Yesaya 32:1--37:38
Konteks32:1 Look, a king will promote fairness; 1
officials will promote justice. 2
32:2 Each of them 3 will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from a rainstorm;
like streams of water in a dry region
and like the shade of a large cliff in a parched land.
32:3 Eyes 4 will no longer be blind 5
and ears 6 will be attentive.
32:4 The mind that acts rashly will possess discernment 7
and the tongue that stutters will speak with ease and clarity.
32:5 A fool will no longer be called honorable;
a deceiver will no longer be called principled.
32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; 8
his mind plans out sinful deeds. 9
He commits godless deeds 10
and says misleading things about the Lord;
he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite 11
and gives the thirsty nothing to drink. 12
32:7 A deceiver’s methods are evil; 13
he dreams up evil plans 14
to ruin the poor with lies,
even when the needy are in the right. 15
32:8 An honorable man makes honorable plans;
his honorable character gives him security. 16
get up and listen to me!
You carefree 18 daughters,
pay attention to what I say!
you carefree ones will shake with fear,
for the grape 20 harvest will fail,
and the fruit harvest will not arrive.
32:11 Tremble, you complacent ones!
Shake with fear, you carefree ones!
Strip off your clothes and expose yourselves –
put sackcloth on your waist! 21
32:12 Mourn over the field, 22
over the delightful fields
and the fruitful vine!
32:13 Mourn 23 over the land of my people,
which is overgrown with thorns and briers,
and over all the once-happy houses 24
in the city filled with revelry. 25
32:14 For the fortress is neglected;
the once-crowded 26 city is abandoned.
Hill 27 and watchtower
are permanently uninhabited. 28
Wild donkeys love to go there,
and flocks graze there. 29
32:15 This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven. 30
Then the desert will become an orchard
and the orchard will be considered a forest. 31
32:16 Justice will settle down in the desert
and fairness will live in the orchard. 32
32:17 Fairness will produce peace 33
and result in lasting security. 34
32:18 My people will live in peaceful settlements,
in secure homes,
and in safe, quiet places. 35
32:19 Even if the forest is destroyed 36
and the city is annihilated, 37
32:20 you will be blessed,
you who plant seed by all the banks of the streams, 38
you who let your ox and donkey graze. 39
33:1 The destroyer is as good as dead, 40
you who have not been destroyed!
The deceitful one is as good as dead, 41
the one whom others have not deceived!
When you are through destroying, you will be destroyed;
when you finish 42 deceiving, others will deceive you!
33:2 Lord, be merciful to us! We wait for you.
Give us strength each morning! 43
Deliver us when distress comes. 44
33:3 The nations run away when they hear a loud noise; 45
the nations scatter when you spring into action! 46
33:4 Your plunder 47 disappears as if locusts were eating it; 48
they swarm over it like locusts! 49
indeed, 51 he lives in heaven; 52
he fills Zion with justice and fairness.
33:6 He is your constant source of stability; 53
he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; 54
he gives all this to those who fear him. 55
33:7 Look, ambassadors 56 cry out in the streets;
messengers sent to make peace 57 weep bitterly.
there are no travelers. 59
Treaties are broken, 60
witnesses are despised, 61
human life is treated with disrespect. 62
33:9 The land 63 dries up 64 and withers away;
the forest of Lebanon shrivels up 65 and decays.
Sharon 66 is like the desert; 67
Bashan and Carmel 68 are parched. 69
33:10 “Now I will rise up,” says the Lord.
“Now I will exalt myself;
now I will magnify myself. 70
you give birth to chaff;
your breath is a fire that destroys you. 72
33:12 The nations will be burned to ashes; 73
like thorn bushes that have been cut down, they will be set on fire.
33:13 You who are far away, listen to what I have done!
You who are close by, recognize my strength!”
33:14 Sinners are afraid in Zion;
panic 74 grips the godless. 75
They say, 76 ‘Who among us can coexist with destructive fire?
Who among us can coexist with unquenchable 77 fire?’
33:15 The one who lives 78 uprightly 79
and speaks honestly;
the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures
and rejects a bribe; 80
the one who does not plot violent crimes 81
and does not seek to harm others 82 –
33:16 This is the person who will live in a secure place; 83
he will find safety in the rocky, mountain strongholds; 84
he will have food
and a constant supply of water.
33:17 You will see a king in his splendor; 85
you will see a wide land. 86
33:18 Your mind will recall the terror you experienced, 87
and you will ask yourselves, 88 “Where is the scribe?
Where is the one who weighs the money?
Where is the one who counts the towers?” 89
33:19 You will no longer see a defiant 90 people
whose language you do not comprehend, 91
whose derisive speech you do not understand. 92
33:20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals!
a peaceful settlement,
a tent that stays put; 95
its stakes will never be pulled up;
none of its ropes will snap in two.
33:21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king. 96
Rivers and wide streams will flow through it; 97
no war galley will enter; 98
no large ships will sail through. 99
33:22 For the Lord, our ruler,
the Lord, our commander,
the Lord, our king –
he will deliver us.
33:23 Though at this time your ropes are slack, 100
the mast is not secured, 101
and the sail 102 is not unfurled,
at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot; 103
even the lame will drag off plunder. 104
33:24 No resident of Zion 105 will say, “I am ill”;
the people who live there will have their sin forgiven.
34:1 Come near, you nations, and listen!
