Yesaya 21:1--25:12
Konteks21:1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: 1
Like strong winds blowing in the south, 2
one invades from the desert,
from a land that is feared.
21:2 I have received a distressing message: 3
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning!” 4
21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; 5
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed 6 by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
I shake in fear; 8
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
21:5 Arrange the table,
lay out 9 the carpet,
eat and drink! 10
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields! 11
21:6 For this is what the sovereign master 12 has told me:
“Go, post a guard!
He must report what he sees.
21:7 When he sees chariots,
teams of horses, 13
riders on donkeys,
riders on camels,
he must be alert,
very alert.”
21:8 Then the guard 14 cries out:
“On the watchtower, O sovereign master, 15
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
21:9 Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.” 16
When questioned, he replies, 17
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
21:10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor, 18
what I have heard
from the Lord who commands armies,
the God of Israel,
I have reported to you.
21:11 Here is a message about Dumah: 19
Someone calls to me from Seir, 20
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?” 21
21:12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but then night. 22
If you want to ask, ask;
come back again.” 23
21:13 Here is a message about Arabia:
In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,
you Dedanite caravans.
21:14 Bring out some water for the thirsty.
You who live in the land of Tema,
bring some food for the fugitives.
21:15 For they flee from the swords –
from the drawn sword
and from the battle-ready bow
and from the severity of the battle.
21:16 For this is what the sovereign master 24 has told me: “Within exactly one year 25 all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 21:17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.” 26 Indeed, 27 the Lord God of Israel has spoken.
22:1 Here is a message about the Valley of Vision: 28
What is the reason 29
that all of you go up to the rooftops?
22:2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds;
the town is filled with revelry. 30
Your slain were not cut down by the sword;
they did not die in battle. 31
22:3 32 All your leaders ran away together –
they fled to a distant place;
all your refugees 33 were captured together –
they were captured without a single arrow being shot. 34
22:4 So I say:
“Don’t look at me! 35
I am weeping bitterly.
Don’t try 36 to console me
concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.” 37
22:5 For the sovereign master, 38 the Lord who commands armies,
has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion. 39
In the Valley of Vision 40 people shout 41
and cry out to the hill. 42
22:6 The Elamites picked up the quiver,
and came with chariots and horsemen; 43
the men of Kir 44 prepared 45 the shield. 46
22:7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots; 47
horsemen confidently took their positions 48 at the gate.
22:8 They 49 removed the defenses 50 of Judah.
At that time 51 you looked
for the weapons in the House of the Forest. 52
22:9 You saw the many breaks
in the walls of the city of David; 53
you stored up water in the lower pool.
22:10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem, 54
and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall. 55
22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the old pool –
but you did not trust in 56 the one who made it; 57
you did not depend on 58 the one who formed it long ago!
22:12 At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning,
for shaved heads and sackcloth. 59
22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! 60
You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,
eat meat and drink wine.
Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 61
22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: 62 “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” 63 says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.
22:15 This is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says:
“Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, 64 and tell him: 65
22:16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? 66
Why 67 do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here?
He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place,
he carves out his tomb on a cliff.
22:17 Look, the Lord will throw you far away, 68 you mere man! 69
He will wrap you up tightly. 70
22:18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball
and throw you into a wide, open land. 71
There you will die,
and there with you will be your impressive chariots, 72
which bring disgrace to the house of your master. 73
22:19 I will remove you from 74 your office;
you will be thrown down 75 from your position.
22:20 “At that time 76 I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. 22:21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. 77 He will become a protector of 78 the residents of Jerusalem and of the people 79 of Judah. 22:22 I will place the key 80 to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. 22:23 I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place; 81 he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family. 82 22:24 His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him, 83 including the offspring and the offshoots. 84 All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars will hang from this peg.’ 85
22:25 “At that time,” 86 says the Lord who commands armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.” 87 Indeed, 88 the Lord has spoken.
23:1 Here is a message about Tyre:
Wail, you large ships, 89
for the port is too devastated to enter! 90
From the land of Cyprus 91 this news is announced to them.
23:2 Lament, 92 you residents of the coast,
you merchants of Sidon 93 who travel over the sea,
whose agents sail over 23:3 the deep waters! 94
Grain from the Shihor region, 95
crops grown near the Nile 96 she receives; 97
she is the trade center 98 of the nations.
23:4 Be ashamed, O Sidon,
for the sea 99 says this, O fortress of the sea:
“I have not gone into labor
or given birth;
I have not raised young men
or brought up young women.” 100
23:5 When the news reaches Egypt,
they will be shaken by what has happened to Tyre. 101
23:6 Travel to Tarshish!
Wail, you residents of the coast!
23:7 Is this really your boisterous city 102
whose origins are in the distant past, 103
and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside?
