Yesaya 49:14-23

The Lord Remembers Zion

49:14 “Zion said, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,

the sovereign master ¹  has forgotten me.’

49:15 Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? ² 

Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne? ³ 

Even if mothers ⁴  were to forget,

I could never forget you! ⁵ 

49:16 Look, I have inscribed your name ⁶  on my palms;

your walls are constantly before me.

49:17 Your children hurry back,

while those who destroyed and devastated you depart.

49:18 Look all around you! ⁷ 

All of them gather to you.

As surely as I live,” says the Lord,

“you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry;

you will put them on as if you were a bride.

49:19 Yes, your land lies in ruins;

it is desolate and devastated. ⁸ 

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

and those who devoured you will be far away.

49:20 Yet the children born during your time of bereavement

will say within your hearing,

‘This place is too cramped for us, ⁹ 

make room for us so we can live here.’ ¹⁰ 

49:21 Then you will think to yourself, ¹¹ 

‘Who bore these children for me?

I was bereaved and barren,

dismissed and divorced. ¹² 

Who raised these children?

Look, I was left all alone;

where did these children come from?’”

49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;

I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.

They will bring your sons in their arms

and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

49:23 Kings will be your children’s ¹³  guardians;

their princesses will nurse your children. ¹⁴ 

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

and they will lick the dirt on ¹⁵  your feet.

Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;

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

Yesaya 54:6-14

54:6 “Indeed, the Lord will call you back

like a wife who has been abandoned and suffers from depression, ¹⁶ 

like a young wife when she has been rejected,” says your God.

54:7 “For a short time I abandoned ¹⁷  you,

but with great compassion I will gather you.

54:8 In a burst ¹⁸  of anger I rejected you ¹⁹  momentarily,

but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,”

says your protector, ²⁰  the Lord.

54:9 “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time, ²¹ 

when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood ²²  would never again cover the earth.

In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you.

54:10 Even if the mountains are removed

and the hills displaced,

my devotion will not be removed from you,

nor will my covenant of friendship ²³  be displaced,”

says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.

54:11 “O afflicted one, driven away, ²⁴  and unconsoled!

Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony

and I lay your foundation with lapis-lazuli.

54:12 I will make your pinnacles out of gems, ²⁵ 

your gates out of beryl, ²⁶ 

and your outer wall ²⁷  out of beautiful ²⁸  stones.

54:13 All your children will be followers of the Lord,

and your children will enjoy great prosperity. ²⁹ 

54:14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. ³⁰ 

You will not experience oppression; ³¹ 

indeed, you will not be afraid.

You will not be terrified, ³² 

for nothing frightening ³³  will come near you.

Mazmur 78:60-61

78:60 He abandoned ³⁴  the sanctuary at Shiloh,

the tent where he lived among men.

78:61 He allowed the symbol of his strong presence to be captured; ³⁵ 

he gave the symbol of his splendor ³⁶  into the hand of the enemy. ³⁷ 

Yeremia 30:17

30:17 Yes, ³⁸  I will restore you to health.

I will heal your wounds.

I, the Lord, affirm it! ³⁹ 

For you have been called an outcast,

Zion, whom no one cares for.”

Ratapan 1:1-2

The Prophet Speaks:

א (Alef) ⁴⁰ 

1:1 ⁴¹ Alas! ⁴²  The city once full of people ⁴³ 

now sits all alone! ⁴⁴ 

The prominent ⁴⁵  lady among the nations

has become a widow! ⁴⁶ 

The princess ⁴⁷  who once ruled the provinces ⁴⁸ 

has become ⁴⁹  a forced laborer! ⁵⁰ 

ב (Bet)

1:2 She weeps bitterly at night;

tears stream down her cheeks. ⁵¹ 

She has no one to comfort her

among all her lovers. ⁵² 

All her friends have betrayed her;

they have become her enemies.

Wahyu 11:2

11:2 But ⁵³  do not measure the outer courtyard ⁵⁴  of the temple; leave it out, ⁵⁵  because it has been given to the Gentiles, ⁵⁶  and they will trample on the holy city ⁵⁷  for forty-two months.

Wahyu 11:15-17

The Seventh Trumpet

11:15 Then ⁵⁸  the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:

“The kingdom of the world

has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Christ, ⁵⁹ 

and he will reign for ever and ever.”

