Yesaya 1:5

1:5 ¹ Why do you insist on being battered?

Why do you continue to rebel? ² 

Your head has a massive wound, ³ 

your whole body is weak. ⁴ 

Yesaya 1:13

1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless ⁵  offerings;

I consider your incense detestable! ⁶ 

You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,

but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations! ⁷ 

Yesaya 5:19

5:19 They say, “Let him hurry, let him act quickly, ⁸ 

so we can see;

let the plan of the Holy One of Israel ⁹  take shape ¹⁰  and come to pass,

then we will know it!”

Yesaya 5:29

5:29 Their roar is like a lion’s;

they roar like young lions.

They growl and seize their prey;

they drag it away and no one can come to the rescue.

Yesaya 7:11

7:11 “Ask for a confirming sign from the Lord your God. You can even ask for something miraculous.” ¹¹ 

Yesaya 7:21

7:21 At that time ¹²  a man will keep alive a young cow from the herd and a couple of goats.

Yesaya 9:13

9:13 The people did not return to the one who struck them,

they did not seek reconciliation ¹³  with the Lord who commands armies.

Yesaya 9:20

9:20 They devoured ¹⁴  on the right, but were still hungry,

they ate on the left, but were not satisfied.

People even ate ¹⁵  the flesh of their own arm! ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 10:17

10:17 The light of Israel ¹⁷  will become a fire,

their Holy One ¹⁸  will become a flame;

it will burn and consume the Assyrian king’s ¹⁹  briers

and his thorns in one day.

Yesaya 15:1

The Lord Will Judge Moab

15:1 Here is a message about Moab:

Indeed, in a night it is devastated,

Ar of Moab is destroyed!

Indeed, in a night it is devastated,

Kir of Moab is destroyed!

Yesaya 16:12

16:12 When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, ²⁰ 

and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective! ²¹ 

Yesaya 19:17

19:17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord who commands armies is planning to do to them. ²² 

Yesaya 23:7

23:7 Is this really your boisterous city ²³ 

whose origins are in the distant past, ²⁴ 

and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside?

Yesaya 24:13

24:13 This is what will happen throughout ²⁵  the earth,

among the nations.

It will be like when they beat an olive tree,

and just a few olives are left at the end of the harvest. ²⁶ 

Yesaya 24:16

24:16 From the ends of the earth we ²⁷  hear songs –

the Just One is majestic. ²⁸ 

But I ²⁹  say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!

Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” ³⁰ 

Yesaya 27:8

27:8 When you summon her for divorce, you prosecute her; ³¹ 

he drives her away ³²  with his strong wind in the day of the east wind. ³³ 

Yesaya 28:19

28:19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you;

indeed, ³⁴  every morning it will sweep by,

it will come through during the day and the night.” ³⁵ 

When this announcement is understood,

it will cause nothing but terror.

Yesaya 29:5

29:5 But the horde of invaders will be like fine dust,

the horde of tyrants ³⁶  like chaff that is blown away.

It will happen suddenly, in a flash.

Yesaya 30:13

30:13 So this sin will become your downfall.

You will be like a high wall

that bulges and cracks and is ready to collapse;

it crumbles suddenly, in a flash. ³⁷ 

Yesaya 33:18

33:18 Your mind will recall the terror you experienced, ³⁸ 

and you will ask yourselves, ³⁹  “Where is the scribe?

Where is the one who weighs the money?

Where is the one who counts the towers?” ⁴⁰ 

Yesaya 34:14-15

34:14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; ⁴¹ 

wild goats will bleat to one another. ⁴² 

Yes, nocturnal animals ⁴³  will rest there

and make for themselves a nest. ⁴⁴ 

34:15 Owls ⁴⁵  will make nests and lay eggs ⁴⁶  there;

they will hatch them and protect them. ⁴⁷ 

Yes, hawks ⁴⁸  will gather there,

each with its mate.

Yesaya 37:16

37:16 “O Lord who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! ⁴⁹  You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky ⁵⁰  and the earth.