23:8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, 104
whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are the dignitaries 105 of the earth?
23:9 The Lord who commands armies planned it –
to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty, 106
to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.
23:10 Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile;
there is no longer any marketplace in Tyre. 107
23:11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea, 108
he shook kingdoms;
he 109 gave the order
to destroy Canaan’s fortresses. 110
23:12 He said,
“You will no longer celebrate,
oppressed 111 virgin daughter Sidon!
Get up, travel to Cyprus,
but you will find no relief there.” 112
23:13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans,
these people who have lost their identity! 113
The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals.
They erected their siege towers, 114
demolished 115 its fortresses,
and turned it into a heap of ruins. 116
23:14 Wail, you large ships, 117
for your fortress is destroyed!
23:15 At that time 118 Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, 119 the typical life span of a king. 120 At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song: 121
23:16 “Take the harp,
go through the city,
forgotten prostitute!
Play it well,
play lots of songs,
so you’ll be noticed!” 122
23:17 At the end of seventy years 123 the Lord will revive 124 Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms. 125 23:18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes. 126
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.
24:2 Everyone will suffer – the priest as well as the people, 127
the master as well as the servant, 128
the elegant lady as well as the female attendant, 129
the seller as well as the buyer, 130
the borrower as well as the lender, 131
the creditor as well as the debtor. 132
24:3 The earth will be completely devastated
and thoroughly ransacked.
For the Lord has decreed this judgment. 133
24:4 The earth 134 dries up 135 and withers,
the world shrivels up and withers;
the prominent people of the earth 136 fade away.
24:5 The earth is defiled by 137 its inhabitants, 138
for they have violated laws,
disregarded the regulation, 139
and broken the permanent treaty. 140
24:6 So a treaty curse 141 devours the earth;
its inhabitants pay for their guilt. 142
This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear, 143
and are reduced to just a handful of people. 144
24:7 The new wine dries up,
the vines shrivel up,
all those who like to celebrate 145 groan.
24:8 The happy sound 146 of the tambourines stops,
the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt,
the happy sound of the harp ceases.
24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; 147
the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.
24:10 The ruined town 148 is shattered;
all of the houses are shut up tight. 149
24:11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; 150
all joy turns to sorrow; 151
celebrations disappear from the earth. 152
24:12 The city is left in ruins; 153
the gate is reduced to rubble. 154
24:13 This is what will happen throughout 155 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. 156
24:14 They 157 lift their voices and shout joyfully;
they praise 158 the majesty of the Lord in the west.
24:15 So in the east 159 extol the Lord,
along the seacoasts extol 160 the fame 161 of the Lord God of Israel.
24:16 From the ends of the earth we 162 hear songs –
the Just One is majestic. 163
But I 164 say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!
Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” 165
24:17 Terror, pit, and snare
are ready to overtake you inhabitants of the earth! 166
24:18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror
will fall into the pit; 167
the one who climbs out of the pit,
will be trapped by the snare.
For the floodgates of the heavens 168 are opened up 169
and the foundations of the earth shake.
24:19 The earth is broken in pieces,
the earth is ripped to shreds,
the earth shakes violently. 170
24:20 The earth will stagger around 171 like a drunk;
it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. 172
Its sin will weigh it down,
and it will fall and never get up again.
24:21 At that time 173 the Lord will punish 174
the heavenly forces in the heavens 175
and the earthly kings on the earth.
24:22 They will be imprisoned in a pit, 176
locked up in a prison,
and after staying there for a long time, 177 they will be punished. 178
24:23 The full moon will be covered up, 179
the bright sun 180 will be darkened; 181
for the Lord who commands armies will rule 182
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem 183
in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor. 184
25:1 O Lord, you are my God! 185
I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. 186
For you have done extraordinary things,
and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. 187
25:2 Indeed, 188 you have made the city 189 into a heap of rubble,
the fortified town into a heap of ruins;
the fortress of foreigners 190 is no longer a city,
it will never be rebuilt.
25:3 So a strong nation will extol you;
the towns of 191 powerful nations will fear you.
25:4 For you are a protector for the poor,
a protector for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm,
a shade from the heat.
Though the breath of tyrants 192 is like a winter rainstorm, 193
25:5 like heat 194 in a dry land,
you humble the boasting foreigners. 195
Just as the shadow of a cloud causes the heat to subside, 196
so he causes the song of tyrants to cease. 197
25:6 The Lord who commands armies will hold a banquet for all the nations on this mountain. 198
At this banquet there will be plenty of meat and aged wine –
tender meat and choicest wine. 199
25:7 On this mountain he will swallow up
the shroud that is over all the peoples, 200
the woven covering that is over all the nations; 201
25:8 he will swallow up death permanently. 202
The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face,
and remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.