Pay attention, you people!
The earth and everything it contains must listen,
the world and everything that lives in it. 106
34:2 For the Lord is angry at all the nations
and furious with all their armies.
He will annihilate them and slaughter them.
34:3 Their slain will be left unburied, 107
their corpses will stink; 108
the hills will soak up their blood. 109
34:4 All the stars in the sky will fade away, 110
the sky will roll up like a scroll;
all its stars will wither,
like a leaf withers and falls from a vine
or a fig withers and falls from a tree. 111
34:5 He says, 112 “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. 113
Look, it now descends on Edom, 114
on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”
34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,
it is covered 115 with fat;
it drips 116 with the blood of young rams and goats
and is covered 117 with the fat of rams’ kidneys.
For the Lord is holding a sacrifice 118 in Bozrah, 119
a bloody 120 slaughter in the land of Edom.
34:7 Wild oxen will be slaughtered 121 along with them,
as well as strong bulls. 122
Their land is drenched with blood,
their soil is covered with fat.
34:8 For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, 123
a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. 124
34:9 Edom’s 125 streams will be turned into pitch
and her soil into brimstone;
her land will become burning pitch.
34:10 Night and day it will burn; 126
its smoke will ascend continually.
Generation after generation it will be a wasteland
and no one will ever pass through it again.
34:11 Owls and wild animals 127 will live there, 128
all kinds of wild birds 129 will settle in it.
The Lord 130 will stretch out over her
the measuring line of ruin
and the plumb line 131 of destruction. 132
34:12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom
and all her officials will disappear. 133
34:13 Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns;
thickets and weeds will grow 134 in her fortified cities.
Jackals will settle there;
ostriches will live there. 135
34:14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; 136
wild goats will bleat to one another. 137
Yes, nocturnal animals 138 will rest there
and make for themselves a nest. 139
34:15 Owls 140 will make nests and lay eggs 141 there;
they will hatch them and protect them. 142
Yes, hawks 143 will gather there,
each with its mate.
34:16 Carefully read the scroll of the Lord! 144
Not one of these creatures will be missing, 145
none will lack a mate. 146
For the Lord has issued the decree, 147
and his own spirit gathers them. 148
34:17 He assigns them their allotment; 149
he measures out their assigned place. 150
They will live there 151 permanently;
they will settle in it through successive generations.
35:1 Let the desert and dry region be happy; 152
let the wilderness 153 rejoice and bloom like a lily!
let it rejoice and shout with delight! 155
It is given the grandeur 156 of Lebanon,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the grandeur of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
35:3 Strengthen the hands that have gone limp,
steady the knees that shake! 157
35:4 Tell those who panic, 158
“Be strong! Do not fear!
Look, your God comes to avenge!
With divine retribution he comes to deliver you.” 159
35:5 Then blind eyes will open,
deaf ears will hear.
35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,
the mute tongue will shout for joy;
for water will flow 160 in the desert,
streams in the wilderness. 161
35:7 The dry soil will become a pool of water,
the parched ground springs of water.
Where jackals once lived and sprawled out,
grass, reeds, and papyrus will grow.
35:8 A thoroughfare will be there –
it will be called the Way of Holiness. 162
The unclean will not travel on it;
it is reserved for those authorized to use it 163 –
fools 164 will not stray into it.
35:9 No lions will be there,
no ferocious wild animals will be on it 165 –
they will not be found there.
Those delivered from bondage will travel on it,
35:10 those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way. 166
They will enter Zion with a happy shout.
Unending joy will crown them, 167
happiness and joy will overwhelm 168 them;
grief and suffering will disappear. 169
36:1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, 170 King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser 171 from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, 172 along with a large army. The chief adviser 173 stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 174 36:3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet him.
36:4 The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence? 175 36:5 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. 176 In whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me? 36:6 Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him! 36:7 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar.’ 36:8 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 36:9 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 177 36:10 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this land to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March up against this land and destroy it!’”’” 178
36:11 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic, 179 for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect 180 in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 36:12 But the chief adviser said, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. 181 His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you!” 182
36:13 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, 183 “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 36:14 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you! 36:15 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 36:16 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. 184 Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 36:17 until I come and take you to a land just like your own – a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 36:18 Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 185 36:19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? 186 Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria 187 from my power? 188 36:20 Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” 189 36:21 They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”
36:22 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief 190 and reported to him what the chief adviser had said. 37:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, 191 he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple. 37:2 Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, 192 clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 37:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: 193 ‘This is a day of distress, insults, 194 and humiliation, 195 as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 196 37:4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. 197 When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. 198 So pray for this remnant that remains.’” 199
37:5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah, 37:6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard – these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me. 200 37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; 201 he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down 202 with a sword in his own land.”’”
37:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. 203 37:9 The king 204 heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia 205 was marching out to fight him. 206 He again sent 207 messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 37:10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 37:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. 208 Do you really think you will be rescued? 209 37:12 Were the nations whom my predecessors 210 destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? 211 37:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair, 212 Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
37:14 Hezekiah took the letter 213 from the messengers and read it. 214 Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. 37:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: 37:16 “O Lord who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! 215 You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky 216 and the earth. 37:17 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! 217 37:18 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations 218 and their lands. 37:19 They have burned the gods of the nations, 219 for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. 220 37:20 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” 221
37:21 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria, 222 37:22 this is what the Lord says about him: 223
“The virgin daughter Zion 224
despises you – she makes fun of you;
daughter Jerusalem
shakes her head after you. 225
37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?
