Yesaya 1:4

1:4 ¹ The sinful nation is as good as dead, ² 

the people weighed down by evil deeds.

They are offspring who do wrong,

children ³  who do wicked things.

They have abandoned the Lord,

and rejected the Holy One of Israel. ⁴ 

They are alienated from him. ⁵ 

Yesaya 4:1

4:1 Seven women will grab hold of

one man at that time. ⁶ 

They will say, “We will provide ⁷  our own food,

we will provide ⁸  our own clothes;

but let us belong to you ⁹  –

take away our shame!” ¹⁰ 

Yesaya 5:7

5:7 Indeed ¹¹  Israel ¹²  is the vineyard of the Lord who commands armies,

the people ¹³  of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight.

He waited for justice, but look what he got – disobedience! ¹⁴ 

He waited for fairness, but look what he got – cries for help! ¹⁵ 

Yesaya 5:24

5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire ¹⁶  devours straw,

and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,

so their root will rot,

and their flower will blow away like dust. ¹⁷ 

For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,

they have spurned the commands ¹⁸  of the Holy One of Israel. ¹⁹ 

Yesaya 6:5

6:5 I said, “Too bad for me! I am destroyed, ²⁰  for my lips are contaminated by sin, ²¹  and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. ²²  My eyes have seen the king, the Lord who commands armies.” ²³ 

Yesaya 8:18

8:18 Look, I and the sons whom the Lord has given me ²⁴  are reminders and object lessons ²⁵  in Israel, sent from the Lord who commands armies, who lives on Mount Zion.

Yesaya 9:1

9:1 (8:23) ²⁶  The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious. ²⁷ 

In earlier times he ²⁸  humiliated

the land of Zebulun,

and the land of Naphtali; ²⁹ 

but now he brings honor ³⁰ 

to the way of the sea,

the region beyond the Jordan,

and Galilee of the nations. ³¹ 

Yesaya 9:7

9:7 His dominion will be vast ³² 

and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. ³³ 

He will rule on David’s throne

and over David’s kingdom, ³⁴ 

establishing it ³⁵  and strengthening it

by promoting justice and fairness, ³⁶ 

from this time forward and forevermore.

The Lord’s intense devotion to his people ³⁷  will accomplish this.

Yesaya 10:20

10:20 At that time ³⁸  those left in Israel, those who remain of the family ³⁹  of Jacob, will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them. ⁴⁰  Instead they will truly ⁴¹  rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. ⁴² 

Yesaya 13:20

13:20 No one will live there again;

no one will ever reside there again. ⁴³ 

No bedouin ⁴⁴  will camp ⁴⁵  there,

no shepherds will rest their flocks ⁴⁶  there.

Yesaya 14:1

14:1 The Lord will certainly have compassion on Jacob; ⁴⁷  he will again choose Israel as his special people ⁴⁸  and restore ⁴⁹  them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family ⁵⁰  of Jacob.

Yesaya 16:8

16:8 For the fields of Heshbon are dried up,

as well as the vines of Sibmah.

The rulers of the nations trample all over its vines,

which reach Jazer and spread to the desert;

their shoots spread out and cross the sea.

Yesaya 19:11

19:11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; ⁵¹ 

Pharaoh’s wise advisers give stupid advice.

How dare you say to Pharaoh,

“I am one of the sages,

one well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?” ⁵² 

Yesaya 19:20

19:20 It ⁵³  will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt of ⁵⁴  the Lord who commands armies. When they cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a deliverer and defender ⁵⁵  who will rescue them.

Yesaya 22:25

22:25 “At that time,” ⁵⁶  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.” ⁵⁷  Indeed, ⁵⁸  the Lord has spoken.

Yesaya 23:18

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. ⁵⁹ 

Yesaya 24:23

24:23 The full moon will be covered up, ⁶⁰ 

the bright sun ⁶¹  will be darkened; ⁶² 

for the Lord who commands armies will rule ⁶³ 

on Mount Zion in Jerusalem ⁶⁴ 

in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor. ⁶⁵ 

Yesaya 26:19

26:19 ⁶⁶ Your dead will come back to life;

your corpses will rise up.