Yesaya 40:22

40:22 He is the one who sits on the earth’s horizon; ⁵¹ 

its inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him. ⁵² 

He is the one who stretches out the sky like a thin curtain, ⁵³ 

and spreads it out ⁵⁴  like a pitched tent. ⁵⁵ 

Yesaya 42:14

42:14 “I have been inactive ⁵⁶  for a long time;

I kept quiet and held back.

Like a woman in labor I groan;

I pant and gasp. ⁵⁷ 

Yesaya 45:24

45:24 they will say about me,

“Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” ⁵⁸ 

All who are angry at him will cower before him. ⁵⁹ 

Yesaya 47:9

47:9 Both of these will come upon you

suddenly, in one day!

You will lose your children and be widowed. ⁶⁰ 

You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, ⁶¹ 

despite ⁶²  your many incantations

and your numerous amulets. ⁶³ 

Yesaya 51:2

51:2 Look at Abraham, your father,

and Sarah, who gave you birth. ⁶⁴ 

When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, ⁶⁵ 

but I blessed him ⁶⁶  and gave him numerous descendants. ⁶⁷ 

Yesaya 57:17

57:17 I was angry because of their sinful greed;

I attacked them and angrily rejected them, ⁶⁸ 

yet they remained disobedient and stubborn. ⁶⁹ 

Yesaya 62:1

The Lord Takes Delight in Zion

62:1 “For the sake of Zion I will not be silent;

for the sake of Jerusalem ⁷⁰  I will not be quiet,

until her vindication shines brightly ⁷¹ 

and her deliverance burns like a torch.”

[1:5]  ¹ sn In vv. 5-9 Isaiah addresses the battered nation (5-8) and speaks as their representative (9).

[1:5]  ² tn Heb “Why are you still beaten? [Why] do you continue rebellion?” The rhetorical questions express the prophet’s disbelief over Israel’s apparent masochism and obsession with sin. The interrogative construction in the first line does double duty in the parallelism. H. Wildberger (Isaiah, 1:18) offers another alternative by translating the two statements with one question: “Why do you still wish to be struck that you persist in revolt?”

[1:5]  ³ tn Heb “all the head is ill”; NRSV “the whole head is sick”; CEV “Your head is badly bruised.”

[1:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “and all the heart is faint.” The “heart” here stands for bodily strength and energy, as suggested by the context and usage elsewhere (see Jer 8:18; Lam 1:22).

[1:13]  ⁵ tn Or “worthless” (NASB, NCV, CEV); KJV, ASV “vain.”

[1:13]  ⁶ sn Notice some of the other practices that Yahweh regards as “detestable”: homosexuality (Lev 18:22-30; 20:13), idolatry (Deut 7:25; 13:15), human sacrifice (Deut 12:31), eating ritually unclean animals (Deut 14:3-8), sacrificing defective animals (Deut 17:1), engaging in occult activities (Deut 18:9-14), and practicing ritual prostitution (1 Kgs 14:23).

[1:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “sin and assembly” (these two nouns probably represent a hendiadys). The point is that their attempts at worship are unacceptable to God because the people’s everyday actions in the socio-economic realm prove they have no genuine devotion to God (see vv. 16-17).

[5:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “let his work hurry, let it hasten.” The pronoun “his” refers to God, as the parallel line makes clear. The reference to his “work” alludes back to v. 12, which refers to his ‘work” of judgment. With these words the people challenged the prophet’s warning of approaching judgment. They were in essence saying that they saw no evidence that God was about to work in such a way.

[5:19]  ⁹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[5:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “draw near” (so NASB); NRSV “hasten to fulfillment.”

[7:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Make it as deep as Sheol or make it high upwards.” These words suggest that Ahaz can feel free to go beyond the bounds of ordinary human experience.

[7:21]  ¹² tn Heb “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[9:13]  ¹³ tn This verse describes the people’s response to the judgment described in vv. 11-12. The perfects are understood as indicating simple past.