At whom have you shouted
and looked so arrogantly? 226
At the Holy One of Israel! 227
37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, 228
‘With my many chariots I climbed up
the high mountains,
the slopes of Lebanon.
I cut down its tall cedars
and its best evergreens.
I invaded its most remote regions, 229
its thickest woods.
37:25 I dug wells
and drank water. 230
With the soles of my feet I dried up
all the rivers of Egypt.’
37:26 231 Certainly you must have heard! 232
Long ago I worked it out,
in ancient times I planned 233 it,
and now I am bringing it to pass.
The plan is this:
Fortified cities will crash
into heaps of ruins. 234
37:27 Their residents are powerless; 235
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field
or green vegetation. 236
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops 237
when it is scorched by the east wind. 238
37:28 I know where you live
and everything you do
and how you rage against me. 239
37:29 Because you rage against me
and the uproar you create has reached my ears, 240
I will put my hook in your nose, 241
and my bridle between your lips,
and I will lead you back
the way you came.”
37:30 242 “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: 243 This year you will eat what grows wild, 244 and next year 245 what grows on its own. But the year after that 246 you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 247 37:31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. 248
37:32 “For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies 249 will accomplish this.
37:33 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
‘He will not enter this city,
nor will he shoot an arrow here. 250
He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, 251
nor will he build siege works against it.
37:34 He will go back the way he came –
he will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.
37:35 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”’” 252
37:36 The Lord’s messenger 253 went out and killed 185,000 troops 254 in the Assyrian camp. When they 255 got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses! 256 37:37 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. 257 37:38 One day, 258 as he was worshiping 259 in the temple of his god Nisroch, 260 his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. 261 They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.
[32:1] 1 tn Heb “will reign according to fairness.”
[32:1] 2 tn Heb “will rule according to justice.”
[32:2] 3 tn Heb “a man,” but אִישׁ (’ish) probably refers here to “each” of the officials mentioned in the previous verse.
[32:3] 4 tn Heb “Eyes that see.”
[32:3] 5 tn The Hebrew text as vocalized reads literally “will not gaze,” but this is contradictory to the context. The verb form should be revocalized as תְּשֹׁעֶינָה (tÿsho’enah) from שָׁעַע (sha’a’, “be blinded”); see Isa 6:10; 29:9.
[32:3] 6 tn Heb “ears that hear.”
[32:4] 7 tn Heb “the heart of rashness will understand knowledge”; cf. NAB “The flighty will become wise and capable.”
[32:6] 8 tn Or “foolishness,” in a moral-ethical sense. See 9:17.
[32:6] 9 tn Heb “and his heart commits sin”; KJV, ASV “his heart will work iniquity”; NASB “inclines toward wickedness.”
[32:6] 10 tn Heb “in order to do [or “so that he does”] what is godless [or “defiled”].”
[32:6] 11 tn Heb “so that he leaves empty the appetite [or “desire”] of the hungry.”
[32:6] 12 tn Heb “and the drink of the thirsty he causes to fail.”
[32:7] 13 tn Heb “as for a deceiver, his implements [or “weapons”] are evil.”
[32:7] 14 tn Or “he plans evil things”; NIV “he makes up evil schemes.”
[32:7] 15 tn Heb “to ruin the poor with words of falsehood, even when the needy speak what is just.”
[32:8] 16 tn Heb “and he upon honorable things stands.”
[32:9] 17 tn Or “self-assured”; NASB, NRSV “who are at ease.”
[32:9] 18 tn Or “self-confident”; NAB “overconfident.”
[32:10] 19 tn Heb “days upon a year.”
[32:10] 20 tn Or perhaps, “olive.” See 24:13.
[32:11] 21 tn The imperatival forms in v. 11 are problematic. The first (חִרְדוּ, khirdu, “tremble”) is masculine plural in form, though spoken to a feminine plural addressee (שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת, sha’anannot, “complacent ones”). The four imperatival forms that follow (רְגָזָה, rÿgazah, “shake with fear”; פְּשֹׁטָה, pÿshotah, “strip off your clothes”; עֹרָה, ’orah, “expose yourselves”; and חֲגוֹרָה, khagorah, “put on”) all appear to be lengthened (so-called “emphatic”) masculine singular forms, even though they too appear to be spoken to a feminine plural addressee. GKC 131-32 §48.i suggests emending חִרְדוּ (khirdu) to חֲרָדָה (kharadah) and understanding all five imperatives as feminine plural “aramaized” forms.
[32:12] 22 tc The Hebrew text has “over mourning breasts.” The reference to “breasts” would make sense in light of v. 11, which refers to the practice of women baring their breasts as a sign of sorrow (see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:585). However, one expects the preposition עַל (’al) to introduce the source or reason for mourning (see vv. 12b-13a) and the participle סֹפְדִים (sofedim, “mourning”) seems odd modifying “breasts.” The translation above assumes a twofold emendation: (1) שָׁדַיִם (shadayim, “breasts”) is emended to [ם]שָׂדַי (saday[m], “field,” a term that also appears in Isa 56:9). The final mem (ם) would be enclitic in this case, not a plural indicator. (The Hebrew noun שָׂדֶה (sadeh, “field”) forms its plural with an וֹת- [-ot] ending). (2) The plural participle סֹפְדִים is emended to סְפֹדָה (sÿfodah), a lengthened imperatival form, meaning “mourn.” For an overview of various suggestions that have been made for this difficult line, see Oswalt, 586, n. 12).