Indeed, the Lord has announced it! 203
25:9 At that time they will say, 204
“Look, here 205 is our God!
We waited for him and he delivered us.
Here 206 is the Lord! We waited for him.
Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!”
25:10 For the Lord’s power will make this mountain secure. 207
Moab will be trampled down where it stands, 208
as a heap of straw is trampled down in 209 a manure pile.
25:11 Moab 210 will spread out its hands in the middle of it, 211
just as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim;
the Lord 212 will bring down Moab’s 213 pride as it spreads its hands. 214
25:12 The fortified city (along with the very tops of your 215 walls) 216 he will knock down,
he will bring it down, he will throw it down to the dusty ground. 217
[21:1] 1 sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “desert” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like a desolate desert.
[21:1] 2 tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
[21:2] 3 tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
[21:2] 4 sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
[21:3] 5 tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
[21:3] 6 tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”
[21:4] 7 tn Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”
[21:4] 8 tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
[21:5] 9 tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”).
[21:5] 10 tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
[21:5] 11 sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.
[21:6] 12 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[21:7] 13 tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”
[21:8] 14 tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (’aryeh, “lion”) is probably a corruption of an original הָרֹאֶה (haro’eh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6.
[21:8] 15 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. NIV, NLT).
[21:9] 16 tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
[21:9] 17 tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
[21:10] 18 tn Heb “My trampled one, and the son of the threshing floor.”
[21:11] 19 tn The noun דּוּמָה (dumah) means “silence,” but here it is a proper name, probably referring to a site in northern Arabia or to the nation of Edom. See BDB 189 s.v. II דּוּמָה. If Dumah was an area in northern Arabia, it would be of interest to the Edomites because of its strategic position on trade routes which they used. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:398.
[21:11] 20 sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.
[21:11] 21 sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.
[21:12] 22 sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.
[21:12] 23 sn The point of the watchman’s final instructions (“if you want to ask, ask; come again”) is unclear. Perhaps they are included to add realism to the dramatic portrayal. The watchman sends the questioner away with the words, “Feel free to come back and ask again.”
[21:16] 24 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[21:16] 25 tn Heb “in still a year, like the years of a hired worker.” See the note at 16:14.
[21:17] 26 tn Heb “and the remnant of the number of the bow, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few.”
[21:17] 27 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[22:1] 28 sn The following message pertains to Jerusalem. The significance of referring to the city as the Valley of Vision is uncertain. Perhaps the Hinnom Valley is in view, but why it is associated with a prophetic revelatory “vision” is not entirely clear. Maybe the Hinnom Valley is called this because the destruction that will take place there is the focal point of this prophetic message (see v. 5).
[22:1] 29 tn Heb “What to you, then?”
[22:2] 30 tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.
[22:2] 31 sn Apparently they died from starvation during the siege that preceded the final conquest of the city. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:409.
[22:3] 32 tn Verse 3 reads literally, “All your leaders ran away, apart from a bow they were captured, all your found ones were captured together, to a distant place they fled.” J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:403, n. 3) suggests that the lines of the verse are arranged chiastically; lines 1 and 4 go together, while lines 2 and 3 are parallel. To translate the lines in the order they appear in the Hebrew text is misleading to the English reader, who is likely unfamiliar with, or at least insensitive to, chiastic parallelism. Consequently, the translation above arranges the lines as follows: line 1 (Hebrew) = line 1 (in translation); line 2 (Hebrew) = line 4 (in translation); line 3 (Hebrew) = line 3 (in translation); line 4 (Hebrew) = line 2 (in translation).
[22:3] 33 tn Heb “all your found ones.” To achieve tighter parallelism (see “your leaders”) some prefer to emend the form to אַמִּיצַיִךְ (’ammitsayikh, “your strong ones”) or to נֶאֱמָצַיִךְ (ne’ematsayikh, “your strengthened ones”).
[22:3] 34 tn Heb “apart from [i.e., without] a bow they were captured”; cf. NAB, NRSV “without the use of a bow.”
[22:4] 35 tn Heb “look away from me” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).
[22:4] 36 tn Heb “don’t hurry” (so NCV).
[22:4] 37 tn Heb “the daughter of my people.” “Daughter” is here used metaphorically to express the speaker’s emotional attachment to his people, as well as their vulnerability and weakness.
[22:5] 38 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 12, 14, 15 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[22:5] 39 tn Heb “For [there is] a day of panic, and trampling, and confusion for the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
[22:5] 40 tn The traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests that this phrase goes with what precedes.
[22:5] 41 tn The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Some take קִר (qir) as “wall” and interpret the verb to mean “tear down.” However, tighter parallelism (note the reference to crying for help in the next line) is achieved if one takes both the verb and noun from a root, attested in Ugaritic and Arabic, meaning “make a sound.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:404, n. 5.