11:16 Then ⁶⁰  the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground ⁶¹  and worshiped God 11:17 with these words: ⁶² 

“We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, ⁶³ 

the one who is and who was,

because you have taken your great power

and begun to reign. ⁶⁴ 

[49:14]  ¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[49:15]  ² tn Heb “her suckling”; NASB “her nursing child.”

[49:15]  ³ tn Heb “so as not to have compassion on the son of her womb?”

[49:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “these” (so ASV, NASB).

[49:15]  ⁵ sn The argument of v. 15 seems to develop as follows: The Lord has an innate attachment to Zion, just like a mother does for her infant child. But even if mothers were to suddenly abandon their children, the Lord would never forsake Zion. In other words, the Lord’s attachment to Zion is like a mother’s attachment to her infant child, but even stronger.

[49:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “you.” Here the pronoun is put by metonymy for the person’s name.

[49:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see.”

[49:19]  ⁸ 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.

[49:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “me.” The singular is collective.

[49:20]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “draw near to me so I can dwell.”

[49:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and you will say in your heart.”

[49:21]  ¹² tn Or “exiled and thrust away”; NIV “exiled and rejected.”

[49:23]  ¹³ tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).

[49:23]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.

[49:23]  ¹⁵ tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”

[54:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “like a woman abandoned and grieved in spirit.”

[54:7]  ¹⁷ tn Or “forsook” (NASB).

[54:8]  ¹⁸ tn According to BDB 1009 s.v. שֶׁטֶף the noun שֶׁצֶף here is an alternate form of שֶׁטֶף (shetef, “flood”). Some relate the word to an alleged Akkadian cognate meaning “strength.”

[54:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “I hid my face from you.”

[54:8]  ²⁰ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[54:9]  ²¹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “For [or “indeed”] the waters of Noah [is] this to me.” כִּי־מֵי (ki-me, “for the waters of”) should be emended to כְּמֵי (kÿmey, “like the days of”), which is supported by the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and all the ancient versions except LXX.

[54:9]  ²² tn Heb “the waters of Noah” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[54:10]  ²³ tn Heb “peace” (so many English versions); NLT “of blessing.”

[54:11]  ²⁴ tn Or, more literally, “windblown, storm tossed.”

[54:12]  ²⁵ tn Perhaps, “rubies” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[54:12]  ²⁶ tn On the meaning of אֶקְדָּח (’eqdakh), which occurs only here, see HALOT 82 s.v.

[54:12]  ²⁷ tn Heb “border” (so ASV); NASB “your entire wall.”

[54:12]  ²⁸ tn Heb “delightful”; KJV “pleasant.”

[54:13]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and great [will be] the peace of your sons.”

[54:14]  ³⁰ tn Heb “in righteousness [or “vindication”] you will be established.” The precise meaning of צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) here is uncertain. It could mean “righteousness, justice,” indicating that the city will be a center for justice. But the context focuses on deliverance, suggesting that the term means “deliverance, vindication” here.

[54:14]  ³¹ tn Heb “Be far from oppression!” The imperative is used here in a rhetorical manner to express certainty and assurance. See GKC 324 §110.c.

[54:14]  ³² tn Heb “from terror.” The rhetorical command, “be far” is understood by ellipsis here. Note the preceding context.

[54:14]  ³³ tn Heb “it,” i.e., the “terror” just mentioned.

[78:60]  ³⁴ tn Or “rejected.”

[78:61]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and he gave to captivity his strength.” The expression “his strength” refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant, which was housed in the tabernacle at Shiloh.

[78:61]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and his splendor into the hand of an enemy.” The expression “his splendor” also refers metonymically to the ark of the covenant.

[78:61]  ³⁷ sn Verses 60-61 refer to the Philistines’ capture of the ark in the days of Eli (1 Sam 4:1-11).

[30:17]  ³⁸ tn Again the particle כִּי (ki) appears to be intensive rather than causal. Compare the translator’s note on v. 12. It is possible that it has an adversative sense as an implicit contrast with v. 13 which expresses these concepts in the negative (cf. BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 3.e for this use in statements which are contextually closer to one another).

