Yesaya 2:2-5

2:2 In the future ¹ 

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure ² 

as the most important of mountains,

and will be the most prominent of hills. ³ 

All the nations will stream to it,

2:3 many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple of the God of Jacob,

so ⁴  he can teach us his requirements, ⁵ 

and ⁶  we can follow his standards.” ⁷ 

For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; ⁸ 

the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. ⁹ 

2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;

he will settle cases for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares, ¹⁰ 

and their spears into pruning hooks. ¹¹ 

Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,

and they will no longer train for war.

2:5 O descendants ¹²  of Jacob,

come, let us walk in the Lord’s guiding light. ¹³ 

Yesaya 11:10

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time ¹⁴  a root from Jesse ¹⁵  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ¹⁶  and his residence will be majestic.

Yesaya 19:23-25

19:23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. ¹⁷  19:24 At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing ¹⁸  in the earth. ¹⁹  19:25 The Lord who commands armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying, ²⁰  “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession, ²¹  Israel!”

Yesaya 45:14

The Lord is the Nations’ Only Hope

45:14 This is what the Lord says:

“The profit ²²  of Egypt and the revenue ²³  of Ethiopia,

along with the Sabeans, those tall men,

will be brought to you ²⁴  and become yours.

They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. ²⁵ 

They will bow down to you

and pray to you: ²⁶ 

‘Truly God is with ²⁷  you; he has no peer; ²⁸ 

there is no other God!’”

Yesaya 49:6

49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,

to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,

and restore the remnant ²⁹  of Israel? ³⁰ 

I will make you a light to the nations, ³¹ 

so you can bring ³²  my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

Yesaya 49:12

49:12 Look, they come from far away!

Look, some come from the north and west,

and others from the land of Sinim! ³³ 

Yesaya 49:23

49:23 Kings will be your children’s ³⁴  guardians;

their princesses will nurse your children. ³⁵ 

With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you

and they will lick the dirt on ³⁶  your feet.

Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;

those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.

Yesaya 54:1-3

Zion Will Be Secure

54:1 “Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth!

Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor!

For the children of the desolate one are more numerous

than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.

54:2 Make your tent larger,

stretch your tent curtains farther out! ³⁷ 

Spare no effort,

lengthen your ropes,

and pound your stakes deep. ³⁸ 

54:3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;

your children will conquer ³⁹  nations

and will resettle desolate cities.

Yesaya 66:12

66:12 For this is what the Lord says:

“Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river,

the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks. ⁴⁰ 

You will nurse from her breast ⁴¹  and be carried at her side;

you will play on her knees.

Yesaya 66:19-20

66:19 I will perform a mighty act among them ⁴²  and then send some of those who remain to the nations – to Tarshish, Pul, ⁴³  Lud ⁴⁴  (known for its archers ⁴⁵ ), Tubal, Javan, ⁴⁶  and to the distant coastlands ⁴⁷  that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor. 66:20 They will bring back all your countrymen ⁴⁸  from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them ⁴⁹  on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels ⁵⁰  to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord’s temple in ritually pure containers.

[2:2]  ¹ tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.

[2:2]  ² tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ³ tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.

[2:3]  ⁴ tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.

[2:3]  ⁶ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.

[2:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[2:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”

[2:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[2:4]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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.

[2:5]  ¹² tn Heb “house,” referring to the family line or descendants (likewise in v. 6).

[2:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “let’s walk in the light of the Lord.” In this context, which speaks of the Lord’s instruction and commands, the “light of the Lord” refers to his moral standards by which he seeks to guide his people. One could paraphrase, “let’s obey the Lord’s commands.”

[11:10]  ¹⁴ 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.

[11:10]  ¹⁵ sn See the note at v. 1.

[11:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “ a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].

