Yesaya 14:17

14:17 Is this the one who made the world like a desert,

who ruined its ¹  cities,

and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”’ ² 

Yesaya 23:11

23:11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea, ³ 

he shook kingdoms;

he ⁴  gave the order

to destroy Canaan’s fortresses. ⁵ 

Yesaya 24:1

The Lord Will Judge the Earth

24:1 Look, the Lord is ready to devastate the earth

and leave it in ruins;

he will mar its surface

and scatter its inhabitants.

Yesaya 29:20

29:20 For tyrants will disappear,

those who taunt will vanish,

and all those who love to do wrong will be eliminated ⁶  –

Yesaya 33:11

33:11 You conceive straw, ⁷ 

you give birth to chaff;

your breath is a fire that destroys you. ⁸ 

[14:17]  ¹ tc The pronominal suffix is masculine, even though its antecedent appears to be the grammatically feminine noun “world.” Some have suggested that the form עָרָיו (’arayv, plural noun with third masculine singular suffix) should be emended to עָרֶיהָ (’areha, plural noun with third feminine singular suffix). This emendation may be unnecessary in light of other examples of lack of agreement a suffix and its antecedent noun.

[14:17]  ² tn Heb “and his prisoners did not let loose to [their] homes.” This really means, “he did not let loose his prisoners and send them back to their homes.’ On the elliptical style, see GKC 366 §117.o.

[23:11]  ³ tn Heb “his hand he stretched out over the sea.”

[23:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.

[23:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “concerning Canaan, to destroy her fortresses.” NIV, NLT translate “Canaan” as “Phoenicia” here.

[29:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “and all the watchers of wrong will be cut off.”

[33:11]  ⁷ tn The second person verb and pronominal forms in this verse are plural. The hostile nations are the addressed, as the next verse makes clear.

[33:11]  ⁸ sn The hostile nations’ plans to destroy God’s people will come to nothing; their hostility will end up being self-destructive.