[22:5] 42 sn Perhaps “the hill” refers to the temple mount.
[22:6] 43 tn Heb “[with] the chariots of men, horsemen.”
[22:6] 44 sn A distant region in the direction of Mesopotamia; see Amos 1:5; 9:7.
[22:6] 45 tn Heb “Kir uncovers” (so NAB, NIV).
[22:6] 46 sn The Elamites and men of Kir may here symbolize a fierce army from a distant land. If this oracle anticipates a Babylonian conquest of the city (see 39:5-7), then the Elamites and men of Kir are perhaps viewed here as mercenaries in the Babylonian army. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:410.
[22:7] 47 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[22:7] 48 tn Heb “taking a stand, take their stand.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following finite verb. The translation attempts to bring out this emphasis with the adverb “confidently.”
[22:8] 49 tn Heb “he,” i.e., the enemy invader. NASB, by its capitalization of the pronoun, takes this to refer to the Lord.
[22:8] 51 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of v. 12.
[22:8] 52 sn Perhaps this refers to a royal armory, or to Solomon’s “House of the Forest of Lebanon,” where weapons may have been kept (see 1 Kgs 10:16-17).
[22:9] 53 tn Heb “the breaks of the city of David, you saw that they were many.”
[22:10] 54 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[22:10] 55 tn Heb “you demolished the houses to fortify the wall.”
[22:11] 56 tn Heb “look at”; NAB, NRSV “did not look to.”
[22:11] 57 tn The antecedent of the third feminine singular suffix here and in the next line is unclear. The closest feminine noun is “pool” in the first half of the verse. Perhaps this “old pool” symbolizes the entire city, which had prospered because of God’s provision and protection through the years.
[22:11] 58 tn Heb “did not see.”
[22:12] 59 tn Heb “for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.” See the note at 15:2.
[22:13] 60 tn Heb “happiness and joy.”
[22:13] 61 tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.
[22:14] 62 tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
[22:14] 63 tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.
[22:15] 64 tn Heb “who is over the house” (so ASV); NASB “who is in charge of the royal household.”
[22:15] 65 tn The words “and tell him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[22:16] 66 tn Heb “What to you here? And who to you here?” The point of the second question is not entirely clear. The interpretation reflected in the translation is based on the following context, which suggests that Shebna has no right to think of himself so highly and arrange such an extravagant burial place for himself.
[22:16] 67 tn Heb “that you chisel out.”
[22:17] 68 tn Heb “will throw you with a throwing.”
[22:17] 69 tn Heb “O man” (so NASB); NAB “mortal man”; NRSV “my fellow.”
[22:17] 70 tn Heb “and the one who wraps you [will] wrap.”
[22:18] 71 tn Heb “and he will tightly [or “surely”] wind you [with] winding like a ball, to a land broad of hands [i.e., “sides”].”
[22:18] 72 tn Heb “and there the chariots of your splendor.”
[22:18] 73 sn Apparently the reference to chariots alludes to Shebna’s excessive pride, which in turn brings disgrace to the royal family.
[22:19] 74 tn Heb “I will push you away from.”
[22:19] 75 tn Heb “he will throw you down.” The shift from the first to third person is peculiar and abrupt, but certainly not unprecedented in Hebrew poetry. See GKC 462 §144.p. The third person may be indefinite (“one will throw you down”), in which case the passive translation is justified.
[22:20] 76 tn Or “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.
[22:21] 77 tn Heb “and your dominion I will place in his hand.”
[22:21] 78 tn Heb “a father to.” The Hebrew term אָב (’av, “father”) is here used metaphorically of one who protects and supports those under his care and authority, like a father does his family. For another example of this metaphorical use of the word, see Job 29:16.
[22:22] 80 sn This may refer to a literal insignia worn by the chief administrator. Even so, it would still symbolize the administrator’s authority to grant or exclude access to the king. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:422.
[22:23] 81 sn The metaphor depicts how secure his position will be.
[22:23] 82 tn Heb “and he will become a glorious throne for the house of his father.”
[22:24] 83 tn Heb “and all the glory of the house of his father they will hang on him.” The Lord returns to the peg metaphor of v. 23a. Eliakim’s secure position of honor will bring benefits and jobs to many others in the family.
[22:24] 84 tn The precise meaning and derivation of this word are uncertain. Cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “the issue”; CEV “relatives.”
[22:24] 85 tn Heb “all the small vessels, from the vessels that are bowls to all the vessels that are jars.” The picture is that of a single peg holding the weight of all kinds of containers hung from it.
[22:25] 86 tn Or “In that day” (KJV).
[22:25] 87 sn Eliakim’s authority, though seemingly secure, will eventually be removed, and with it his family’s prominence.