[19:23]  ¹⁷ tn The text could be translated, “and Egypt will serve Assyria” (cf. NAB), but subjugation of one nation to the other does not seem to be a theme in vv. 23-25. Rather the nations are viewed as equals before the Lord (v. 25). Therefore it is better to take אֶת (’et) in v. 23b as a preposition, “together with,” rather than the accusative sign. The names of the two countries are understood to refer by metonymy to their respective inhabitants.

[19:24]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “will be a blessing” (so NCV).

[19:24]  ¹⁹ tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB).

[19:25]  ²⁰ tn Heb “which the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] will bless [it], saying.” The third masculine singular suffix on the form בֵּרֲכוֹ (berakho) should probably be emended to a third feminine singular suffix בֵּרֲכָהּ (berakhah), for its antecedent would appear to be the feminine noun אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) at the end of v. 24.

[19:25]  ²¹ tn Or “my inheritance” (NAB, NASB, NIV).

[45:14]  ²² tn Heb “labor,” which stands metonymically for the fruits of labor, either “monetary profit,” or “products.”

[45:14]  ²³ tn Or perhaps, “merchandise” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “the gain of Ethiopia”; CEV “the treasures of Ethiopia.”

[45:14]  ²⁴ tn Heb “they will pass over to you”; NASB, NIV “will come over to you”; CEV “will belong to you.”

[45:14]  ²⁵ sn Restored Israel is depicted here in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion as an imperial power that receives riches and slaves as tribute.

[45:14]  ²⁶ sn Israel’s vassals are portrayed as so intimidated and awed that they treat Israel as an intermediary to God or sub-deity.

[45:14]  ²⁷ tn Or perhaps, “among.” Cf. KJV, ASV “Surely God is in thee.”

[45:14]  ²⁸ tn Heb “there is no other” (so NIV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs at the end of v. 18, in v. 21, and at the end of v. 22.

[49:6]  ²⁹ tn Heb “the protected [or “preserved”] ones.”

[49:6]  ³⁰ sn The question is purely rhetorical; it does not imply that the servant was dissatisfied with his commission or that he minimized the restoration of Israel.

[49:6]  ³¹ tn See the note at 42:6.

[49:6]  ³² tn Heb “be” (so KJV, ASV); CEV “you must take.”

[49:12]  ³³ tc The MT reads “Sinim” here; the Dead Sea Scrolls read “Syene,” a location in Egypt associated with modern Aswan. A number of recent translations adopt this reading: “Syene” (NAB, NRSV); “Aswan” (NIV); “Egypt” (NLT).

[49:12]  sn The precise location of the land of Sinim is uncertain, but since the north and west are mentioned in the previous line, it was a probably located in the distant east or south.

[49:23]  ³⁴ tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).

[49:23]  ³⁵ tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.

[49:23]  ³⁶ tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”

[54:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “the curtains of our dwelling places let them stretch out.”

[54:2]  ³⁸ tn Heb “your stakes strengthen.”

[54:3]  ³⁹ tn Or “take possession of”; NAB “shall dispossess.”

[66:12]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “Look, I am ready to extend to her like a river prosperity [or “peace”], and like an overflowing stream, the riches of nations.”

[66:12]  ⁴¹ tn The words “from her breast” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 11).

[66:19]  ⁴² tn Heb “and I will set a sign among them.” The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Elsewhere “to set a sign” means “perform a mighty act” (Ps 78:43; Jer 32:20), “make [someone] an object lesson” (Ezek 14:8), and “erect a [literal] standard” (Ps 74:4).

[66:19]  ⁴³ tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).

[66:19]  ⁴⁴ sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).

[66:19]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[66:19]  ⁴⁶ sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).

[66:19]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “islands” (NIV).

[66:20]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “brothers” (so NIV); NCV “fellow Israelites.”

[66:20]  ⁴⁹ tn The words “they will bring them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[66:20]  ⁵⁰ tn The precise meaning of this word is uncertain. Some suggest it refers to “chariots.” See HALOT 498 s.v. *כִּרְכָּרָה.