Yesaya 2:12-17

2:12 Indeed, the Lord who commands armies has planned a day of judgment, ¹ 

for ²  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; ³ 

2:14 for all the tall mountains,

for all the high hills, ⁴ 

2:15 for every high tower,

for every fortified wall,

2:16 for all the large ships, ⁵ 

for all the impressive ⁶  ships. ⁷ 

2:17 Proud men will be humiliated,

arrogant men will be brought low; ⁸ 

the Lord alone will be exalted ⁹ 

in that day.

Yesaya 5:24

5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire ¹⁰  devours straw,

and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,

so their root will rot,

and their flower will blow away like dust. ¹¹ 

For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,

they have spurned the commands ¹²  of the Holy One of Israel. ¹³ 

Yesaya 40:24

40:24 Indeed, they are barely planted;

yes, they are barely sown;

yes, they barely take root in the earth,

and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up,

and the wind carries them away like straw.

Yesaya 41:2

41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? ¹⁴ 

Who ¹⁵  officially commissions him for service? ¹⁶ 

He hands nations over to him, ¹⁷ 

and enables him to subdue ¹⁸  kings.

He makes them like dust with his sword,

like windblown straw with his bow. ¹⁹ 

Yesaya 47:14

47:14 Look, they are like straw,

which the fire burns up;

they cannot rescue themselves

from the heat ²⁰  of the flames.

There are no coals to warm them,

no firelight to enjoy. ²¹ 

[2:12]  ¹ tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] has a day.”

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

[2:13]  ³ 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]  ⁴ sn The high mountains and hills symbolize the apparent security of proud men, as do the high tower and fortified wall of v. 15.

[2:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.

[2:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “desirable”; NAB, NIV “stately”; NRSV “beautiful.”

[2:16]  ⁷ tn On the meaning of this word, which appears only here in the Hebrew Bible, see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 41-42.

[2:16]  sn The ships mentioned in this verse were the best of their class, and therefore an apt metaphor for the proud men being denounced in this speech.

[2:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “and the pride of men will be brought down, and the arrogance of men will be brought low.” As in v. 11, the repetition of the verbs שָׁפַל (shafal) and שָׁחָח (shakhakh) from v. 9 draws attention to the appropriate nature of the judgment. Those proud men who “bow low” before idols will be forced to “bow low” before God when he judges their sin.

[2:17]  ⁹ tn Or “elevated”; NCV “praised”; CEV “honored.”

[5:24]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a tongue of fire” (so NASB), referring to a tongue-shaped flame.

[5:24]  ¹¹ sn They are compared to a flowering plant that withers quickly in a hot, arid climate.

[5:24]  ¹² tn Heb “the word.”

[5:24]  ¹³ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[41:2]  ¹⁴ sn The expression this one from the east refers to the Persian conqueror Cyrus, as later texts indicate (see 44:28-45:6; 46:11; 48:14-16).

[41:2]  ¹⁵ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis.

[41:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[in] righteousness called him to his foot.”

[41:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “he [the Lord] places before him [Cyrus] nations.”

[41:2]  ¹⁸ tn The verb יַרְדְּ (yardÿ) is an otherwise unattested Hiphil form from רָדָה (radah, “rule”). But the Hiphil makes no sense with “kings” as object; one must understand an ellipsis and supply “him” (Cyrus) as the object. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has יוֹרִד (yorid), which appears to be a Hiphil form from יָרַד (yarad, “go down”). Others suggest reading יָרֹד (yarod), a Qal form from רָדַד (radad, “beat down”).

[41:2]  ¹⁹ sn The point is that they are powerless before Cyrus’ military power and scatter before him.

[47:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “hand,” here a metaphor for the strength or power of the flames.

[47:14]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “there is no coal [for?] their food, light to sit before it.” Some emend לַחְמָם (lakhmam, “their food”) to לְחֻמָּם (lÿkhummam, “to warm them”; see HALOT 328 s.v. חמם). This statement may allude to Isa 44:16, where idolaters are depicted warming themselves over a fire made from wood, part of which was used to form idols. The fire of divine judgment will be no such campfire; its flames will devour and destroy.