[30:17]  ³⁹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[1:1]  ⁴⁰ sn Chapters 1-4 are arranged in alphabetic-acrostic structures; the acrostic pattern does not appear in chapter 5. Each of the 22 verses in chapters 1, 2 and 4 begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, while the acrostic appears in triplicate in the 66 verses in chapter 3. The acrostic pattern does not appear in chapter 5, but its influence is felt in that it has 22 verses, the same as the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. For further study on Hebrew acrostics, see W. M. Soll, “Babylonian and Biblical Acrostics,” Bib 69 (1988): 305-23; D. N. Freedman, “Acrostic Poems in the Hebrew Bible: Alphabetic and Otherwise,” CBQ 48 (1986): 408-31; B. Johnson, “Form and Message in Lamentations,” ZAW 97 (1985): 58-73; K. C. Hanson, “Alphabetic Acrostics: A Form Critical Study,” Ph.D. diss., Claremont Graduate School, 1984; S. Bergler, “Threni V – Nur ein alphabetisierendes Lied? Versuch einer Deutung,” VT 27 (1977): 304-22; E. M. Schramm, “Poetic Patterning in Biblical Hebrew,” Michigan Oriental Studies in Honor of George S. Cameron, 175-78; D. N. Freedman, “Acrostics and Metrics in Hebrew Poetry,” HTR 65 (1972): 367-92; N. K. Gottwald, “The Acrostic Form,” Studies in the Book of Lamentations, 23-32; P. A. Munch, “Die alphabetische Akrostichie in der judischen Psalmendicthung,” ZDMG 90 (1936): 703-10; M. Löhr, “Alphabetische und alphabetisierende Lieder im AT,” ZAW 25 (1905): 173-98.

[1:1]  ⁴¹ tc The LXX and Vulgate (dependent on the LXX) include a preface that is lacking in the MT: “And it came to pass after Israel had been taken captive and Jerusalem had been laid waste, Jeremiah sat weeping and lamented this lament over Jerusalem, and said….” Scholars generally view the preface in the LXX and Vulgate as a later addition, though the style is Hebrew rather than Greek.

[1:1]  ⁴² tn The adverb אֵיכָה (’ekhah) is used as an exclamation of lament or desperation: “How!” (BDB 32 s.v.) or “Alas!” (HALOT 40 s.v. 1.e). It is often the first word in laments (Isa 1:21; Jer 48:17; Lam 1:1; 2:1; 4:1, 2). Like the less emphatic exclamation אֵיךְ (’ekh, “Alas!”) (2 Sam 1:19; Isa 14:4, 12; Ezek 26:17), it is used in contexts of lament and mourning.

[1:1]  sn The term אֵיכָה (’ekhah, “Alas!”) and counterpart אֵיךְ (’ekh, “Alas!”) are normally uttered in contexts of mourning as exclamations of lament over a deceased person (2 Sam 1:19; Isa 14:4, 12). The prophets borrow this term from its normal Sitz im Leben in the funeral lament and rhetorically place it in the context of announcements or descriptions of God’s judgment (Isa 1:21; Jer 48:17; Ezek 26:17; Lam 1:1; 2:1; 4:1, 2). This creates a personification of the city/nation which is either in danger of imminent “death” or already has “died” as a result of the Lord’s judgment.

[1:1]  ⁴³ tn Heb “great of people.” The construct רַבָּתִי עָם (rabbati ’am, “great of people”) is an idiom for large population: “full of people, populous” (BDB 912-13 s.v. I רַב; HALOT 1172 s.v. 7.a). The hireq-campaginis ending on רַבָּתִי (rabbati), from the adjective רַב (rav, “great”), is a remnant of the old genitive-construct case (GKC 253 §90.l). By contrast to the first half of the line, it is understood that she was full of people formerly. רַבָּתִי עָם (rabbati ’am) may also be construed as a title.

[1:1]  sn Two thirds of Lamentations is comprised of enjambed lines rather than Hebrew poetry’s more frequent couplets of parallel phrasing. This serves a rhetorical effect not necessarily apparent if translated in the word order of English prose. Together with the alphabetic acrostic form, these pull the reader/hearer along through the various juxtaposed pictures of horror and grief. For further study on the import of these stylistic features to the function of Lamentations see F. W. Dobbs-Allsopp, Lamentations (IBC), 12-20; idem, “The Enjambing Line in Lamentations: A Taxonomy (Part 1),” ZAW 113/2 (2001): 219-39; idem, “The Effects of Enjambment in Lamentations,” ZAW 113/5 (2001): 1-16. However, for the sake of English style and clarity, the translation does not necessarily reflect the Hebrew style and word order.