[22:25] 88 tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[23:1] 89 tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
[23:1] 90 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for it is destroyed, from a house, from entering.” The translation assumes that the mem (מ) on בַּיִת (bayit) was originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. This assumption allows one to take בַּיִת as the subject of the preceding verb. It is used in a metaphorical sense for the port city of Tyre. The preposition min (מִן) prefixed to בּוֹא (bo’) indicates negative consequence: “so that no one can enter.” See BDB 583 s.v. מִן 7.b.
[23:1] 91 tn Heb “the Kittim,” a designation for the people of Cyprus. See HALOT 504-05 s.v. כִּתִּיִּים.
[23:2] 92 tn Or “keep quiet”; NAB “Silence!”
[23:2] 93 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[23:3] 94 tc The Hebrew text (23:2b-3a) reads literally, “merchant of Sidon, the one who crosses the sea, they filled you, and on the deep waters.” Instead of מִלְאוּךְ (mil’ukh, “they filled you”) the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads מלאכיך (“your messengers”). The translation assumes an emendation of מִלְאוּךְ to מַלְאָכָו (mal’akhav, “his messengers”), taking the vav (ו) on וּבְמַיִם (uvÿmayim) as improperly placed; instead it should be the final letter of the preceding word.
[23:3] 95 tn Heb “seed of Shihor.” “Shihor” probably refers to the east branch of the Nile. See Jer 2:18 and BDB 1009 s.v. שִׁיחוֹר.
[23:3] 96 tn Heb “the harvest of the Nile.”
[23:3] 97 tn Heb “[is] her revenue.”
[23:3] 98 tn Heb “merchandise”; KJV, ASV “a mart of nations”; NLT “the merchandise mart of the world.”
[23:4] 99 tn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:430-31) sees here a reference to Yam, the Canaanite god of the sea. He interprets the phrase מָעוֹז הַיָּם (ma’oz hayyam, “fortress of the sea”) as a title of Yam, translating “Mighty One of the Sea.” A more traditional view is that the phrase refers to Sidon.
[23:4] 100 tn Or “virgins” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB).
[23:4] sn The sea is personified here as a lamenting childless woman. The foreboding language anticipates the following announcement of Tyre’s demise, viewed here as a child of the sea, as it were.
[23:5] 101 tn Heb “they will be in pain at the report of Tyre.”
[23:7] 102 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] 103 tn Heb “in the days of antiquity [is] her beginning.”
[23:8] 104 tn The precise meaning of הַמַּעֲטִירָה (hamma’atirah) is uncertain. The form is a Hiphil participle from עָטַר (’atar), a denominative verb derived from עֲטָרָה (’atarah, “crown, wreath”). The participle may mean “one who wears a crown” or “one who distributes crowns.” In either case, Tyre’s prominence in the international political arena is in view.
[23:8] 105 tn Heb “the honored” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “renowned.”
[23:9] 106 tn Heb “the pride of all the beauty.”
[23:10] 107 tc This meaning of this verse is unclear. The Hebrew text reads literally, “Cross over your land, like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish, there is no more waistband.” The translation assumes an emendation of מֵזַח (mezakh, “waistband”) to מָחֹז (makhoz, “harbor, marketplace”; see Ps 107:30). The term עָבַר (’avar, “cross over”) is probably used here of traveling over the water (as in v. 6). The command is addressed to personified Tarshish, who here represents her merchants. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has עבדי (“work, cultivate”) instead of עִבְרִי (’ivri, “cross over”). In this case one might translate “Cultivate your land, like they do the Nile region” (cf. NIV, CEV). The point would be that the people of Tarshish should turn to agriculture because they will no longer be able to get what they need through the marketplace in Tyre.
[23:11] 108 tn Heb “his hand he stretched out over the sea.”
[23:11] 109 tn Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.
[23:11] 110 tn Heb “concerning Canaan, to destroy her fortresses.” NIV, NLT translate “Canaan” as “Phoenicia” here.
[23:12] 111 tn Or “violated, raped,” the point being that Daughter Sidon has lost her virginity in the most brutal manner possible.
[23:12] 112 tn Heb “[to the] Kittim, get up, cross over; even there there will be no rest for you.” On “Kittim” see the note on “Cyprus” at v. 1.
[23:13] 113 tn Heb “this people [that] is not.”
[23:13] 114 tn For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 118 s.v. *בַּחוּן.
[23:13] 115 tn Or “laid bare.” For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 889 s.v. ערר.
[23:13] 116 sn This verse probably refers to the Assyrian destruction of Babylon.
[23:14] 117 tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” See the note at v. 1.
[23:15] 118 tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[23:15] 119 sn The number seventy is probably used in a stereotypical, nonliteral sense here to indicate a long period of time that satisfies completely the demands of God’s judgment.
[23:15] 120 tn Heb “like the days of a king.”
