Psalms 48:12-13

48:12 Walk around ¹  Zion! Encircle it!

Count its towers!

48:13 Consider its defenses! ² 

Walk through ³  its fortresses,

so you can tell the next generation about it! ⁴ 

Isaiah 2:12-15

2:12 Indeed, the Lord who commands armies has planned a day of judgment, ⁵ 

for ⁶  all the high and mighty,

for all who are proud – they will be humiliated;

2:13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,

that are so high and mighty,

for all the oaks of Bashan; ⁷ 

2:14 for all the tall mountains,

for all the high hills, ⁸ 

2:15 for every high tower,

for every fortified wall,

Isaiah 32:14

32:14 For the fortress is neglected;

the once-crowded ⁹  city is abandoned.

Hill ¹⁰  and watchtower

are permanently uninhabited. ¹¹ 

Wild donkeys love to go there,

and flocks graze there. ¹² 

[48:12]  ¹ tn The verb forms in vv. 12-13 are plural; the entire Judahite community is addressed.

[48:13]  ² tn Heb “set your heart to its rampart.”

[48:13]  ³ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word translated “walk through,” which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Cf. NEB “pass…in review”; NIV “view.”

[48:13]  ⁴ sn The city’s towers, defenses, and fortresses are outward reminders and tangible symbols of the divine protection the city enjoys.

[2:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] has a day.”

[2:12]  ⁶ tn Or “against” (NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[2:13]  ⁷ sn The cedars of Lebanon and oaks of Bashan were well-known for their size and prominence. They make apt symbols here for powerful men who think of themselves as prominent and secure.

[2:14]  ⁸ sn The high mountains and hills symbolize the apparent security of proud men, as do the high tower and fortified wall of v. 15.

[32:14]  ⁹ tn Or “noisy” (NAB, NIV, NCV).

[32:14]  ¹⁰ tn Hebrew עֹפֶל (’ofel), probably refers here to a specific area within the city of Jerusalem. See HALOT 861 s.v. II עֹפֶל.

[32:14]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text has בְעַד מְעָרוֹת (vÿ’ad mÿ’arot). The force of בְעַד, which usually means “behind, through, round about,” or “for the benefit of,” is uncertain here. HALOT 616 s.v. *מְעָרָה takes מְעָרוֹת (mÿ’arot) as a homonym of “cave” and define it here as “cleared field.” Despite these lexical problems, the general point of the statement seems clear – the city will be uninhabited.

[32:14]  ¹² tn Heb “the joy of wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks.”