[1:1]  ⁴⁴ tn The noun בָּדָד (badad, “isolation, alone”) functions as adverbial accusative of state. After verbs of dwelling, it pictures someone sitting apart, which may be linked to dwelling securely, especially of a city or people (Num 23:9; Deut 33:28; Jer 49:31; Ps 4:8 [HT 9]), or to isolation (Lev 13:46; Jer 15:17; 3:28). Applied to personified Jerusalem, it contrasts a possible connotation of dwelling securely, instead stating that Lady Jerusalem is abandoned and connoting that the city is deserted.

[1:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “great.” The adjective רַב (rav, “great”) is used in reference to a position of prominence, leadership (Ps 48:3; Dan 11:3, 5) or strength (Isa 53:12; 63:1; 2 Chr 14:10) (BDB 913 s.v. 2.b; HALOT 1172 s.v. 6). The hireq-campaginis ending on רַבָּתִי (rabbati) from the adjective רַב (rav, “great”) is a remnant of the old genitive-construct case (GKC 253 §90.l). This adjective is the same word mentioned at the beginning of the verse in the phrase “full of people.” These may also be construed as epithets.

[1:1]  ⁴⁶ tn The kaf (כּ) prefixed to אַלְמָנָה (’almanah, “widow”) expresses identity (“has become a widow”) rather than comparison (“has become like a widow”) (see HALOT 453 s.v. 1; BDB 454 s.v. כְּ 1.d). The construction emphasizes the class of widowhood.

[1:1]  ⁴⁷ tn The noun שָׂרָתִי (sarati, “princess”) is in construct with the following noun. The hireq-campaginis ending on שָׂרָתִי (sarati) is a remnant of the old genitive-construct case (GKC 253 §90.l).

[1:1]  sn Judah was organized into administrative districts or provinces under the rule of provincial governors (שָׂרִים, sarim) (1 Kgs 20:14, 17, 19). The feminine term שָׂרָה (sarah, “princess, provincial governess”) is a wordplay alluding to this political background: personified Jerusalem had ruled over the Judean provinces.

[1:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “princess among the provinces.” The noun מְדִינָה (mÿdinah) is an Aramaic loanword which refers to an administrative district or province in the empire (e.g., Ezek 19:8; Dan 8:2) (BDB 193 s.v. 2; HALOT 549 s.v.).

[1:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Following the verb הָיָה (hayah, “to be”), the preposition ל (lamed) designates a transition into a new state or condition: “to become” (BDB 512 s.v. לְ 4.a; e.g., Gen 2:7; 1 Sam 9:16; 15:1).

[1:1]  ⁵⁰ tn The noun מַס (mas) means “forced labor, corveé slave, conscripted worker.” It refers to a subjugated population, subject to forced labor and/or heavy taxes (Gen 49:15; Exod 1:11; Deut 20:11; Josh 16:10; 17:13; Judg 1:28, 30, 33, 35; 1 Kgs 5:28; 9:15, 21; 12:18; 2 Chr 10:18; Isa 31:8; Lam 1:1).

[1:2]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “her tears are on her cheek.”

[1:2]  ⁵² tn Heb “lovers.” The term “lovers” is a figurative expression (hypocatastasis), comparing Jerusalem’s false gods and foreign political alliances to sexually immoral lovers. Hosea uses similar imagery (Hos 2:5, 7, 10, 13). It may also function as a double entendre, first evoking a disconcerting picture of a funeral where the widow has no loved ones present to comfort her. God also does not appear to be present to comfort Jerusalem and will later be called her enemy. The imagery in Lamentations frequently capitalizes on changing the reader’s expectations midstream.

[11:2]  ⁵³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[11:2]  ⁵⁴ tn On the term αὐλήν (aulhn) BDAG 150 s.v. αὐλή 1 states, “(outer) court of the temple…Rv 11:2.”

[11:2]  ⁵⁵ tn The precise meaning of the phrase ἔκβαλε ἔξωθεν (ekbale exwqen) is difficult to determine.

[11:2]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “to the nations” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[11:2]  ⁵⁷ sn The holy city appears to be a reference to Jerusalem. See also Luke 21:24.

[11:15]  ⁵⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:15]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[11:16]  ⁶⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:16]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “they fell down on their faces.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[11:17]  ⁶² tn Grk “saying.”

[11:17]  ⁶³ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[11:17]  ⁶⁴ tn The aorist verb ἐβασίλευσας (ebasileusa") has been translated ingressively.