[23:15] 121 tn Heb “At the end of seventy years it will be for Tyre like the song of the prostitute.”
[23:16] 122 tn Heb “so you will be remembered.”
[23:17] 123 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[23:17] 124 tn Heb “visit [with favor]” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “will deal with.”
[23:17] 125 tn Heb “and she will return to her [prostitute’s] wages and engage in prostitution with all the kingdoms of the earth on the face of the earth.”
[23:18] 126 tn Heb “for eating to fullness and for beautiful covering[s].”
[23:18] sn The point of this verse, which in its blatant nationalism comes precariously close to comparing the Lord to one who controls or manages a prostitute, is that Tyre will become a subject of Israel and her God. Tyre’s commercial profits will be used to enrich the Lord’s people.
[24:2] 127 tn Heb “and it will be like the people, like the priest.”
[24:2] 128 tn Heb “like the servant, like his master.”
[24:2] 129 tn Heb “like the female servant, like her mistress.”
[24:2] 130 tn Heb “like the buyer, like the seller.”
[24:2] 131 tn Heb “like the lender, like the borrower.”
[24:2] 132 tn Heb “like the creditor, just as the one to whom he lends.”
[24:3] 133 tn Heb “for the Lord has spoken this word.”
[24:4] 134 tn Some prefer to read “land” here, but the word pair אֶרֶץ/תֵּבֵל (erets/tevel [see the corresponding term in the parallel line]) elsewhere clearly designates the earth/world (see 1 Sam 2:8; 1 Chr 16:30; Job 37;12; Pss 19:4; 24:1; 33:8; 89:11; 90:2; 96:13; 98:9; Prov 8:26, 31; Isa 14:16-17; 34:1; Jer 10:12; 51:15; Lam 4:12). According to L. Stadelmann, תבל designates “the habitable part of the world” (The Hebrew Conception of the World [AnBib], 130).
[24:4] 135 tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists the homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism.
[24:4] 136 tn Heb “the height of the people of the earth.” The translation assumes an emendation of the singular form מְרוֹם (mÿrom, “height of”) to the plural construct מְרֹמֵי (mÿrome, “high ones of”; note the plural verb at the beginning of the line), and understands the latter as referring to the prominent people of human society.
[24:5] 137 tn Heb “beneath”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “under”; NAB “because of.”
[24:5] 138 sn Isa 26:21 suggests that the earth’s inhabitants defiled the earth by shedding the blood of their fellow human beings. See also Num 35:33-34, which assumes that bloodshed defiles a land.
[24:5] 139 tn Heb “moved past [the?] regulation.”
[24:5] 140 tn Or “everlasting covenant” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the ancient covenant”; CEV “their agreement that was to last forever.”
[24:5] sn For a lengthy discussion of the identity of this covenant/treaty, see R. Chisholm, “The ‘Everlasting Covenant’ and the ‘City of Chaos’: Intentional Ambiguity and Irony in Isaiah 24,” CTR 6 (1993): 237-53. In this context, where judgment comes upon both the pagan nations and God’s covenant community, the phrase “permanent treaty” is intentionally ambiguous. For the nations this treaty is the Noahic mandate of Gen 9:1-7 with its specific stipulations and central regulation (Gen 9:7). By shedding blood, the warlike nations violated this treaty, which promotes population growth and prohibits murder. For Israel, which was also guilty of bloodshed (see Isa 1:15, 21; 4:4), this “permanent treaty” would refer more specifically to the Mosaic Law and its regulations prohibiting murder (Exod 20:13; Num 35:6-34), which are an extension of the Noahic mandate.
[24:6] 141 sn Ancient Near Eastern treaties often had “curses,” or threatened judgments, attached to them. (See Deut 28 for a biblical example of such curses.) The party or parties taking an oath of allegiance acknowledged that disobedience would activate these curses, which typically threatened loss of agricultural fertility as depicted in the following verses.
[24:6] 142 tn The verb אָשַׁם (’asham, “be guilty”) is here used metonymically to mean “pay, suffer for one’s guilt” (see HALOT 95 s.v. אשׁם).
[24:6] 143 tn BDB 359 s.v. חָרַר derives the verb חָרוּ (kharu) from חָרַר (kharar, “burn”), but HALOT 351 s.v. II חרה understands a hapax legomenon חָרָה (kharah, “to diminish in number,” a homonym of חָרָה) here, relating it to an alleged Arabic cognate meaning “to decrease.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חורו, perhaps understanding the root as חָוַר (khavar, “grow pale”; see Isa 29:22 and HALOT 299 s.v. I חור).
[24:6] 144 tn Heb “and mankind is left small [in number].”
[24:7] 145 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “all the joyful in heart,” but the context specifies the context as parties and drinking bouts.
[24:8] 146 tn Heb “the joy” (again later in this verse).
