Yesaya 60:7

60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. ¹ 

They will go up on my altar acceptably, ² 

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

Yesaya 63:15

63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice,

from your holy, majestic palace!

Where are your zeal ³  and power?

Do not hold back your tender compassion! ⁴ 

Yesaya 63:18

63:18 For a short time your special ⁵  nation possessed a land, ⁶ 

but then our adversaries knocked down ⁷  your holy sanctuary.

Yesaya 64:11

64:11 Our holy temple, our pride and joy, ⁸ 

the place where our ancestors praised you,

has been burned with fire;

all our prized possessions have been destroyed. ⁹ 

[60:7]  ¹ 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]  ² 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 1QIsa^a 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).

[63:15]  ³ tn This probably refers to his zeal for his people, which motivates him to angrily strike out against their enemies.

[63:15]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “the agitation of your intestines and your compassion to me they are held back.” The phrase “agitation of your intestines” is metonymic, referring to the way in which one’s nervous system reacts when one feels pity and compassion toward another. אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) is awkward in this context, where the speaker represents the nation and, following the introduction (see v. 7), utilizes first person plural forms. The translation assumes an emendation to the negative particle אַל (’al). This also necessitates emending the following verb form (which is a plural perfect) to a singular jussive (תִתְאַפָּק, tit’appaq). The Hitpael of אָפַק (’afaq) also occurs in 42:14.

[63:18]  ⁵ tn Or “holy” (ASV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[63:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “for a short time they had a possession, the people of your holiness.”

[63:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “your adversaries trampled on.”

[64:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “our source of pride.”

[64:11]  ⁹ tn Or “all that we valued has become a ruin.”