Yesaya 43:19

43:19 “Look, I am about to do something new.

Now it begins to happen! ¹  Do you not recognize ²  it?

Yes, I will make a road in the desert

and paths ³  in the wilderness.

Yesaya 41:17

41:17 The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none;

their tongues are parched from thirst.

I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers; ⁴ 

I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.

Yesaya 48:21

48:21 They do not thirst as he leads them through dry regions;

he makes water flow out of a rock for them;

he splits open a rock and water flows out.’ ⁵ 

Yesaya 49:10

49:10 They will not be hungry or thirsty;

the sun’s oppressive heat will not beat down on them, ⁶ 

for one who has compassion on them will guide them;

he will lead them to springs of water.

Yesaya 55:1-2

The Lord Gives an Invitation

55:1 “Hey, ⁷  all who are thirsty, come to the water!

You who have no money, come!

Buy and eat!

Come! Buy wine and milk

without money and without cost! ⁸ 

55:2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? ⁹ 

Why spend ¹⁰  your hard-earned money ¹¹  on something that will not satisfy?

Listen carefully ¹²  to me and eat what is nourishing! ¹³ 

Enjoy fine food! ¹⁴ 

[43:19]  ¹ tn Heb “sprouts up”; NASB “will spring forth.”

[43:19]  ² tn Or “know” (KJV, ASV); NASB “be aware of”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “perceive.”

[43:19]  ³ tn The Hebrew texts has “streams,” probably under the influence of v. 20. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has נתיבות (“paths”).

[41:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “will answer them” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[48:21]  ⁵ sn The translation above (present tense) assumes that this verse describes God’s provision for returning Babylonian exiles (see v. 20; 35:6; 49:10) in terms reminiscent of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exod 17:6).

[49:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the heat and the sun will not strike them.” In Isa 35:7, its only other occurrence in the OT, שָׁרָב (sharav) stands parallel to “parched ground” and in contrast to “pool.” In later Hebrew and Aramaic it refers to “dry heat, heat of the sun” (Jastrow 1627 s.v.). Here it likely has this nuance and forms a hendiadys with “sun.”

[55:1]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments and is often prefixed to judgment oracles for rhetorical effect. But here it appears to be a simple interjection, designed to grab the audience’s attention. Perhaps there is a note of sorrow or pity. See BDB 223 s.v.

[55:1]  ⁸ sn The statement is an oxymoron. Its ironic quality adds to its rhetorical impact. The statement reminds one of the norm (one must normally buy commodities) as it expresses the astounding offer. One might paraphrase the statement: “Come and take freely what you normally have to pay for.”

[55:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “for what is not food.”

[55:2]  ¹⁰ tn The interrogative particle and the verb “spend” are understood here by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[55:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “your labor,” which stands by metonymy for that which one earns.

[55:2]  ¹² tn The infinitive absolute follows the imperative and lends emphasis to the exhortation.

[55:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “good” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[55:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Let your appetite delight in fine food.”

[55:2]  sn Nourishing, fine food here represents the blessings God freely offers. These include forgiveness, a new covenantal relationship with God, and national prominence (see vv. 3-6).