[24:9] 147 tn Heb “with a song they do not drink wine.”
[24:10] 148 tn Heb “the city of chaos” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Isaiah uses the term תֹּהוּ (tohu) rather frequently of things (like idols) that are empty and worthless (see BDB 1062 s.v.), so the word might characterize the city as rebellious or morally worthless. However, in this context, which focuses on the effects of divine judgment, it probably refers to the ruined or worthless condition in which the city is left (note the use of the word in Isa 34:11). For a discussion of the identity of this city, see R. Chisholm, “The ‘Everlasting Covenant’ and the ‘City of Chaos’: Intentional Ambiguity and Irony in Isaiah 24,” CTR 6 (1993): 237-53. In the context of universal judgment depicted in Isa 24, this city represents all the nations and cities of the world which, like Babylon of old and the powers/cities mentioned in chapters 13-23, rebel against God’s authority. Behind the stereotypical language one can detect various specific manifestations of this symbolic and paradigmatic city, including Babylon, Moab, and Jerusalem, all of which are alluded or referred to in chapters 24-27.
[24:10] 149 tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”
[24:11] 150 tn Heb “[there is] an outcry over the wine in the streets.”
[24:11] 151 tn Heb “all joy turns to evening,” the darkness of evening symbolizing distress and sorrow.
[24:11] 152 tn Heb “the joy of the earth disappears.”
[24:12] 153 tn Heb “and there is left in the city desolation.”
[24:12] 154 tn Heb “and [into] rubble the gate is crushed.”
[24:13] 155 tn Heb “in the midst of” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
[24:13] 156 sn The judgment will severely reduce the earth’s population. See v. 6.
[24:14] 157 sn The remnant of the nations (see v. 13) may be the unspecified subject. If so, then those who have survived the judgment begin to praise God.
[24:14] 158 tn Heb “they yell out concerning.”
[24:15] 159 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “in the lights,” interpreted by some to mean “in the region of light,” referring to the east. Some scholars have suggested the emendation of בָּאֻרִים (ba’urim) to בְּאִיֵּי הַיָּם (bÿ’iyyey hayyam, “along the seacoasts”), a phrase that is repeated in the next line. In this case, the two lines form synonymous parallelism. If one retains the MT reading (as above), “in the east” and “along the seacoasts” depict the two ends of the earth to refer to all the earth (as a merism).
[24:15] 160 tn The word “extol” is supplied in the translation; the verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.
[24:15] 161 tn Heb “name,” which here stands for God’s reputation achieved by his mighty deeds.
[24:16] 162 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] 163 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] 164 sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.
[24:16] 165 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.
[24:17] 166 tn Heb “[are] upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.” The first line of v. 17 provides another classic example of Hebrew wordplay. The names of the three instruments of judgment (פָח,פַחַת,פַּחַד [pakhad, fakhat, fakh]) all begin with the letters פח (peh-khet) and the first two end in dental consonants (ת/ד, tet/dalet). Once again the repetition of sound draws attention to the statement and contributes to the theme of the inescapability of judgment. As their similar-sounding names suggest, terror, pit, and snare are allies in destroying the objects of divine wrath.
[24:18] 167 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[24:18] 168 tn Heb “from the height”; KJV “from on high.”
[24:18] 169 sn The language reflects the account of the Noahic Flood (see Gen 7:11).
[24:19] 170 tn Once more repetition is used to draw attention to a statement. In the Hebrew text each lines ends with אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”). Each line also uses a Hitpolel verb form from a geminate root preceded by an emphatic infinitive absolute.
[24:20] 171 tn Heb “staggering, staggers.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb for emphasis and sound play.
[24:20] 172 tn The words “in a windstorm” are supplied in the translation to clarify the metaphor.
[24:21] 173 tn Or “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[24:21] 174 tn Heb “visit [in judgment].”
[24:21] 175 tn Heb “the host of the height in the height.” The “host of the height/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).
[24:22] 176 tn Heb “they will be gathered [in] a gathering [as] a prisoner in a cistern.” It is tempting to eliminate אֲסֵפָה (’asefah, “a gathering”) as dittographic or as a gloss, but sound repetition is one of the main characteristics of the style of this section of the chapter.
[24:22] 177 tn Heb “and after a multitude of days.”
[24:22] 178 tn Heb “visited” (so KJV, ASV). This verse can mean to visit for good or for evil. The translation assumes the latter, based on v. 21a. However, BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד B.Niph.2 suggests the meaning “visit graciously” here, in which case one might translate “they will be released.”
[24:23] 179 tn Heb “will be ashamed.”
[24:23] 180 tn Or “glow of the sun.”
[24:23] 181 tn Heb “will be ashamed” (so NCV).
[24:23] 182 tn Or “take his throne,” “become king.”