[32:13] 23 tn “Mourn” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.
[32:13] 24 tn Heb “indeed, over all the houses of joy.” It is not certain if this refers to individual homes or to places where parties and celebrations were held.
[32:13] 25 sn This same phrase is used in 22:2.
[32:14] 26 tn Or “noisy” (NAB, NIV, NCV).
[32:14] 27 tn Hebrew עֹפֶל (’ofel), probably refers here to a specific area within the city of Jerusalem. See HALOT 861 s.v. II עֹפֶל.
[32:14] 28 tn The Hebrew text has בְעַד מְעָרוֹת (vÿ’ad mÿ’arot). The force of בְעַד, which usually means “behind, through, round about,” or “for the benefit of,” is uncertain here. HALOT 616 s.v. *מְעָרָה takes מְעָרוֹת (mÿ’arot) as a homonym of “cave” and define it here as “cleared field.” Despite these lexical problems, the general point of the statement seems clear – the city will be uninhabited.
[32:14] 29 tn Heb “the joy of wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks.”
[32:15] 30 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] 31 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.
[32:16] 32 sn This new era of divine blessing will also include a moral/ethical transformation, as justice and fairness fill the land and replace the social injustice so prevalent in Isaiah’s time.
[32:17] 33 tn Heb “and the product of fairness will be peace.”
[32:17] 34 tn Heb “and the work of fairness [will be] calmness and security forever.”
[32:18] 35 tn Or “in safe resting places”; NAB, NRSV “quiet resting places.”
[32:19] 36 tn Heb “and [?] when the forest descends.” The form וּבָרַד (uvarad) is often understood as an otherwise unattested denominative verb meaning “to hail” (HALOT 154 s.v. I ברד). In this case one might translate, “and it hails when the forest is destroyed” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV). Perhaps the text alludes to a powerful wind and hail storm that knocks down limbs and trees. Some prefer to emend the form to וְיָרַד (vÿyarad), “and it descends,” which provides better, though not perfect, symmetry with the parallel line (cf. NAB). Perhaps וּבָרַד should be dismissed as dittographic. In this case the statement (“when the forest descends”) lacks a finite verb and seems incomplete, but perhaps it is subordinate to v. 20.
[32:19] 37 tn Heb “and in humiliation the city is laid low.”
[32:20] 38 tn Heb “by all the waters.”
[32:20] 39 tn Heb “who set free the foot of the ox and donkey”; NIV “letting your cattle and donkeys range free.”
[32:20] sn This verse seems to anticipate a time when fertile land is available to cultivate and crops are so abundant that the farm animals can be allowed to graze freely.
[33:1] 40 tn Heb “Woe [to] the destroyer.”
[33:1] sn In this context “the destroyer” appears to refer collectively to the hostile nations (vv. 3-4). Assyria would probably have been primary in the minds of the prophet and his audience.
[33:1] 41 tn Heb “and the deceitful one”; NAB, NIV “O traitor”; NRSV “you treacherous one.” In the parallel structure הוֹי (hoy, “woe [to]”) does double duty.
[33:1] 42 tc The form in the Hebrew text appears to derive from an otherwise unattested verb נָלָה (nalah). The translation follows the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa in reading ככלתך, a Piel infinitival form from the verbal root כָּלָה (kalah), meaning “finish.”
[33:2] 43 tn Heb “Be their arm each morning.” “Arm” is a symbol for strength. The mem suffixed to the noun has been traditionally understood as a third person suffix, but this is contrary to the context, where the people speak of themselves in the first person. The mem (מ) is probably enclitic with ellipsis of the pronoun, which can be supplied from the context. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:589, n. 1.
[33:2] 44 tn Heb “[Be] also our deliverance in the time of distress.”
[33:3] 45 tn Heb “at the sound of tumult the nations run away.”
[33:3] 46 tn Heb “because of your exaltation the nations scatter.”
[33:4] 47 tn The pronoun is plural; the statement is addressed to the nations who have stockpiled plunder from their conquests of others.
[33:4] 48 tn Heb “and your plunder is gathered, the gathering of the locust.”
[33:4] 49 tn Heb “like a swarm of locusts swarming on it.”
[33:5] 50 tn Or “elevated”; NCV, NLT “is very great.”
[33:5] 51 tn Or “for” (KJV, NASB, NIV).
[33:5] 52 tn Heb “on high” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “in the heavens.”
[33:6] 53 tn Heb “and he is the stability of your times.”
[33:6] 54 tn Heb “a rich store of deliverance, wisdom, and knowledge.”
[33:6] 55 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord, it is his treasure.”
[33:7] 56 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown. Proposals include “heroes” (cf. KJV, ASV “valiant ones”; NASB, NIV “brave men”); “priests,” “residents [of Jerusalem].” The present translation assumes that the term is synonymous with “messengers of peace,” with which it corresponds in the parallel structure of the verse.
[33:7] 57 tn Heb “messengers of peace,” apparently those responsible for negotiating the agreements that have been broken (see v. 8).