Wake up and shout joyfully, you who live in the ground! ⁶⁷ 

For you will grow like plants drenched with the morning dew, ⁶⁸ 

and the earth will bring forth its dead spirits. ⁶⁹ 

Yesaya 27:11

27:11 When its branches get brittle, ⁷⁰  they break;

women come and use them for kindling. ⁷¹ 

For these people lack understanding, ⁷² 

therefore the one who made them has no compassion on them;

the one who formed them has no mercy on them.

Yesaya 28:15

28:15 For you say,

“We have made a treaty with death,

with Sheol ⁷³  we have made an agreement. ⁷⁴ 

When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by ⁷⁵ 

it will not reach us.

For we have made a lie our refuge,

we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.” ⁷⁶ 

Yesaya 30:17

30:17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; ⁷⁷ 

at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, ⁷⁸ 

until the remaining few are as isolated ⁷⁹ 

as a flagpole on a mountaintop

or a signal flag on a hill.”

Yesaya 35:2

35:2 Let it richly bloom; ⁸⁰ 

let it rejoice and shout with delight! ⁸¹ 

It is given the grandeur ⁸²  of Lebanon,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.

They will see the grandeur of the Lord,

the splendor of our God.

Yesaya 35:10

35:10 those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way. ⁸³ 

They will enter Zion with a happy shout.

Unending joy will crown them, ⁸⁴ 

happiness and joy will overwhelm ⁸⁵  them;

grief and suffering will disappear. ⁸⁶ 

Yesaya 36:2

36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser ⁸⁷  from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, ⁸⁸  along with a large army. The chief adviser ⁸⁹  stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ⁹⁰ 

Yesaya 36:8

36:8 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them.

Yesaya 36:12

36:12 But the chief adviser said, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. ⁹¹  His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you!” ⁹² 

Yesaya 37:24

37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, ⁹³ 

‘With my many chariots I climbed up

the high mountains,

the slopes of Lebanon.

I cut down its tall cedars

and its best evergreens.

I invaded its most remote regions, ⁹⁴ 

its thickest woods.

Yesaya 37:26

37:26 ⁹⁵ Certainly you must have heard! ⁹⁶ 

Long ago I worked it out,

in ancient times I planned ⁹⁷  it,

and now I am bringing it to pass.

The plan is this:

Fortified cities will crash

into heaps of ruins. ⁹⁸ 

Yesaya 37:33

37:33 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:

‘He will not enter this city,

nor will he shoot an arrow here. ⁹⁹ 

He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, ¹⁰⁰ 

nor will he build siege works against it.

Yesaya 41:26

41:26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?

Who announced it ¹⁰¹  ahead of time, so we could say, ‘He’s correct’?

Indeed, none of them decreed it!

Indeed, none of them announced it!

Indeed, no one heard you say anything!

Yesaya 42:5

42:5 This is what the true God, ¹⁰²  the Lord, says –

the one who created the sky and stretched it out,

the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it, ¹⁰³ 

the one who gives breath to the people on it,

and life to those who live on it: ¹⁰⁴ 

Yesaya 42:16

42:16 I will lead the blind along an unfamiliar way; ¹⁰⁵ 

I will guide them down paths they have never traveled. ¹⁰⁶ 

I will turn the darkness in front of them into light,

and level out the rough ground. ¹⁰⁷ 

This is what I will do for them.

I will not abandon them.

Yesaya 44:13

44:13 A carpenter takes measurements; ¹⁰⁸ 

he marks out an outline of its form; ¹⁰⁹ 

he scrapes ¹¹⁰  it with chisels,

and marks it with a compass.

