Yesaya 5:16

5:16 The Lord who commands armies will be exalted ¹  when he punishes, ² 

the sovereign God’s authority will be recognized when he judges. ³ 

Yesaya 26:9

26:9 I ⁴  look for ⁵  you during the night,

my spirit within me seeks you at dawn,

for when your judgments come upon the earth,

those who live in the world learn about justice. ⁶ 

Yesaya 29:21

29:21 those who bear false testimony against a person, ⁷ 

who entrap the one who arbitrates at the city gate ⁸ 

and deprive the innocent of justice by making false charges. ⁹ 

Yesaya 51:7

51:7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,

you people who are aware of my law! ¹⁰ 

Don’t be afraid of the insults of men;

don’t be discouraged because of their abuse!

Yesaya 54:14

54:14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. ¹¹ 

You will not experience oppression; ¹² 

indeed, you will not be afraid.

You will not be terrified, ¹³ 

for nothing frightening ¹⁴  will come near you.

[5:16]  ¹ tn Or “elevated”; TEV “the Lord Almighty shows his greatness.”

[5:16]  ² tn Heb “by judgment/justice.” When God justly punishes the evildoers denounced in the preceding verses, he will be recognized as a mighty warrior.

[5:16]  ³ tn Heb “The holy God will be set apart by fairness.” In this context God’s holiness is his sovereign royal authority, which implies a commitment to justice (see the note on the phrase “the sovereign king of Israel” in 1:4). When God judges evildoers as they deserve, his sovereignty will be acknowledged.

[5:16]  sn The appearance of מִשְׁפָט (mishpat, “justice”) and צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”) here is rhetorically significant, when one recalls v. 7. There God denounces his people for failing to produce a society where “justice” and “fairness” are valued and maintained. God will judge his people for their failure, taking “justice” and “fairness” into his own hands.

[26:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “with my soul I.” This is a figure for the speaker himself (“I”).

[26:9]  ⁵ tn Or “long for, desire.” The speaker acknowledges that he is eager to see God come in judgment (see vv. 8, 9b).

[26:9]  ⁶ tn The translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “those who live in the world learn to live in a righteous manner” (cf. NCV).

[29:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “the ones who make a man a sinner with a word.” The Hiphil of חָטָא (khata’) here has a delocutive sense: “declare a man sinful/guilty.”

[29:21]  ⁸ sn Legal disputes were resolved at the city gate, where the town elders met. See Amos 5:10.

[29:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “and deprive by emptiness the innocent.”

[51:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “people (who have) my law in their heart.”

[54:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in righteousness [or “vindication”] you will be established.” The precise meaning of צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) here is uncertain. It could mean “righteousness, justice,” indicating that the city will be a center for justice. But the context focuses on deliverance, suggesting that the term means “deliverance, vindication” here.

[54:14]  ¹² tn Heb “Be far from oppression!” The imperative is used here in a rhetorical manner to express certainty and assurance. See GKC 324 §110.c.

[54:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “from terror.” The rhetorical command, “be far” is understood by ellipsis here. Note the preceding context.

[54:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “it,” i.e., the “terror” just mentioned.