[33:8] 58 tn Or “desolate” (NAB, NASB); NIV, NRSV, NLT “deserted.”
[33:8] 59 tn Heb “the one passing by on the road ceases.”
[33:8] 60 tn Heb “one breaks a treaty”; NAB “Covenants are broken.”
[33:8] 61 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “he despises cities.” The term עָרִים (’arim, “cities”) is probably a corruption of an original עֵדִים (’edim, “[legal] witnesses”), a reading that is preserved in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa. Confusion of dalet (ד) and resh (ר) is a well-attested scribal error.
[33:8] 62 tn Heb “he does not regard human beings.”
[33:9] 63 tn Or “earth” (KJV); NAB “the country.”
[33:9] 64 tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. I אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism. See 24:4.
[33:9] 65 tn Heb “Lebanon is ashamed.” The Hiphil is exhibitive, expressing the idea, “exhibits shame.” In this context the statement alludes to the withering of vegetation.
[33:9] 66 sn Sharon was a fertile plain along the Mediterranean coast. See 35:2.
[33:9] 67 tn Or “the Arabah” (NIV). See 35:1.
[33:9] 68 sn Both of these areas were known for their trees and vegetation. See 2:13; 35:2.
[33:9] 69 tn Heb “shake off [their leaves]” (so ASV, NRSV); NAB “are stripped bare.”
[33:10] 70 tn Or “lift myself up” (KJV); NLT “show my power and might.”
[33:11] 71 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] 72 sn The hostile nations’ plans to destroy God’s people will come to nothing; their hostility will end up being self-destructive.
[33:12] 73 tn Heb “will be a burning to lime.” See Amos 2:1.
[33:14] 74 tn Or “trembling” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “shake with fear.”
[33:14] 75 tn Or “the defiled”; TEV “The sinful people of Zion”; NLT “The sinners in Jerusalem.”
[33:14] 76 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[33:14] 77 tn Or “perpetual”; or “everlasting” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[33:15] 78 tn Heb “walks” (so NASB, NIV).
[33:15] 79 tn Or, possibly, “justly”; NAB “who practices virtue.”
[33:15] 80 tn Heb “[who] shakes off his hands from grabbing hold of a bribe.”
[33:15] 81 tn Heb “[who] shuts his ear from listening to bloodshed.”
[33:15] 82 tn Heb “[who] closes his eyes from seeing evil.”
[33:16] 83 tn Heb “he [in the] exalted places will live.”
[33:16] 84 tn Heb “mountain strongholds, cliffs [will be] his elevated place.”
[33:17] 85 tn Heb “your eyes will see a king in his beauty”; NIV, NRSV “the king.”
[33:17] 86 tn Heb “a land of distances,” i.e., an extensive land.
[33:18] 87 tn Heb “your heart will meditate on terror.”
[33:18] 88 tn The words “and you will ask yourselves” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
[33:18] 89 sn The people refer to various Assyrian officials who were responsible for determining the amount of taxation or tribute Judah must pay to the Assyrian king.
[33:19] 90 tn The Hebrew form נוֹעָז (no’az) is a Niphal participle derived from יָעַז (ya’az, an otherwise unattested verb) or from עָזָז (’azaz, “be strong,” unattested elsewhere in the Niphal). Some prefer to emend the form to לוֹעֵז (lo’ez) which occurs in Ps 114:1 with the meaning “speak a foreign language.” See HALOT 809 s.v. עזז, 533 s.v. לעז. In this case, one might translate “people who speak a foreign language.”
[33:19] 91 tn Heb “a people too deep of lip to hear.” The phrase “deep of lip” must be an idiom meaning “lips that speak words that are unfathomable [i.e., incomprehensible].”
[33:19] 92 tn Heb “derision of tongue there is no understanding.” The Niphal of לָעַג (la’ag) occurs only here. In the Qal and Hiphil the verb means “to deride, mock.” A related noun is used in 28:11.
[33:20] 93 tn Heb “your eyes” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[33:20] 94 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[33:20] 95 tn Or “that does not travel”; NASB “which shall not be folded.”
[33:21] 96 tn Heb “But there [as] a mighty one [will be] the Lord for us.”
[33:21] 97 tn Heb “a place of rivers, streams wide of hands [i.e., on both sides].”
[33:21] 98 tn Heb “a ship of rowing will not go into it.”
[33:21] 99 tn Heb “and a mighty ship will not pass through it.”
[33:23] 100 tn The words “though at this time” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The first half of the verse is addressed to Judah and contrasts the nation’s present weakness with its future prosperity. Judah is compared to a ship that is incapable of sailing.
[33:23] 101 tn Heb “they do not fasten the base of their mast.” On כֵּן (ken, “base”) see BDB 487 s.v. III כֵּן and HALOT 483 s.v. III כֵּן.
[33:23] 102 tn Or perhaps, “flag.”
[33:23] 103 tn Heb “then there will be divided up loot of plunder [in] abundance.”
[33:23] 104 sn Judah’s victory over its enemies will be so thorough there will be more than enough plunder for everyone, even slow-moving lame men who would normally get left out in the rush to gather the loot.
[33:24] 105 tn The words “of Zion” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[34:1] 106 tn Heb “the world and its offspring”; NASB “the world and all that springs from it.”
[34:3] 107 tn Heb “will be cast aside”; NASB, NIV “thrown out.”