He patterns it after the human form, ¹¹¹ 

like a well-built human being,

and puts it in a shrine. ¹¹² 

Yesaya 44:26

44:26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants ¹¹³ 

and brings to pass the announcements ¹¹⁴  of his messengers,

who says about Jerusalem, ¹¹⁵  ‘She will be inhabited,’

and about the towns of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt,

her ruins I will raise up,’

Yesaya 45:13

45:13 It is me – I stir him up and commission him; ¹¹⁶ 

I will make all his ways level.

He will rebuild my city;

he will send my exiled people home,

but not for a price or a bribe,”

says the Lord who commands armies.

Yesaya 45:21

45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence! ¹¹⁷ 

Let them consult with one another!

Who predicted this in the past?

Who announced it beforehand?

Was it not I, the Lord?

I have no peer, there is no God but me,

a God who vindicates and delivers; ¹¹⁸ 

there is none but me.

Yesaya 47:8

47:8 So now, listen to this,

O one who lives so lavishly, ¹¹⁹ 

who lives securely,

who says to herself, ¹²⁰ 

‘I am unique! No one can compare to me! ¹²¹ 

I will never have to live as a widow;

I will never lose my children.’ ¹²² 

Yesaya 48:16

48:16 Approach me! Listen to this!

From the very first I have not spoken in secret;

when it happens, ¹²³  I am there.”

So now, the sovereign Lord has sent me, accompanied by his spirit. ¹²⁴ 

Yesaya 49:23

49:23 Kings will be your children’s ¹²⁵  guardians;

their princesses will nurse your children. ¹²⁶ 

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

and they will lick the dirt on ¹²⁷  your feet.

Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;

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

Yesaya 51:11

51:11 Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return;

they will enter Zion with a happy shout.

Unending joy will crown them, ¹²⁸ 

happiness and joy will overwhelm ¹²⁹  them;

grief and suffering will disappear. ¹³⁰ 

Yesaya 53:2

53:2 He sprouted up like a twig before God, ¹³¹ 

like a root out of parched soil; ¹³² 

he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, ¹³³ 

no special appearance that we should want to follow him. ¹³⁴ 

Yesaya 53:12--54:1

53:12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, ¹³⁵ 

he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, ¹³⁶ 

because he willingly submitted ¹³⁷  to death

and was numbered with the rebels,

when he lifted up the sin of many

and intervened ¹³⁸  on behalf of the rebels.”

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.

Yesaya 56:3

56:3 No foreigner who becomes a follower of ¹³⁹  the Lord should say,

‘The Lord will certainly ¹⁴⁰  exclude me from his people.’

The eunuch should not say,

‘Look, I am like a dried-up tree.’”

Yesaya 57:11

57:11 Whom are you worried about?

Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully

and not remember me

or think about me? ¹⁴¹ 

Because I have been silent for so long, ¹⁴² 

you are not afraid of me. ¹⁴³ 

Yesaya 57:13

57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols ¹⁴⁴  help you!

The wind blows them all away, ¹⁴⁵ 

a breeze carries them away. ¹⁴⁶ 

But the one who looks to me for help ¹⁴⁷  will inherit the land

and will have access to ¹⁴⁸  my holy mountain.”

Yesaya 58:11

58:11 The Lord will continually lead you;

he will feed you even in parched regions. ¹⁴⁹ 

He will give you renewed strength, ¹⁵⁰ 

and you will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring that continually produces water.

Yesaya 61:3

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ¹⁵¹  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ¹⁵²  instead of discouragement. ¹⁵³ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ¹⁵⁴ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ¹⁵⁵ 

Yesaya 65:5

65:5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself!

Don’t get near me, for I am holier than you!’

These people are like smoke in my nostrils,

like a fire that keeps burning all day long.

Yesaya 65:25

65:25 A wolf and a lamb will graze together; ¹⁵⁶ 

a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, ¹⁵⁷ 

and a snake’s food will be dirt. ¹⁵⁸ 

They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain,” ¹⁵⁹  says the Lord.

Yesaya 66:4-5

66:4 So I will choose severe punishment ¹⁶⁰  for them;

I will bring on them what they dread,

because I called, and no one responded,

I spoke and they did not listen.