[9:20]  ¹⁴ tn Or “cut.” The verb גָּזַר (gazar) means “to cut.” If it is understood here, then one might paraphrase, “They slice off meat on the right.” However, HALOT 187 s.v. I גזר, proposes here a rare homonym meaning “to devour.”

[9:20]  ¹⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite without vav consecutive or an imperfect used in a customary sense, describing continual or repeated behavior in past time.

[9:20]  ¹⁶ tn Some suggest that זְרֹעוֹ (zÿro’o, “his arm”) be repointed זַרְעוֹ (zar’o, “his offspring”). In either case, the metaphor is that of a desperately hungry man who resorts to an almost unthinkable act to satisfy his appetite. He eats everything he can find to his right, but still being unsatisfied, then turns to his left and eats everything he can find there. Still being desperate for food, he then resorts to eating his own flesh (or offspring, as this phrase is metaphorically understood by some English versions, e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT). The reality behind the metaphor is the political turmoil of the period, as the next verse explains. There was civil strife within the northern kingdom; even the descendants of Joseph were at each other’s throats. Then the northern kingdom turned on their southern brother, Judah.

[10:17]  ¹⁷ tn In this context the “Light of Israel” is a divine title (note the parallel title “his holy one”). The title points to God’s royal splendor, which overshadows and, when transformed into fire, destroys the “majestic glory” of the king of Assyria (v. 16b).

[10:17]  ¹⁸ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[10:17]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “his.” In vv. 17-19 the Assyrian king and his empire is compared to a great forest and orchard that are destroyed by fire (symbolic of the Lord).

[16:12]  ²⁰ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[16:12]  ²¹ tn Heb “when he appears, when he grows tired, Moab on the high places, and enters his temple to pray, he will not prevail.” It is possible that “when he grows tired” is an explanatory gloss for the preceding “when he appears.”

[19:17]  ²² tn Heb “and the land of Judah will become [a source of] shame to Egypt, everyone to whom one mentions it [i.e., the land of Judah] will fear because of the plan of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] which he is planning against him.”

[23:7]  ²³ tn Heb “Is this to you, boisterous one?” The pronoun “you” is masculine plural, like the imperatives in v. 6, so it is likely addressed to the Egyptians and residents of the coast. “Boisterous one” is a feminine singular form, probably referring to the personified city of Tyre.

[23:7]  ²⁴ tn Heb “in the days of antiquity [is] her beginning.”

[24:13]  ²⁵ tn Heb “in the midst of” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[24:13]  ²⁶ sn The judgment will severely reduce the earth’s population. See v. 6.

[24:16]  ²⁷ sn The identity of the subject is unclear. Apparently in vv. 15-16a an unidentified group responds to the praise they hear in the west by exhorting others to participate.

[24:16]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Beauty belongs to the just one.” These words may summarize the main theme of the songs mentioned in the preceding line.

[24:16]  ²⁹ sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.

[24:16]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and [with] deception deceivers deceive.”

[24:16]  tn Verse 16b is a classic example of Hebrew wordplay. In the first line (“I’m wasting away…”) four consecutive words end with hireq yod ( ִי); in the second line all forms are derived from the root בָּגַד (bagad). The repetition of sound draws attention to the prophet’s lament.

[27:8]  ³¹ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “in [?], in sending her away, you oppose her.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. The form בְּסַאסְּאָה (bÿsa’ssÿ’ah) is taken as an infinitive from סַאסְּאָה (sa’ssÿ’ah) with a prepositional prefix and a third feminine singular suffix. (The MT does not have a mappiq in the final he [ה], however). According to HALOT 738 s.v. סַאסְּאָה the verb is a Palpel form from an otherwise unattested root cognate with an Arabic verb meaning “to gather beasts with a call.” Perhaps it means “to call, summon” here, but this is a very tentative proposal. בְּשַׁלְחָהּ (bÿshalkhah, “in sending her away”) appears to be a Piel infinitive with a prepositional prefix and a third feminine singular suffix. Since the Piel of שָׁלָח (shalakh) can sometimes mean “divorce” (HALOT 1514-15 s.v.) and the following verb רִיב (riv, “oppose”) can be used in legal contexts, it is possible that divorce proceedings are alluded to here. This may explain why Israel is referred to as feminine in this verse, in contrast to the masculine forms used in vv. 6-7 and 9.

