favor and have compassion on you. 51
60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;
they will not be shut during the day or at night,
so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,
with their kings leading the way. 52
60:12 Indeed, 53 nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;
such nations will be totally destroyed. 54
60:13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,
its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,
to beautify my palace; 55
I will bestow honor on my throne room. 56
60:14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;
all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.
They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’ 57
60:15 You were once abandoned
and despised, with no one passing through,
but I will make you 58 a permanent source of pride
and joy to coming generations.
60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;
you will nurse at the breasts of kings. 59
Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,
your protector, 60 the powerful ruler of Jacob. 61
60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,
instead of iron, I will bring you silver,
instead of wood, I will bring you 62 bronze,
instead of stones, I will bring you 63 iron.
I will make prosperity 64 your overseer,
and vindication your sovereign ruler. 65
60:18 Sounds of violence 66 will no longer be heard in your land,
or the sounds of 67 destruction and devastation within your borders.
You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’
and your gates, ‘Praise.’
60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,
nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;
the Lord will be your permanent source of light –
the splendor of your God will shine upon you. 68
60:20 Your sun will no longer set;
your moon will not disappear; 69
the Lord will be your permanent source of light;
your time 70 of sorrow will be over.
60:21 All of your people will be godly; 71
they will possess the land permanently.
I will plant them like a shoot;
they will be the product of my labor,
through whom I reveal my splendor. 72
60:22 The least of you will multiply into 73 a thousand;
the smallest of you will become a large nation.
When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!” 74
Zechariah 2:8-11
Context2:8 For the Lord who rules over all says to me that for his own glory 75 he has sent me to the nations that plundered you – for anyone who touches you touches the pupil 76 of his 77 eye. 2:9 “I am about to punish them 78 in such a way,” he says, “that they will be looted by their own slaves.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me.
2:10 “Sing out and be happy, Zion my daughter! 79 For look, I have come; I will settle in your midst,” says the Lord. 2:11 “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on the day of salvation, 80 and they will also be my 81 people. Indeed, I will settle in the midst of you all.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you.
Malachi 3:1
Context3:1 “I am about to send my messenger, 82 who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord 83 you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger 84 of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all.
John 12:13
Context12:13 So they took branches of palm trees 85 and went out to meet him. They began to shout, 86 “Hosanna! 87 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 88 Blessed is 89 the king of Israel!”
John 12:15
Context12:15 “Do not be afraid, people of Zion; 90 look, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt!” 91
[9:6] 1 tn The Hebrew perfect (translated “has been born” and “has been given”) is used here as the prophet takes a rhetorical stance in the future. See the note at 9:1.
[9:6] 2 tn Or “and dominion was on his shoulders and he called his name.” The prefixed verbs with vav (ו) consecutive are used with the same rhetorical sense as the perfects in v. 6a. See the preceding note. There is great debate over the syntactical structure of the verse. No subject is indicated for the verb “he called.” If all the titles that follow are ones given to the king, then the subject of the verb must be indefinite, “one calls.” However, some have suggested that one to three of the titles that follow refer to God, not the king. For example, the traditional punctuation of the Hebrew text suggests the translation, “and the Extraordinary Strategist, the Mighty God calls his name, ‘Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’”
[9:6] 3 tn Some have seen two titles here (“Wonderful” and “Counselor,” cf. KJV, ASV). However, the pattern of the following three titles (each contains two elements) and the use of the roots פָּלַא (pala’) and יָעַץ (ya’ats) together in Isa 25:1 (cf. כִּי עָשִׂיתָ פֶּלֶא עֵצוֹת מֵרָחוֹק אֱמוּנָה אֹמֶן) and 28:29 (cf. הִפְלִיא עֵצָה) suggest otherwise. The term יוֹעֵץ (yo’ets) could be taken as appositional (genitive or otherwise) of species (“a wonder, i.e., a wonder as a counselor,” cf. NAB “Wonder-Counselor”) or as a substantival participle for which פָּלַא provides the direct object (“one who counsels wonders”). יוֹעֵץ is used as a royal title elsewhere (cf. Mic 4:9). Here it probably refers to the king’s ability to devise military strategy, as suggested by the context (cf. vv. 3-4 and the following title אֵל גִּבּוֹר, ’el gibor). In Isa 11:2 (also a description of this king) עֵצָה (’etsah) is linked with גְּבוּרָה (gÿvurah, the latter being typically used of military might, cf. BDB 150 s.v.). Note also עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה לַמִּלְחָמָה in Isa 36:5. פֶּלֶא (pele’) is typically used of God (cf. however Lam 1:9). Does this suggest the deity of the messianic ruler? The NT certainly teaches he is God, but did Isaiah necessarily have this in mind over 700 years before his birth? Since Isa 11:2 points out that this king will receive the spirit of the Lord, which will enable him to counsel, it is possible to argue that the king’s counsel is “extraordinary” because it finds its source in the divine spirit. Thus this title does not necessarily suggest that the ruler is deity.