They did evil before me; ¹⁶¹ 

they chose to do what displeases me.”

66:5 Hear the word of the Lord,

you who respect what he has to say! ¹⁶² 

Your countrymen, ¹⁶³  who hate you

and exclude you, supposedly for the sake of my name,

say, “May the Lord be glorified,

then we will witness your joy.” ¹⁶⁴ 

But they will be put to shame.

Yesaya 66:17

66:17 “As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards, ¹⁶⁵  those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice ¹⁶⁶  – they will all be destroyed together,” ¹⁶⁷  says the Lord.

[1:4]  ¹ sn Having summoned the witnesses and announced the Lord’s accusation against Israel, Isaiah mourns the nation’s impending doom. The third person references to the Lord in the second half of the verse suggest that the quotation from the Lord (cf. vv. 2-3) has concluded.

[1:4]  ² tn Heb “Woe [to the] sinful nation.” The Hebrew term הוֹי, (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death. In highly dramatic fashion the prophet acts out Israel’s funeral in advance, emphasizing that their demise is inevitable if they do not repent soon.

[1:4]  ³ tn Or “sons” (NASB). The prophet contrasts four terms of privilege – nation, people, offspring, children – with four terms that depict Israel’s sinful condition in Isaiah’s day – sinful, evil, wrong, wicked (see J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, 43).

[1:4]  ⁴ sn Holy One of Israel is one of Isaiah’s favorite divine titles for God. It pictures the Lord as the sovereign king who rules over his covenant people and exercises moral authority over them.

[1:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “they are estranged backward.” The LXX omits this statement, which presents syntactical problems and seems to be outside the synonymous parallelistic structure of the verse.

[4:1]  ⁶ tn Or “in that day” (ASV).

[4:1]  sn The seven to one ratio emphasizes the great disparity that will exist in the population due to the death of so many men in battle.

[4:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “eat” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “buy.”

[4:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “wear” (so NASB, NRSV); NCV “make.”

[4:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “only let your name be called over us.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28, and BDB 896 s.v. I ָקרָא Niph. 2.d.(4). The language reflects the cultural reality of ancient Israel, where women were legally the property of their husbands.

[4:1]  ¹⁰ sn This refers to the humiliation of being unmarried and childless. The women’s words reflect the cultural standards of ancient Israel, where a woman’s primary duties were to be a wife and mother.

[5:7]  ¹¹ tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[5:7]  ¹² tn Heb “the house of Israel” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[5:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.

[5:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “but, look, disobedience.” The precise meaning of מִשְׂפָּח (mishpakh), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Some have suggested a meaning “bloodshed.” The term is obviously chosen for its wordplay value; it sounds very much like מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “justice”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.

[5:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “but, look, a cry for help.” The verb (“he waited”) does double duty in the parallelism. צְעָקָה (tsa’qah) refers to the cries for help made by the oppressed. It sounds very much like צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.

[5:24]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “a tongue of fire” (so NASB), referring to a tongue-shaped flame.

[5:24]  ¹⁷ sn They are compared to a flowering plant that withers quickly in a hot, arid climate.

[5:24]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the word.”

[5:24]  ¹⁹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[6:5]  ²⁰ tn Isaiah uses the suffixed (perfect) form of the verb for rhetorical purposes. In this way his destruction is described as occurring or as already completed. Rather than understanding the verb as derived from דָּמַה (damah, “be destroyed”), some take it from a proposed homonymic root דמה, which would mean “be silent.” In this case, one might translate, “I must be silent.”

[6:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “a man unclean of lips am I.” Isaiah is not qualified to praise the king. His lips (the instruments of praise) are “unclean” because he has been contaminated by sin.

[6:5]  ²² tn Heb “and among a nation unclean of lips I live.”

[6:5]  ²³ tn Perhaps in this context, the title has a less militaristic connotation and pictures the Lord as the ruler of the heavenly assembly. See the note at 1:9.