[34:3] 108 tn Heb “[as for] their corpses, their stench will arise.”
[34:3] 109 tn Heb “hills will dissolve from their blood.”
[34:4] 110 tc Heb “and all the host of heaven will rot.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa inserts “and the valleys will be split open,” but this reading may be influenced by Mic 1:4. On the other hand, the statement, if original, could have been omitted by homoioarcton, a scribe’s eye jumping from the conjunction prefixed to “the valleys” to the conjunction prefixed to the verb “rot.”
[34:4] 111 tn Heb “like the withering of a leaf from a vine, and like the withering from a fig tree.”
[34:5] 112 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord speaks at this point.
[34:5] 113 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] my sword is drenched in the heavens.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has תראה (“[my sword] appeared [in the heavens]”), but this is apparently an attempt to make sense out of a difficult metaphor. Cf. NIV “My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens.”
[34:5] sn In v. 4 the “host of the heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets, see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13). As in 24:21, they are viewed here as opposing God and being defeated in battle.
[34:5] 114 sn Edom is mentioned here as epitomizing the hostile nations that oppose God.
[34:6] 115 tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.
[34:6] 116 tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:6] 117 tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:6] 118 tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”
[34:6] 119 sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.
[34:6] 120 tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[34:7] 121 tn Heb “will go down”; NAB “shall be struck down.”
[34:7] 122 tn Heb “and bulls along with strong ones.” Perhaps this refers to the leaders.
[34:8] 123 tn Heb “for a day of vengeance [is] for the Lord.”
[34:8] 124 tn Heb “a year of repayment for the strife of Zion.” The translation assumes that רִיב (riv) refers to Edom’s hostility toward Zion. Another option is to understand רִיב (riv) as referring to the Lord’s taking up Zion’s cause. In this case one might translate, “a time when he will repay Edom and vindicate Zion.”
[34:9] 125 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Edom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:10] 126 tn Heb “it will not be extinguished.”
[34:11] 127 tn קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (cf. Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). קִפּוֹד (qippod) may also refer to a type of bird (NAB “hoot owl”; NIV “screech owl”; TEV “ravens”), but some have suggested a rodent may be in view (cf. NCV “small animals”; ASV “porcupine”; NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”).
[34:11] 128 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV).
[34:11] 129 tn The Hebrew text has יַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב (yanshof vÿ’orev). Both the יַנְשׁוֹף (“owl”; see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16) and עֹרֵב (“raven”; Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) were types of wild birds.
[34:11] 130 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:11] 131 tn Heb “stones,” i.e., the stones used in a plumb bob.
[34:11] 132 sn The metaphor in v. 11b emphasizes that God has carefully planned Edom’s demise.
[34:12] 133 tn Heb “will be nothing”; NCV, TEV, NLT “will all be gone.”
[34:13] 134 tn The words “will grow” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:13] 135 tc Heb “and she will be a settlement for wild dogs, a dwelling place for ostriches.” The translation assumes an emendation of חָצִיר (khatsir, “grass”) to חָצֵר (khatser, “settlement”). One of the Qumran scrolls of Isaiah (1QIsaa) supports this emendation (cf. HALOT 344 s.v. II חָצִיר)
[34:14] 136 tn Heb “will meet” (so NIV); NLT “will mingle there.”
[34:14] 137 tn Heb “and a goat will call to its neighbor.”
[34:14] 138 tn The precise meaning of לִּילִית (lilit) is unclear, though in this context the word certainly refers to some type of wild animal or bird. The word appears to be related to לַיְלָה (laylah, “night”). Some interpret it as the name of a female night demon, on the basis of an apparent Akkadian cognate used as the name of a demon. Later Jewish legends also identified Lilith as a demon. Cf. NRSV “Lilith.”
[34:14] 139 tn Heb “and will find for themselves a resting place.”
[34:15] 140 tn Hebrew קִפּוֹז (qippoz) occurs only here; the precise meaning of the word is uncertain.
[34:15] 141 tn For this proposed meaning for Hebrew מָלַט (malat), see HALOT 589 s.v. I מלט.
[34:15] 142 tn Heb “and brood [over them] in her shadow.”
[34:15] 143 tn The precise meaning of דַּיָּה (dayyah) is uncertain, though the term appears to refer to some type of bird of prey, perhaps a vulture.
[34:16] 144 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] 145 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] 146 tn Heb “each its mate they will not lack.”
[34:16] 147 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for a mouth, it has commanded.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and a few medieval
[34:16] 148 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).
[34:17] 149 tn Heb “and he causes the lot to fall for them.” Once again 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).
[34:17] 150 tn Heb “and his hand divides for them with a measuring line.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) now switches to masculine plural, referring to all the animals and birds mentioned in vv. 11-15, some of which were identified with masculine nouns. This signals closure for this portion of the speech, which began in v. 11. The following couplet (v. 17b) forms an inclusio with v. 11a through verbal repetition.
[34:17] 151 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV); NCV “they will own that land forever.”
[35:1] 152 tn The final mem (ם) on the verb יְשֻׂשׂוּם (yÿsusum) is dittographic (note the initial mem on the following noun מִדְבָּר [midbar]). The ambiguous verbal form is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel). The jussive is used rhetorically here, not as a literal command or prayer.
[35:1] 153 tn Or “Arabah” (NASB); NAB, NIV, TEV “desert.”