[9:6] 4 tn גִּבּוֹר (gibbor) is probably an attributive adjective (“mighty God”), though one might translate “God is a warrior” or “God is mighty.” Scholars have interpreted this title is two ways. A number of them have argued that the title portrays the king as God’s representative on the battlefield, whom God empowers in a supernatural way (see J. H. Hayes and S. A. Irvine, Isaiah, 181-82). They contend that this sense seems more likely in the original context of the prophecy. They would suggest that having read the NT, we might in retrospect interpret this title as indicating the coming king’s deity, but it is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way. Ps 45:6 addresses the Davidic king as “God” because he ruled and fought as God’s representative on earth. Ancient Near Eastern art and literature picture gods training kings for battle, bestowing special weapons, and intervening in battle. According to Egyptian propaganda, the Hittites described Rameses II as follows: “No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings, They are of one who is unique” (See Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67). According to proponents of this view, Isa 9:6 probably envisions a similar kind of response when friends and foes alike look at the Davidic king in full battle regalia. When the king’s enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself. The other option is to regard this title as a reference to God, confronting Isaiah’s readers with the divinity of this promised “child.” The use of this same title that clearly refers to God in a later passage (Isa 10:21) supports this interpretation. Other passages depict Yahweh as the great God and great warrior (Deut 10:17; Jer. 32:18). Although this connection of a child who is born with deity is unparalleled in any earlier biblical texts, Isaiah’s use of this title to make this connection represents Isaiah’s attempt (at God’s behest) to advance Israel in their understanding of the ideal Davidic king for whom they long.
[9:6] 5 tn This title must not be taken in an anachronistic Trinitarian sense. (To do so would be theologically problematic, for the “Son” is the messianic king and is distinct in his person from God the “Father.”) Rather, in its original context the title pictures the king as the protector of his people. For a similar use of “father” see Isa 22:21 and Job 29:16. This figurative, idiomatic use of “father” is not limited to the Bible. In a Phoenician inscription (ca. 850-800
[9:6] 6 tn This title pictures the king as one who establishes a safe socio-economic environment for his people. It hardly depicts him as a meek individual, for he establishes peace through military strength (as the preceding context and the first two royal titles indicate). His people experience safety and prosperity because their invincible king destroys their enemies. See Pss 72 and 144 for parallels to these themes.
[9:7] 7 tc The Hebrew text has לְםַרְבֵּה (lÿmarbeh), which is a corrupt reading. לם is dittographic; note the preceding word, שָׁלוֹם (shalom). The corrected text reads literally, “great is the dominion.”
[9:7] 8 tn Heb “and to peace there will be no end” (KJV and ASV both similar). On the political and socio-economic sense of שָׁלוֹם (shalom) in this context, see the note at v. 6 on “Prince of Peace.”
[9:7] 9 tn Heb “over the throne of David, and over his kingdom.” The referent of the pronoun “his” (i.e., David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 10 tn The feminine singular pronominal suffix on this form and the following one (translated “it” both times) refers back to the grammatically feminine noun “kingdom.”
[9:7] 11 tn Heb “with/by justice and fairness”; ASV “with justice and with righteousness.”
[9:7] 12 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord.” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to vindicate them and to fulfill his promises to David and the nation.
[59:15] 13 tn Heb “and it is displeasing in his eyes.”
[59:16] 14 tn Heb “man” (so KJV, ASV); TEV “no one to help.”
[59:16] 15 tn Or “appalled” (NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “disgusted.”
[59:16] 16 tn Heb “and his arm delivers for him.”
[59:16] 17 tn Heb “and his justice [or “righteousness”] supports him.”
[59:17] 18 tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “goodness.”
[59:17] 19 tn Or “a breastplate” (traditional; so many English versions); TEV “a coat of armour.”
[59:17] 20 tn Heb “and [as] a helmet deliverance on his head.”
[59:17] 21 tn Heb “and he puts on the clothes of vengeance [as] a garment.”
[59:18] 22 tn Heb “in accordance with deeds, so he repays, anger to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies.”
[59:18] 23 tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV).
[59:19] 24 tc Heb “fear.” A few medieval Hebrew
[59:19] 25 tn Heb “and they fear from the west the name of the Lord.”
[59:19] 26 tn Heb “and from the rising of the sun his splendor.”
[59:19] 27 tn Heb “narrow”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “pent-up.”
[59:19] 28 tn Heb “the wind of the Lord drives it on.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh) could be translated “breath” here (see 30:28).
[59:20] 29 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[59:20] 30 tn Heb “and to those who turn from rebellion in Jacob.”
[59:21] 31 tn Or “my covenant with” (so many English versions); NCV “my agreement with.”
[59:21] 32 tn Heb “from now and on into the future.”
[60:1] 33 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions).
[60:2] 34 tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[60:2] 35 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”
[60:4] 36 tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”
[60:5] 37 tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[60:5] 38 tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”
[60:5] 39 tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.
[60:6] 40 tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”
[60:6] 41 tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”
[60:6] 42 tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”
[60:7] 43 tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.
[60:7] 44 tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).
[60:8] 45 tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”
[60:8] 46 tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.