[8:18]  ²⁴ sn This refers to Shear-jashub (7:3) and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (8:1, 3).

[8:18]  ²⁵ tn Or “signs and portents” (NAB, NRSV). The names of all three individuals has symbolic value. Isaiah’s name (which meant “the Lord delivers”) was a reminder that the Lord was the nation’s only source of protection; Shear-jashub’s name was meant, at least originally, to encourage Ahaz (see the note at 7:3), and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz’s name was a guarantee that God would defeat Israel and Syria (see the note at 8:4). The word מוֹפֶת (mofet, “portent”) can often refer to some miraculous event, but in 20:3 it is used, along with its synonym אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) of Isaiah’s walking around half-naked as an object lesson of what would soon happen to the Egyptians.

[9:1]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn The Lord must be understood as the subject of the two verbs in this verse.

[9:1]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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.

[9:7]  ³² tc The Hebrew text has לְםַרְבֵּה (lÿmarbeh), which is a corrupt reading. לם is dittographic; note the preceding word, שָׁלוֹם (shalom). The corrected text reads literally, “great is the dominion.”

[9:7]  ³³ tn Heb “and to peace there will be no end” (KJV and ASV both similar). On the political and socio-economic sense of שָׁלוֹם (shalom) in this context, see the note at v. 6 on “Prince of Peace.”

[9:7]  ³⁴ tn Heb “over the throne of David, and over his kingdom.” The referent of the pronoun “his” (i.e., David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:7]  ³⁵ tn The feminine singular pronominal suffix on this form and the following one (translated “it” both times) refers back to the grammatically feminine noun “kingdom.”

[9:7]  ³⁶ tn Heb “with/by justice and fairness”; ASV “with justice and with righteousness.”

[9:7]  ³⁷ tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord.” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to vindicate them and to fulfill his promises to David and the nation.

[10:20]  ³⁸ 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.

[10:20]  ³⁹ tn Heb “house” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[10:20]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “on one who strikes him down.” This individual is the king (“foreign leader”) of the oppressing nation (which NLT specifies as “the Assyrians”).

[10:20]  ⁴¹ tn Or “sincerely”; KJV, ASV, NAB, NRSV “in truth.”

[10:20]  ⁴² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[13:20]  ⁴³ tn Heb “she will not be inhabited forever, and she will not be dwelt in to generation and generation (i.e., forever).” The Lord declares that Babylon, personified as a woman, will not be inhabited. In other words, her people will be destroyed and the Chaldean empire will come to a permanent end.

[13:20]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “Arab” (NAB, NASB, NIV); cf. CEV, NLT “nomads.”

[13:20]  ⁴⁵ tn יַהֵל (yahel) is probably a corrupted form of יֶאֱהַל (ye’ehal). See GKC 186 §68.k.

[13:20]  ⁴⁶ tn The words “their flocks” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text does not supply the object here, but see Jer 33:12.

[14:1]  ⁴⁷ tn The sentence begins with כִּי (ki), which is understood as asseverative (“certainly”) in the translation. Another option is to translate, “For the Lord will have compassion.” In this case one of the reasons for Babylon’s coming demise (13:22b) is the Lord’s desire to restore his people.

[14:1]  ⁴⁸ tn The words “as his special people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “settle” (NASB, NIV, NCV, NLT).

[14:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “house.”

[19:11]  ⁵¹ tn Or “certainly the officials of Zoan are fools.” אַךְ (’akh) can carry the sense, “only, nothing but,” or “certainly, surely.”

[19:11]  ⁵² tn Heb “A son of wise men am I, a son of ancient kings.” The term בֶּן (ben, “son of”) could refer to literal descent, but many understand the word, at least in the first line, in its idiomatic sense of “member [of a guild].” See HALOT 138 s.v. בֶּן and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:371. If this is the case, then one can take the word in a figurative sense in the second line as well, the “son of ancient kings” being one devoted to their memory as preserved in their literature.

