Yesaya 5:2

5:2 He built a hedge around it, ¹  removed its stones,

and planted a vine.

He built a tower in the middle of it,

and constructed a winepress.

He waited for it to produce edible grapes,

but it produced sour ones instead. ² 

Yesaya 6:11

6:11 I replied, “How long, sovereign master?” He said,

“Until cities are in ruins and unpopulated,

and houses are uninhabited,

and the land is ruined and devastated,

Yesaya 9:1

9:1 (8:23) ³  The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious. ⁴ 

In earlier times he ⁵  humiliated

the land of Zebulun,

and the land of Naphtali; ⁶ 

but now he brings honor ⁷ 

to the way of the sea,

the region beyond the Jordan,

and Galilee of the nations. ⁸ 

Yesaya 17:6

17:6 There will be some left behind,

like when an olive tree is beaten –

two or three ripe olives remain toward the very top,

four or five on its fruitful branches,”

says the Lord God of Israel.

Yesaya 18:2

18:2 that sends messengers by sea,

who glide over the water’s surface in boats made of papyrus.

Go, you swift messengers,

to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned people, ⁹ 

to a people that are feared far and wide, ¹⁰ 

to a nation strong and victorious, ¹¹ 

whose land rivers divide. ¹² 

Yesaya 18:4

18:4 For this is what the Lord has told me:

“I will wait ¹³  and watch from my place,

like scorching heat produced by the sunlight, ¹⁴ 

like a cloud of mist ¹⁵  in the heat ¹⁶  of harvest.” ¹⁷ 

Yesaya 18:7

18:7 At that time

tribute will be brought to the Lord who commands armies,

by a people that are tall and smooth-skinned,

a people that are feared far and wide,

a nation strong and victorious,

whose land rivers divide. ¹⁸ 

The tribute ¹⁹  will be brought to the place where the Lord who commands armies has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion. ²⁰ 

Yesaya 36:2

36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser ²¹  from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, ²²  along with a large army. The chief adviser ²³  stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ²⁴ 

Yesaya 37:30

37:30 ²⁵ “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: ²⁶  This year you will eat what grows wild, ²⁷  and next year ²⁸  what grows on its own. But the year after that ²⁹  you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. ³⁰ 

Yesaya 37:38

37:38 One day, ³¹  as he was worshiping ³²  in the temple of his god Nisroch, ³³  his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. ³⁴  They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.

Yesaya 41:7

41:7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,

the one who wields the hammer encourages ³⁵  the one who pounds on the anvil.

He approves the quality of the welding, ³⁶ 

and nails it down so it won’t fall over.”

Yesaya 44:7

44:7 Who is like me? Let him make his claim! ³⁷ 

Let him announce it and explain it to me –

since I established an ancient people – ³⁸ 

let them announce future events! ³⁹ 

Yesaya 46:13

46:13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;

I am bringing my salvation near, ⁴⁰  it does not wait.

I will save Zion; ⁴¹ 

I will adorn Israel with my splendor.” ⁴² 

Yesaya 49:21

49:21 Then you will think to yourself, ⁴³ 

‘Who bore these children for me?

I was bereaved and barren,

dismissed and divorced. ⁴⁴ 

Who raised these children?

Look, I was left all alone;

where did these children come from?’”

Yesaya 63:11

63:11 His people remembered the ancient times. ⁴⁵ 

Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea,

along with the shepherd of ⁴⁶  his flock?

Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them, ⁴⁷ 

[5:2]  ¹ tn Or, “dug it up” (so NIV); KJV “fenced it.’ See HALOT 810 s.v. עזק.

[5:2]  ² tn Heb “wild grapes,” i.e., sour ones (also in v. 4).

[5:2]  sn At this point the love song turns sour as the Lord himself breaks in and completes the story (see vv. 3-6). In the final line of v. 2 the love song presented to the Lord becomes a judgment speech by the Lord.