[27:8]  ³² tn The Hebrew text has no object expressed, but one can understand a third feminine singular pronominal object and place a mappiq in the final he (ה) of the form to indicate the suffix.

[27:8]  ³³ sn The “east wind” here symbolizes violent divine judgment.

[28:19]  ³⁴ tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[28:19]  ³⁵ tn The words “it will come through” are supplied in the translation. The verb “will sweep by” does double duty in the parallel structure.

[29:5]  ³⁶ tn Or “violent men”; cf. NASB “the ruthless ones.”

[30:13]  ³⁷ tn The verse reads literally, “So this sin will become for you like a breach ready to fall, bulging on a high wall, the breaking of which comes suddenly, in a flash.” Their sin produces guilt and will result in judgment. Like a wall that collapses their fall will be swift and sudden.

[33:18]  ³⁸ tn Heb “your heart will meditate on terror.”

[33:18]  ³⁹ tn The words “and you will ask yourselves” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.

[33:18]  ⁴⁰ 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.

[34:14]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “will meet” (so NIV); NLT “will mingle there.”

[34:14]  ⁴² tn Heb “and a goat will call to its neighbor.”

[34:14]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and will find for themselves a resting place.”

[34:15]  ⁴⁵ tn Hebrew קִפּוֹז (qippoz) occurs only here; the precise meaning of the word is uncertain.

[34:15]  ⁴⁶ tn For this proposed meaning for Hebrew מָלַט (malat), see HALOT 589 s.v. I מלט.

[34:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “and brood [over them] in her shadow.”

[34:15]  ⁴⁸ 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.

[37:16]  ⁴⁹ sn Cherubim (singular “cherub”) refers to the images of winged angelic creatures that were above the ark of the covenant.

[37:16]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[40:22]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “the circle of the earth” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[40:22]  ⁵² tn The words “before him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[40:22]  ⁵³ tn The otherwise unattested noun דֹּק (doq), translated here “thin curtain,” is apparently derived from the verbal root דקק (“crush”) from which is derived the adjective דַּק (daq, “thin”; see HALOT 229 s.v. דקק). The nuance “curtain” is implied from the parallelism (see “tent” in the next line).

[40:22]  ⁵⁴ tn The meaning of the otherwise unattested verb מָתַח (matakh, “spread out”) is determined from the parallelism (note the corresponding verb “stretch out” in the previous line) and supported by later Hebrew and Aramaic cognates. See HALOT 654 s.v. *מתה.

[40:22]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “like a tent [in which] to live”; NAB, NASB “like a tent to dwell (live NIV, NRSV) in.”

[42:14]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “silent” (so NASB, NIV, TEV, NLT); CEV “have held my temper.”

[42:14]  ⁵⁷ sn The imagery depicts the Lord as a warrior who is eager to fight and can no longer hold himself back from the attack.

[45:24]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “‘Yes, in the Lord,’ one says about me, ‘is deliverance and strength.’”

[45:24]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “will come to him and be ashamed.”

[47:9]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.

[47:9]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”

[47:9]  ⁶² tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.

[47:9]  ⁶³ sn Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.

[51:2]  ⁶⁴ sn Although Abraham and Sarah are distant ancestors of the people the prophet is addressing, they are spoken of as the immediate parents.

[51:2]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “one”; NLT “was alone”; TEV “was childless.”

[51:2]  ⁶⁶ tn “Bless” may here carry the sense of “endue with potency, reproductive power.” See Gen 1:28.

[51:2]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “and I made him numerous.”

[57:17]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “and I struck him, hiding, and I was angry.” פָּנַיִם (panayim, “face”) is the implied object of “hiding.”

[57:17]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “and he walked [as an] apostate in the way of his heart.”

[62:1]  ⁷⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[62:1]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “goes forth like brightness.”