[19:20]  ⁵³ tn The masculine noun מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbbeakh, “altar”) in v. 19 is probably the subject of the masculine singular verb הָיָה (hayah) rather than the feminine noun מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “sacred pillar”), also in v. 19.

[19:20]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “a sign and a witness to the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] in the land of Egypt.”

[19:20]  ⁵⁵ tn רָב (rav) is a substantival participle (from רִיב, riv) meaning “one who strives, contends.”

[22:25]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “In that day” (KJV).

[22:25]  ⁵⁷ sn Eliakim’s authority, though seemingly secure, will eventually be removed, and with it his family’s prominence.

[22:25]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[23:18]  ⁵⁹ 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.

[24:23]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “will be ashamed.”

[24:23]  ⁶¹ tn Or “glow of the sun.”

[24:23]  ⁶² tn Heb “will be ashamed” (so NCV).

[24:23]  ⁶³ tn Or “take his throne,” “become king.”

[24:23]  ⁶⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[24:23]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “and before his elders [in] splendor.”

[26:19]  ⁶⁶ sn At this point the Lord (or prophet) gives the people an encouraging oracle.

[26:19]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “dust” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[26:19]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “for the dew of lights [is] your dew.” The pronominal suffix on “dew” is masculine singular, like the suffixes on “your dead” and “your corpses” in the first half of the verse. The statement, then, is addressed to collective Israel, the speaker in verse 18. The plural form אוֹרֹת (’orot) is probably a plural of respect or magnitude, meaning “bright light” (i.e., morning’s light). Dew is a symbol of fertility and life. Here Israel’s “dew,” as it were, will soak the dust of the ground and cause the corpses of the dead to spring up to new life, like plants sprouting up from well-watered soil.

[26:19]  ⁶⁹ sn It is not certain whether the resurrection envisioned here is intended to be literal or figurative. A comparison with 25:8 and Dan 12:2 suggests a literal interpretation, but Ezek 37:1-14 uses resurrection as a metaphor for deliverance from exile and the restoration of the nation (see Isa 27:12-13).

[27:11]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “are dry” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[27:11]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “women come [and] light it.” The city is likened to a dead tree with dried up branches that is only good for firewood.

[27:11]  ⁷² tn Heb “for not a people of understanding [is] he.”

[28:15]  ⁷³ sn Sheol is the underworld, land of the dead, according to the OT world view.

[28:15]  ⁷⁴ tn Elsewhere the noun חֹזֶה (khozeh) refers to a prophet who sees visions. In v. 18 the related term חָזוּת (khazut, “vision”) is used. The parallelism in both verses (note “treaty”) seems to demand a meaning “agreement” for both nouns. Perhaps חֹזֶה and חזוּת are used in a metonymic sense in vv. 15 and 18. Another option is to propose a homonymic root. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:514, and HALOT 301 s.v. II חֹזֶה.

[28:15]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “the overwhelming scourge, when it passes by” (NRSV similar).

[28:15]  ⁷⁶ sn “Lie” and “deceitful word” would not be the terms used by the people. They would likely use the words “promise” and “reliable word,” but the prophet substitutes “lie” and “deceitful word” to emphasize that this treaty with death will really prove to be disappointing.

[30:17]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “One thousand from before [or “because of”] one battle cry.” גְּעָרָה (gÿ’arah) is often defined as “threat,” but in war contexts it likely refers to a shout or battle cry. See Ps 76:6.

[30:17]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “from before [or “because of”] the battle cry of five you will flee.

[30:17]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “until you are left” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[35:2]  ⁸⁰ tn The ambiguous verb form תִּפְרַח (tifrakh) is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel).

[35:2]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “and let it rejoice, yes [with] rejoicing and shouting.” גִּילַת (gilat) may be an archaic feminine nominal form (see GKC 421 §130.b).

[35:2]  ⁸² tn Or “glory” (KJV, NIV, NRSV); also a second time later in this verse.

