Yesaya 11:2

11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him ¹  –

a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, ² 

a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, ³ 

a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. ⁴ 

Yesaya 30:1

Egypt Will Prove Unreliable

30:1 “The rebellious ⁵  children are as good as dead,” ⁶  says the Lord,

“those who make plans without consulting me, ⁷ 

who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, ⁸ 

and thereby compound their sin. ⁹ 

Yesaya 32:15

32:15 This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven. ¹⁰ 

Then the desert will become an orchard

and the orchard will be considered a forest. ¹¹ 

Yesaya 34:16

34:16 Carefully read the scroll of the Lord! ¹² 

Not one of these creatures will be missing, ¹³ 

none will lack a mate. ¹⁴ 

For the Lord has issued the decree, ¹⁵ 

and his own spirit gathers them. ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 40:13

40:13 Who comprehends ¹⁷  the mind ¹⁸  of the Lord,

or gives him instruction as his counselor? ¹⁹ 

Yesaya 42:1

The Lord Commissions His Special Servant

42:1 ²⁰ “Here is my servant whom I support,

my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.

I have placed my spirit on him;

he will make just decrees ²¹  for the nations. ²² 

Yesaya 44:3

44:3 For I will pour water on the parched ground ²³ 

and cause streams to flow ²⁴  on the dry land.

I will pour my spirit on your offspring

and my blessing on your children.

Yesaya 48:16

48:16 Approach me! Listen to this!

From the very first I have not spoken in secret;

when it happens, ²⁵  I am there.”

So now, the sovereign Lord has sent me, accompanied by his spirit. ²⁶ 

Yesaya 59:21

59:21 “As for me, this is my promise to ²⁷  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,” ²⁸  says the Lord.

Yesaya 61:1

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen ²⁹  me. ³⁰ 

He has commissioned ³¹  me to encourage ³²  the poor,

to help ³³  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

[11:2]  ¹ sn Like David (1 Sam 16:13), this king will be energized by the Lord’s spirit.

[11:2]  ² tn Heb “a spirit of wisdom and understanding.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of wisdom he will possess. His wisdom will enable him to make just legal decisions (v. 3). A very similar phrase occurs in Eph 1:17.

[11:2]  ³ tn Heb “a spirit of counsel [or “strategy”] and strength.” The construction is a hendiadys; the point is that he will have the strength/ability to execute the plans/strategies he devises. This ability will enable him to suppress oppressors and implement just policies (v. 4).

[11:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.” “Knowledge” is used here in its covenantal sense and refers to a recognition of God’s authority and a willingness to submit to it. See Jer 22:16. “Fear” here refers to a healthy respect for God’s authority which produces obedience. Taken together the two terms emphasize the single quality of loyalty to the Lord. This loyalty guarantees that he will make just legal decisions and implement just policies (vv. 4-5).

[30:1]  ⁵ tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”

[30:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”

[30:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”

[30:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.

[30:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”

[32:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “until a spirit is emptied out on us from on high.” The words “this desolation will continue” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic purposes. The verb עָרָה (’arah), used here in the Niphal, normally means “lay bare, expose.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is often understood here as a reference to the divine spirit (cf. 44:3 and NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT), but it appears here without an article (cf. NRSV “a spirit”), pronominal suffix, or a genitive (such as “of the Lord”). The translation assumes that it carries an impersonal nuance “vivacity, vigor” in this context.

[32:15]  ¹¹ sn The same statement appears in 29:17b, where, in conjunction with the preceding line, it appears to picture a reversal. Here it seems to depict supernatural growth. The desert will blossom into an orchard, and the trees of the orchard will multiply and grow tall, becoming a forest.

[34:16]  ¹² tn Heb “Seek from upon the scroll of the Lord and read.”

[34:16]  sn It is uncertain what particular scroll is referred to here. Perhaps the phrase simply refers to this prophecy and is an admonition to pay close attention to the details of the message.

[34:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “one from these will not be missing.” הֵנָּה (hennah, “these”) is feminine plural in the Hebrew text. It may refer only to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or may include all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).

[34:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “each its mate they will not lack.”

[34:16]  ¹⁵ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for a mouth, it has commanded.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and a few medieval mss have פִּיהוּ (pihu, “his mouth [has commanded]”), while a few other medieval mss read פִּי יְהוָה (pi yÿhvah, “the mouth of the Lord [has commanded]”).

[34:16]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and his spirit, he gathers them.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).

[40:13]  ¹⁷ tn Perhaps the verb is used metonymically here in the sense of “advises” (note the following line).

[40:13]  ¹⁸ tn In this context רוּחַ (ruakh) likely refers to the Lord’s “mind,” or mental faculties, rather than his personal Spirit (see BDB 925 s.v.).

[40:13]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “or [as] the man of his counsel causes him to know?”

[42:1]  ²⁰ sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.

[42:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[42:1]  ²² sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.

[44:3]  ²³ tn Heb “the thirsty.” Parallelism suggests that dry ground is in view (see “dry land” in the next line.)

[44:3]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and streams”; KJV “floods.” The verb “cause…to flow” is supplied in the second line for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[48:16]  ²⁵ tn Heb “from the time of its occurring.”

[48:16]  ²⁶ sn The speaker here is not identified specifically, but he is probably Cyrus, the Lord’s “ally” mentioned in vv. 14-15.

[59:21]  ²⁷ tn Or “my covenant with” (so many English versions); NCV “my agreement with.”

[59:21]  sn The Lord promises the repentant (note “to them”) that they and their offspring will possess his spirit and function as his spokesmen. In this regard they follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s special servant. See 42:1; 49:2; 51:16.

[59:21]  ²⁸ tn Heb “from now and on into the future.”

[61:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.

[61:1]  ³⁰ sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).

[61:1]  ³¹ tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”

[61:1]  ³² tn Or “proclaim good news to.”

[61:1]  ³³ tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”