[9:1]  ³ sn In the Hebrew text (BHS) the chapter division comes one verse later than in the English Bible; 9:1 (8:23 HT). Thus 9:2-21 in the English Bible = 9:1-20 in the Hebrew text. Beginning with 10:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.

[9:1]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew text reads, “Indeed there is no gloom for the one to whom there was anxiety for her.” The feminine singular pronominal suffix “her” must refer to the land (cf. vv. 22a, 23b). So one could translate, “Indeed there will be no gloom for the land which was anxious.” In this case the statement introduces the positive message to follow. Some assume an emendation of לֹא (lo’, “no”) to לוֹ (lo, “to him”) and of לָהּ (lah, “to her”) to לוֹ (lo, “to him”), yielding this literal reading: “indeed there is gloom for him, for the one to whom there was anxiety for him.” In this case the statement concludes the preceding description of judgment.

[9:1]  ⁵ tn The Lord must be understood as the subject of the two verbs in this verse.

[9:1]  ⁶ sn The statement probably alludes to the Assyrian conquest of Israel in ca. 734-733 b.c., when Tiglath-pileser III annexed much of Israel’s territory and reduced Samaria to a puppet state.

[9:1]  ⁷ tn Heb Just as in earlier times he humiliated…, [in] the latter times he has brought honor.” The main verbs in vv. 1b-4 are Hebrew perfects. The prophet takes his rhetorical stance in the future age of restoration and describes future events as if they have already occurred. To capture the dramatic effect of the original text, the translation uses the English present or present perfect.

[9:1]  ⁸ sn These three geographical designations may refer to provinces established by the Assyrians in 734-733 b.c. The “way of the sea” is the province of Dor, along the Mediterranean coast, the “region beyond the Jordan” is the province of Gilead in Transjordan, and “Galilee of the nations” (a title that alludes to how the territory had been overrun by foreigners) is the province of Megiddo located west of the Sea of Galilee. See Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, 374.

[18:2]  ⁹ tn The precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. מְמֻשָּׁךְ (mÿmushakh) appears to be a Pual participle from the verb מָשַׁךְ (mashakh, “to draw, extend”). Lexicographers theorize that it here refers to people who “stretch out,” as it were, or are tall. See BDB 604 s.v. מָשַׁךְ, and HALOT 645-46 s.v. משׁךְ. מוֹרָט (morat) is taken as a Pual participle from מָרַט (marat), which can mean “to pull out [hair],” in the Qal, “become bald” in the Niphal, and “be wiped clean” in the Pual. Lexicographers theorize that the word here refers to people with bare, or smooth, skin. See BDB 598-99 s.v. מָרַט, and HALOT 634-35 s.v. מרט. These proposed meanings, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.

[18:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “from it and onwards.” HALOT 245 s.v. הָלְאָה suggests the translation “far and wide.”

[18:2]  ¹¹ tn Once more the precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. The expression קַו־קָו (qav-qav) is sometimes related to a proposed Arabic cognate and taken to mean “strength” (see BDB 876 II קַו). Others, on the basis of Isa 28:10, 13, understand the form as gibberish (literally, “kav, kav”) and take it to be a reference to this nation’s strange, unknown language. The form מְבוּסָה (mÿvusah) appears to be derived from בּוּס (bus, “to trample”), so lexicographers suggest the meaning “trampling” or “subjugation,” i.e., a nation that subdues others. See BDB 101 s.v. בּוּס and HALOT 541 s.v. מְבוּסָה. These proposals, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.

[18:2]  ¹² tn The precise meaning of the verb בָּזָא (baza’), which occurs only in this oracle (see also v. 7) in the OT, is uncertain. BDB 102 s.v. suggests “divide” on the basis of alleged Aramaic and Arabic cognates; HALOT 117 s.v., citing an alleged Arabic cognate, suggests “wash away.”

[18:4]  ¹³ tn Or “be quiet, inactive”; NIV “will remain quiet.”

