Mazmur 46:9

46:9 He brings an end to wars throughout the earth; ¹ 

he shatters ²  the bow and breaks ³  the spear;

he burns ⁴  the shields with fire. ⁵ 

Yesaya 2:4

2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;

he will settle cases for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares, ⁶ 

and their spears into pruning hooks. ⁷ 

Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,

and they will no longer train for war.

Yehezkiel 39:9-10

39:9 “‘Then those who live in the cities of Israel will go out and use the weapons for kindling ⁸  – the shields, ⁹  bows and arrows, war clubs and spears – they will burn them for seven years. 39:10 They will not need to take ¹⁰  wood from the field or cut down trees from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons. They will take the loot from those who looted them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them, ¹¹  declares the sovereign Lord.

Mikha 4:3

4:3 He will arbitrate ¹²  between many peoples

and settle disputes between many ¹³  distant nations. ¹⁴ 

They will beat their swords into plowshares, ¹⁵ 

and their spears into pruning hooks. ¹⁶ 

Nations will not use weapons ¹⁷  against other nations,

and they will no longer train for war.

Zakharia 9:10

9:10 I will remove ¹⁸  the chariot from Ephraim

and the warhorse from Jerusalem,

and the battle bow will be removed.

Then he will announce peace to the nations.

His dominion will be from sea to sea

and from the Euphrates River ¹⁹  to the ends of the earth.

[46:9]  ¹ tn Heb “[the] one who causes wars to cease unto the end of the earth.” The participle continues the description begun in v. 8b and indicates that this is the Lord’s characteristic activity. Ironically, he brings peace to the earth by devastating the warlike, hostile nations (vv. 8, 9b).

[46:9]  ² tn The verb שָׁבַר (shavar, “break”) appears in the Piel here (see Ps 29:5). In the OT it occurs thirty-six times in the Piel, always with multiple objects (the object is either a collective singular or grammatically plural or dual form). The Piel may highlight the repetition of the pluralative action, or it may suggest an intensification of action, indicating repeated action comprising a whole, perhaps with the nuance “break again and again, break in pieces.” Another option is to understand the form as resultative: “make broken” (see IBHS 404-7 §24.3). The imperfect verbal form carries on and emphasizes the generalizing nature of the description.

[46:9]  ³ tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries along the generalizing emphasis of the preceding imperfect.

[46:9]  ⁴ tn The imperfect verbal form carries on and emphasizes the generalizing nature of the description.

[46:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “wagons he burns with fire.” Some read “chariots” here (cf. NASB), but the Hebrew word refers to wagons or carts, not chariots, elsewhere in the OT. In this context, where military weapons are mentioned, it is better to revocalize the form as עֲגִלוֹת (’agilot, “round shields”), a word which occurs only here in the OT, but is attested in later Hebrew and Aramaic.

[2:4]  ⁶ sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.

[2:4]  ⁷ sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:93; M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle. Breaking weapons and fashioning agricultural implements indicates a transition from fear and stress to peace and security.

[39:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “burn and kindle the weapons.”

[39:9]  ⁹ tn Two different types of shields are specified in the Hebrew text.

[39:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “they will not carry.”

[39:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “loot their looters and plunder their plunderers.”

[4:3]  ¹² tn Or “judge.”

[4:3]  ¹³ tn Or “mighty” (NASB); KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “strong”; TEV “among the great powers.”

[4:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[for many nations] to a distance.”

[4:3]  ¹⁵ sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.

[4:3]  ¹⁶ sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle.

[4:3]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “take up the sword.”

[9:10]  ¹⁸ tc The MT first person pronoun (“I”), which seems to shift the subject too abruptly, becomes 3rd person masculine singular (“he”) in the LXX (הִכְרִית, hikhrit, presupposed for הִכְרַתִּי, hikhratti). However, the Lord is the subject of v. 8, which speaks of his protection of Jerusalem, so it is not surprising that he is the subject in v. 10 as well.

[9:10]  tn Heb “cut off” (so NASB, NRSV; also later in this verse); NAB “banish”; NIV, CEV “take away.”

[9:10]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the river.” The Hebrew expression typically refers to the Euphrates, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.