[35:2] 154 tn The ambiguous verb form תִּפְרַח (tifrakh) is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel).
[35:2] 155 tn Heb “and let it rejoice, yes [with] rejoicing and shouting.” גִּילַת (gilat) may be an archaic feminine nominal form (see GKC 421 §130.b).
[35:2] 156 tn Or “glory” (KJV, NIV, NRSV); also a second time later in this verse.
[35:3] 157 tn Heb “staggering knees”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “feeble knees”; NIV “knees that give way.”
[35:4] 158 tn Heb “Say to the hasty of heart,” i.e., those whose hearts beat quickly from fear.
[35:4] 159 tn The jussive form וְיֹשַׁעֲכֶם (vÿyosha’akhem), which is subordinated to the preceding imperfect with vav conjunctive, indicates purpose.
[35:6] 160 tn Heb “burst forth” (so NAB); KJV “break out.”
[35:6] 161 tn Or “Arabah” (NASB); KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT “desert.”
[35:8] 162 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and there will be there a road and a way, and the Way of Holiness it will be called.” וְדֶרֶךְ (vÿderekh, “and a/the way”) is accidentally duplicated; the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa does not reflect the repetition of the phrase.
[35:8] 163 tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The text reads literally “and it is for them, the one who walks [on the] way.” In this context those authorized to use the Way of Holiness would be morally upright people who are the recipients of God’s deliverance, in contrast to the morally impure and foolish who are excluded from the new covenant community.
[35:8] 164 tn In this context “fools” are those who are morally corrupt, not those with limited intellectual capacity.
[35:9] 165 tn Heb “will go up on it”; TEV “will pass that way.”
[35:10] 166 tn Heb “and the redeemed will walk, the ransomed of the Lord will return.”
[35:10] 167 tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.
[35:10] 168 tn Heb “will overtake” (NIV); NLT “they will be overcome with.”
[35:10] 169 tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee”; KJV “sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
[36:1] 170 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[36:2] 171 sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.
[36:2] 172 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:2] 173 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[36:2] 174 tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[36:4] 175 tn Heb “What is this object of trust in which you are trusting?”
[36:5] 176 tn Heb “you say only a word of lips, counsel and might for battle.” Sennacherib’s message appears to be in broken Hebrew at this point. The phrase “word of lips” refers to mere or empty talk in Prov 14:23.
[36:9] 177 tn Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 8-9 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 6. His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”
[36:10] 178 sn In v. 10 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 7. He claims that Hezekiah has offended the Lord and that the Lord has commissioned Assyria as his instrument of discipline and judgment.
[36:11] 179 sn Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the Assyrian empire.
[36:11] 180 tn Or “in Hebrew” (NIV, NCV, NLT); NAB, NASB “in Judean.”
[36:12] 181 tn Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
[36:12] 182 tn Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.”
[36:12] sn The chief adviser alludes to the horrible reality of siege warfare, when the starving people in the besieged city would resort to eating and drinking anything to stay alive.
[36:13] 183 tn The Hebrew text includes “and he said.”
[36:16] 184 tn Heb “make with me a blessing and come out to me.”
[36:18] 185 tn Heb “Have the gods of the nations rescued, each his land, from the hand of the king of Assyria?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not!”
[36:19] 186 tn The rhetorical questions in v. 34a suggest the answer, “Nowhere, they seem to have disappeared in the face of Assyria’s might.”
[36:19] 187 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[36:19] 188 tn Heb “that they rescued Samaria from my hand?” But this gives the impression that the gods of Sepharvaim were responsible for protecting Samaria, which is obviously not the case. The implied subject of the plural verb “rescued” must be the generic “gods of the nations/lands” (vv. 18, 20).
[36:20] 189 tn Heb “that the Lord might rescue Jerusalem from my hand?” The logic runs as follows: Since no god has ever been able to withstand the Assyrian onslaught, how can the people of Jerusalem possibly think the Lord will rescue them?
[36:22] 190 tn Heb “with their clothes torn”; the words “in grief” have been supplied in the translation to indicate that this was done as a sign of grief and mourning.
[37:1] 191 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[37:2] 192 tn Heb “elders of the priests” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NCV “the older priests”; NRSV, TEV, CEV “the senior priests.”
[37:3] 193 tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him” (cf. NRSV).
[37:3] 194 tn Or “rebuke” (KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “correction.”
[37:3] 195 tn Or “contempt”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “disgrace.”
[37:3] 196 tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”
[37:4] 197 tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”
[37:4] 198 tn Heb “and rebuke the words which the Lord your God hears.”
[37:4] 199 tn Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”
[37:6] 200 tn Heb “by which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me.”
[37:7] 201 tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the Lord’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.
[37:7] 202 tn Heb “cause him to fall” (so KJV, ASV, NAB), that is, “kill him.”
[37:8] 203 tn Heb “and the chief adviser returned and he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.”
[37:9] 204 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:9] 205 tn Heb “Cush” (so NASB); NIV, NCV “the Cushite king of Egypt.”
[37:9] 206 tn Heb “heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, ‘He has come out to fight with you.’”
[37:9] 207 tn The Hebrew text has, “and he heard and he sent,” but the parallel in 2 Kgs 19:9 has וַיָּשָׁב וַיִּשְׁלַח (vayyashav vayyishlakh, “and he returned and he sent”), i.e., “he again sent.”
[37:11] 208 tn Heb “Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, annihilating them.”