[18:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “like the glowing heat because of light.” The precise meaning of the line is uncertain.

[18:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a cloud of dew,” or “a cloud of light rain.”

[18:4]  ¹⁶ tc Some medieval Hebrew mss, with support from the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Latin Vulgate, read “the day.”

[18:4]  ¹⁷ sn It is unclear how the comparisons in v. 4b relate to the preceding statement. How is waiting and watching similar to heat or a cloud? For a discussion of interpretive options, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:362.

[18:7]  ¹⁸ tn On the interpretive difficulties of this verse, see the notes at v. 2, where the same terminology is used.

[18:7]  ¹⁹ tn The words “the tribute” are repeated here in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “to the place of the name of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], Mount Zion.”

[36:2]  ²¹ sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.

[36:2]  ²² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[36:2]  ²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[36:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[37:30]  ²⁵ tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 22-29) ends and the Lord again addresses Hezekiah and the people directly (see v. 21).

[37:30]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) is a future reminder of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.

[37:30]  ²⁷ sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.

[37:30]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and in the second year” (so ASV).

[37:30]  ²⁹ tn Heb “in the third year” (so KJV, NAB).

[37:30]  ³⁰ tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 30b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity.

[37:38]  ³¹ sn The assassination of King Sennacherib probably took place in 681 b.c.

[37:38]  ³² tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[37:38]  ³³ sn No such Mesopotamian god is presently known. Perhaps the name Nisroch is a corruption of Nusku.

[37:38]  ³⁴ sn Extra-biblical sources also mention the assassination of Sennacherib, though they refer to only one assassin. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 239-40.

[41:7]  ³⁵ tn The verb “encourages” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[41:7]  ³⁶ tn Heb “saying of the welding, ‘It is good.’”

[44:7]  ³⁷ tn Heb “let him call” or “let him proclaim” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “Let him stand up and speak.”

[44:7]  ³⁸ tc The Hebrew text reads, “from (the time) I established an ancient people, and the coming things.” Various emendations have been proposed. One of the options assumes the reading מַשְׁמִיעִים מֵעוֹלָם אוֹתִיּוֹת (mashmi’im me’olam ’otiyyot); This literally reads “the ones causing to hear from antiquity coming things,” but more idiomatically would read “as for those who predict from antiquity what will happen” (cf. NAB, NEB, REB). The emendation directs the attention of the reader to those who claim to be able to predict the future, challenging them to actually do what they claim they can do. The MT presents Yahweh as an example to whom these alleged “predictors of the future” can compare themselves. Since the ancient versions are unanimous in their support of the MT, the emendations should be set aside.

[44:7]  ³⁹ tn Heb and those things which are coming let them declare for themselves.”

[46:13]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “my salvation.” The verb “I am bringing near” is understood by ellipsis (note the previous line).

[46:13]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “I will place in Zion salvation”; NASB “I will grant salvation in Zion.”

[46:13]  ⁴² tn Heb “to Israel my splendor”; KJV, ASV “for Israel my glory.”

[49:21]  ⁴³ tn Heb “and you will say in your heart.”

[49:21]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “exiled and thrust away”; NIV “exiled and rejected.”

[63:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “and he remembered the days of antiquity, Moses, his people.” The syntax of the statement is unclear. The translation assumes that “his people” is the subject of the verb “remembered.” If original, “Moses” is in apposition to “the days of antiquity,” more precisely identifying the time period referred to. However, the syntactical awkwardness suggests that “Moses” may have been an early marginal note (perhaps identifying “the shepherd of his flock” two lines later) that has worked its way into the text.

[63:11]  ⁴⁶ tn The Hebrew text has a plural form, which if retained and taken as a numerical plural, would probably refer to Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite tribal leaders at the time of the Exodus. Most prefer to emend the form to the singular (רָעָה, ra’ah) and understand this as a reference just to Moses.

[63:11]  ⁴⁷ sn See the note at v. 10.