Yesaya 13:6
Konteks13:6 Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment 1 is near;
it comes with all the destructive power of the sovereign judge. 2
Yesaya 34:6
Konteks34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,
it is covered 3 with fat;
it drips 4 with the blood of young rams and goats
and is covered 5 with the fat of rams’ kidneys.
For the Lord is holding a sacrifice 6 in Bozrah, 7
a bloody 8 slaughter in the land of Edom.
Yesaya 34:8
Konteks34:8 For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, 9
a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. 10
Yesaya 61:2
Konteks61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,
the day when our God will seek vengeance, 11
to console all who mourn,
Yesaya 63:4
Konteks63:4 For I looked forward to the day of vengeance,
and then payback time arrived. 12
[13:6] 1 tn Heb “the day of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB).
[13:6] 2 tn Heb “like destruction from the sovereign judge it comes.” The comparative preposition (כְּ, kÿ) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the destruction unleashed will have all the earmarks of divine judgment. One could paraphrase, “it comes as only destructive divine judgment can.” On this use of the preposition in general, see GKC 376 §118.x.
[13:6] sn The divine name used here is שַׁדַּי (shaddai, “Shaddai”). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the sovereign king/judge of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name is uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appears to Abram, introduces himself as El Shaddai, and announces his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeats these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing upon Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prays that his sons will be treated with mercy when they return to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (cf. 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, tells him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (cf. chapter 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob refers to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew
[34:6] 3 tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.
[34:6] 4 tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:6] 5 tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:6] 6 tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”
[34:6] 7 sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.
[34:6] 8 tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[34:8] 9 tn Heb “for a day of vengeance [is] for the Lord.”
[34:8] 10 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.”
[61:2] 11 tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.
[63:4] 12 tn Heb “for the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my revenge came.” The term גְּאוּלַי (gÿ’ulai) is sometimes translated here “my redemption,” for the verbal root גאל often means “deliver, buy back.” A גֹּאֵל (go’el, “kinsman-redeemer”) was responsible for protecting the extended family’s interests, often by redeeming property that had been sold outside the family. However, the responsibilities of a גֹּאֵל extended beyond financial concerns. He was also responsible for avenging the shed blood of a family member (see Num 35:19-27; Deut 19:6-12). In Isa 63:4, where vengeance is a prominent theme (note the previous line), it is probably this function of the family protector that is in view. The Lord pictures himself as a blood avenger who waits for the day of vengeance to arrive and then springs into action.