[60:9] 47 tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”
[60:9] 48 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.
[60:9] 49 tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”
[60:9] 50 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[60:10] 51 tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”
[60:11] 52 tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.
[60:12] 53 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”
[60:12] 54 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
[60:13] 55 tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”
[60:13] 56 tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”
[60:14] 57 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[60:15] 58 tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”
[60:16] 59 sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.
[60:16] 60 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[60:16] 61 sn See 1:24 and 49:26.
[60:17] 62 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).
[60:17] 63 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).
[60:17] 64 tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).
[60:17] 65 tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.
[60:18] 66 tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[60:18] 67 tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[60:19] 68 tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”
[60:20] 69 sn In this verse “sun” and “moon” refer to the Lord’s light, which will replace the sun and moon (see v. 19). Light here symbolizes the restoration of divine blessing and prosperity in conjunction with the Lord’s presence. See 30:26.
[60:20] 70 tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[60:21] 71 tn Or “righteous” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “just.”
[60:21] 72 tn Heb “a shoot of his planting, the work of my hands, to reveal splendor.”
[60:22] 73 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
[60:22] 74 tn Heb “I, the Lord, in its time, I will quickly do it.”
[2:8] 75 tn Heb “After glory has he sent me” (similar KJV, NASB). What is clearly in view is the role of Zechariah who, by faithful proclamation of the message, will glorify the
[2:8] 76 tn Heb “gate” (בָּבָה, bavah) of the eye, that is, pupil. The rendering of this term by KJV as “apple” has created a well-known idiom in the English language, “the apple of his eye” (so ASV, NIV). The pupil is one of the most vulnerable and valuable parts of the body, so for Judah to be considered the “pupil” of the
[2:8] 77 tc A scribal emendation (tiqqun sopherim) has apparently altered an original “my eye” to “his eye” in order to allow the prophet to be the speaker throughout vv. 8-9. This alleviates the problem of the
[2:9] 78 tn Heb “I will wave my hand over them” (so NASB); NIV, NRSV “raise my hand against them.”
[2:10] 79 sn This individualizing of Zion as a daughter draws attention to the corporate nature of the covenant community and also to the tenderness with which the
[2:11] 80 tn Heb “on that day.” The descriptive phrase “of salvation” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[2:11] 81 tc The LXX and Syriac have the 3rd person masculine singular suffix in both places (“his people” and “he will settle”; cf. NAB, TEV) in order to avoid the
[3:1] 82 tn In Hebrew the phrase “my messenger” is מַלְאָכִי (mal’akhi), the same form as the prophet’s name (see note on the name “Malachi” in 1:1). However, here the messenger appears to be an eschatological figure who is about to appear, as the following context suggests. According to 4:5, this messenger is “Elijah the prophet,” whom the NT identifies as John the Baptist (Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2) because he came in the “spirit and power” of Elijah (Matt 11:14; 17:11-12; Lk 1:17).
[3:1] 83 tn Here the Hebrew term הָאָדוֹן (ha’adon) is used, not יְהוָה (yÿhvah, typically rendered
[3:1] 84 sn This messenger of the covenant may be equated with my messenger (that is, Elijah) mentioned earlier in the verse, or with the Lord himself. In either case the messenger functions as an enforcer of the covenant. Note the following verses, which depict purifying judgment on a people that has violated the Lord’s covenant.
[12:13] 85 sn The Mosaic law stated (Lev 23:40) that branches of palm trees were to be used to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles. Later on they came to be used to celebrate other feasts as well (1 Macc. 13:51, 2 Macc. 10:7).
[12:13] 86 tn Grk “And they were shouting.” An ingressive force for the imperfect tense (“they began to shout” or “they started shouting”) is natural in this sequence of events. The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) is left untranslated to improve the English style.
[12:13] 87 tn The expression ῾Ωσαννά (Jwsanna, literally in Hebrew, “O Lord, save”) in the quotation from Ps 118:25-26 was probably by this time a familiar liturgical expression of praise, on the order of “Hail to the king,” although both the underlying Aramaic and Hebrew expressions meant “O Lord, save us.” As in Mark 11:9 the introductory ὡσαννά is followed by the words of Ps 118:25, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου (euloghmeno" Jo ercomeno" en onomati kuriou), although in the Fourth Gospel the author adds for good measure καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ (kai Jo basileu" tou Israhl). In words familiar to every Jew, the author is indicating that at this point every messianic expectation is now at the point of realization. It is clear from the words of the psalm shouted by the crowd that Jesus is being proclaimed as messianic king. See E. Lohse, TDNT 9:682-84.
[12:13] 88 sn A quotation from Ps 118:25-26.
[12:13] 89 tn Grk “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” The words “Blessed is” are not repeated in the Greek text, but are repeated in the translation to avoid the awkwardness in English of the ascensive καί (kai).
[12:15] 90 tn Grk “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion” (the phrase “daughter of Zion” is an idiom for the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “people of Zion”). The idiom “daughter of Zion” has been translated as “people of Zion” because the original idiom, while firmly embedded in the Christian tradition, is not understandable to most modern English readers.