[37:11] 209 tn Heb “and will you be rescued?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No, of course not!”
[37:12] 210 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “forefathers”; NCV “ancestors.”
[37:12] 211 tn Heb “Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed rescue them – Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who are in Telassar?”
[37:13] 212 sn Lair was a city located in northeastern Babylon. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 235.
[37:14] 213 tc The Hebrew text has the plural, “letters.” The final mem (ם) may be dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular. If so, one still has to deal with the yod that is part of the plural ending. J. N. Oswalt refers to various commentators who have suggested ways to understand the plural form (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:652).
[37:14] 214 tn In the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:14 the verb has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”).
[37:16] 215 sn Cherubim (singular “cherub”) refers to the images of winged angelic creatures that were above the ark of the covenant.
[37:16] 216 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[37:17] 217 tn Heb “Hear all the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”
[37:18] 218 tn The Hebrew text here has “all the lands,” but the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:17 has “the nations.”
[37:19] 219 tn Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”
[37:19] 220 tn Heb “so they destroyed them” (NASB similar).
[37:20] 221 tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:19 reads, “that you, Lord, are the only God.”
[37:21] 222 tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:20 reads, “That which you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” The verb “I have heard” does not appear in Isa 37:21, where אֲשֶׁר (’asher) probably has a causal sense: “because.”
[37:22] 223 tn Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”
[37:22] 224 sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.
[37:22] 225 sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.
[37:23] 226 tn Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?” Cf. NIV “lifted your eyes in pride”; NRSV “haughtily lifted your eyes.”
[37:23] 227 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[37:24] 228 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[37:24] 229 tn Heb “the height of its extremity”; ASV “its farthest height.”
[37:25] 230 tc The Hebrew text has simply, “I dug and drank water.” But the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:24 has “foreign waters.” זָרִים (zarim, “foreign”) may have accidentally dropped out of the Isaianic text by homoioteleuton (cf. NCV, NIV, NLT). Note that the preceding word, מַיִם (mayim, “water) also ends in mem (ם). The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has “foreign waters” for this line. However, in several other passages the 1QIsaa scroll harmonizes with 2 Kgs 19 against the MT (Isa 36:5; 37:9, 20). Since the addition of “foreign” to this text in Isaiah by a later scribe would be more likely than its deletion, the MT reading should be accepted.
[37:26] 231 tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.
[37:26] 232 tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.
[37:26] 233 tn Heb “formed” (so KJV, ASV).
[37:26] 234 tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.
[37:27] 235 tn Heb “short of hand”; KJV, ASV “of small power”; NASB “short of strength.”
[37:27] 236 tn Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8, 24.
[37:27] 237 tn Heb “[they are] grass on the rooftops.” See the preceding note.
[37:27] 238 tc The Hebrew text has “scorched before the standing grain” (perhaps meaning “before it reaches maturity”), but it is preferable to emend קָמָה (qamah, “standing grain”) to קָדִים (qadim, “east wind”) with the support of 1Q Isaa; cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:657, n. 8.
[37:28] 239 tc Heb “your going out and your coming in and how you have raged against me.” Several scholars have suggested that this line is probably dittographic (note the beginning of the next line). However, most English translations include the statement in question at the end of v. 28 and the beginning of v. 29. Interestingly, the LXX does not have this clause at the end of v. 28 and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa does not have it at the beginning of v. 29. In light of this ambiguous manuscript evidence, it appears best to retain the clause in both verses.
[37:29] 240 tc Heb “and your complacency comes up into my ears.” The parallelism is improved if שַׁאֲנַנְךָ (sha’anankha, “your complacency”) is emended to שְׁאוֹנְךָ (shÿ’onÿkha, “your uproar”). See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 237-38. However, the LXX seems to support the MT and Sennacherib’s cavalier dismissal of Yahweh depicts an arrogant complacency (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:658, n. 10).
[37:29] 241 sn The word-picture has a parallel in Assyrian sculpture. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 238.
[37:30] 242 tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 22-29) ends and the Lord again addresses Hezekiah and the people directly (see v. 21).
[37:30] 243 tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) is a future reminder of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.
[37:30] 244 sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.
[37:30] 245 tn Heb “and in the second year” (so ASV).
[37:30] 246 tn Heb “in the third year” (so KJV, NAB).
[37:30] 247 tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 30b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity.
[37:31] 248 tn Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”
[37:32] 249 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to protect and restore them.
[37:33] 250 tn Heb “there” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). In terms of English style “here” is expected in collocation with “this” in the previous line.
[37:33] 251 tn Heb “[with] a shield” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[37:35] 252 tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”
[37:36] 253 tn Traditionally, “the angel of the Lord” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[37:36] 254 tn The word “troops” is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.
[37:36] 255 tn This refers to the Israelites and/or the rest of the Assyrian army.
[37:36] 256 tn Heb “look, all of them were dead bodies”; NLT “they found corpses everywhere.”
[37:37] 257 tn Heb “and Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned and lived in Nineveh.”
[37:38] 258 sn The assassination of King Sennacherib probably took place in 681
[37:38] 259 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[37:38] 260 sn No such Mesopotamian god is presently known. Perhaps the name Nisroch is a corruption of Nusku.
[37:38] 261 sn Extra-biblical sources also mention the assassination of Sennacherib, though they refer to only one assassin. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 239-40.