[24:23] 183 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[24:23] 184 tn Heb “and before his elders [in] splendor.”
[25:1] 185 sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.
[25:1] 186 tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.
[25:1] 187 tn Heb “plans from long ago [in] faithfulness, trustworthiness.” The feminine noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness”) and masculine noun אֹמֶן (’omen, “trustworthiness”), both of which are derived from the root אָמַן (’aman), are juxtaposed to emphasize the basic idea conveyed by the synonyms. Here they describe the absolute reliability of the divine plans.
[25:2] 188 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[25:2] 189 tn The Hebrew text has “you have made from the city.” The prefixed mem (מ) on עִיר (’ir, “city”) was probably originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:456, n. 3.
[25:2] 190 tc Some with support from the LXX emend זָרִים (zarim, “foreigners”) to זֵדִים (zedim, “the insolent”).
[25:3] 191 tn The Hebrew text has a singular form, but it should be emended to a plural or eliminated altogether. The noun may have been accidentally copied from the preceding verse.
[25:4] 192 tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; NIV, NRSV “the ruthless.”
[25:4] 193 tc The Hebrew text has, “like a rainstorm of a wall,” which might be interpreted to mean, “like a rainstorm battering against a wall.” The translation assumes an emendation of קִיר (qir, “wall”) to קֹר (qor, “cold, winter”; cf. Gen 8:22). See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:457, n. 6, for discussion.
[25:5] 194 tn Or “drought” (TEV).
[25:5] 195 tn Heb “the tumult of foreigners.”
[25:5] 196 tn Heb “[like] heat in the shadow of a cloud.”
[25:5] 197 tn The translation assumes that the verb יַעֲנֶה (ya’aneh) is a Hiphil imperfect from עָנָה (’anah, “be afflicted, humiliated”). In this context with “song” as object it means to “quiet” (see HALOT 853-54 s.v. II ענה). Some prefer to emend the form to the second person singular, so that it will agree with the second person verb earlier in the verse. BDB 776 s.v. III עָנָה Qal.1 understands the form as Qal, with “song” as subject, in which case one might translate “the song of tyrants will be silent.” An emendation of the form to a Niphal (יֵעָנֶה, ye’aneh) would yield the same translation.
[25:6] 198 sn That is, Mount Zion (see 24:23); cf. TEV; NLT “In Jerusalem.”
[25:6] 199 tn Heb “And the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] will make for all the nations on this mountain a banquet of meats, a banquet of wine dregs, meats filled with marrow, dregs that are filtered.”
[25:7] 200 tn The Hebrew text reads, “the face of the shroud, the shroud over all the nations.” Some emend the second הַלּוֹט (hallot) to a passive participle הַלּוּט (hallut, “that is wrapped”).
[25:7] 201 sn The point of the imagery is unclear. Perhaps the shroud/covering referred to was associated with death in some way (see v. 8).
[25:8] 202 sn The image of the Lord “swallowing” death would be especially powerful, for death was viewed in Canaanite mythology and culture as a hungry enemy that swallows its victims. See the note at 5:14.
[25:8] 203 tn Heb “has spoken” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[25:9] 204 tn Heb “and one will say in that day.”
[25:9] 205 tn Heb “this [one].”
[25:9] 206 tn Heb “this [one].”
[25:10] 207 tn Heb “for the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain”; TEV “will protect Mount Zion”; NCV “will protect (rest on NLT) Jerusalem.”
[25:10] 208 tn Heb “under him,” i.e., “in his place.”
[25:10] 209 tc The marginal reading (Qere) is בְּמוֹ (bÿmo, “in”). The consonantal text (Kethib) has בְּמִי (bÿmi, “in the water of”).
[25:11] 210 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:11] 211 tn The antecedent of the third masculine singular pronominal suffix is probably the masculine noun מַתְבֵּן (matben, “heap of straw”) in v. 10 rather than the feminine noun מַדְמֵנָה (madmenah, “manure pile”), also in v. 10.
[25:11] 212 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:11] 213 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:11] 214 tn The Hebrew text has, “he will bring down his pride along with the [?] of his hands.” The meaning of אָרְבּוֹת (’arbot), which occurs only here in the OT, is unknown. Some (see BDB 70 s.v. אָרְבָּה) translate “artifice, cleverness,” relating the form to the verbal root אָרָב (’arav, “to lie in wait, ambush”), but this requires some convoluted semantic reasoning. HALOT 83 s.v. *אָרְבָּה suggests the meaning “[nimble] movements.” The translation above, which attempts to relate the form to the preceding context, is purely speculative.
[25:12] 215 sn Moab is addressed.
[25:12] 216 tn Heb “a fortification, the high point of your walls.”
[25:12] 217 tn Heb “he will bring [it] down, he will make [it] touch the ground, even to the dust.”