[35:10]  ⁸³ tn Heb “and the redeemed will walk, the ransomed of the Lord will return.”

[35:10]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.

[35:10]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “will overtake” (NIV); NLT “they will be overcome with.”

[35:10]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee”; KJV “sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

[36:2]  ⁸⁷ sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.

[36:2]  ⁸⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[36:2]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[36:2]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[36:12]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.

[36:12]  ⁹² tn Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.”

[36:12]  sn The chief adviser alludes to the horrible reality of siege warfare, when the starving people in the besieged city would resort to eating and drinking anything to stay alive.

[37:24]  ⁹³ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[37:24]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “the height of its extremity”; ASV “its farthest height.”

[37:26]  ⁹⁵ tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.

[37:26]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.

[37:26]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “formed” (so KJV, ASV).

[37:26]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.

[37:33]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “there” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). In terms of English style “here” is expected in collocation with “this” in the previous line.

[37:33]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “[with] a shield” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[41:26]  ¹⁰¹ tn The words “who announced it” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The interrogative particle and verb are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).

[42:5]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “the God.” The definite article here indicates distinctiveness or uniqueness.

[42:5]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “and its offspring” (so NASB); NIV “all that comes out of it.”

[42:5]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “and spirit [i.e., “breath”] to the ones walking in it” (NAB, NASB, and NRSV all similar).

[42:16]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “a way they do not know” (so NASB); NRSV “a road they do not know.”

[42:16]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “in paths they do not know I will make them walk.”

[42:16]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “and the rough ground into a level place.”

[44:13]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “stretches out a line” (ASV similar); NIV “measures with a line.”

[44:13]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “he makes an outline with the [?].” The noun שֶׂרֶד (shered) occurs only here; it apparently refers to some type of tool or marker. Cf. KJV “with a line”; ASV “with a pencil”; NAB, NRSV “with a stylus”; NASB “with red chalk”; NIV “with a marker.”

[44:13]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “works” (so NASB) or “fashions” (so NRSV); NIV “he roughs it out.”

[44:13]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “he makes it like the pattern of a man”; NAB “like a man in appearance.”

[44:13]  ¹¹² tn Heb “like the glory of man to sit [in] a house”; NIV “that it may dwell in a shrine.”

[44:26]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “the word of his servant.” The following context indicates that the Lord’s prophets are in view.

[44:26]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “counsel.” The Hebrew term עֵצָה (’etsah) probably refers here to the divine plan as announced by the prophets. See HALOT 867 s.v. I עֵצָה.

[44:26]  ¹¹⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[45:13]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “I stir him up in righteousness”; NASB “I have aroused him.” See the note at 41:2. Cyrus (cf. 44:28) is in view here.

[45:21]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “Declare! Bring near!”; NASB “Declare and set forth your case.” See 41:21.

[45:21]  ¹¹⁸ tn Or “a righteous God and deliverer”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “a righteous God and a Savior.”

[47:8]  ¹¹⁹ tn Or perhaps, “voluptuous one” (NAB); NAB “you sensual one”; NLT “You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom.”

[47:8]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”

[47:8]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.” See Zeph 2:15.

[47:8]  ¹²² tn Heb “I will not live [as] a widow, and I will not know loss of children.”

[48:16]  ¹²³ tn Heb “from the time of its occurring.”

[48:16]  ¹²⁴ sn The speaker here is not identified specifically, but he is probably Cyrus, the Lord’s “ally” mentioned in vv. 14-15.

[49:23]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).

[49:23]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.

[49:23]  ¹²⁷ tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”

[51:11]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.

[51:11]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “overtake” (so NIV); NASB “they will obtain.”

[51:11]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee.”

[53:2]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “before him.” Some suggest an emendation to “before us.” If the third singular suffix of the Hebrew text is retained, it probably refers to the Lord (see v. 1b). For a defense of this reading, see R. Whybray, Isaiah 40-66 (NCBC), 173-74.

[53:2]  ¹³² sn The metaphor in this verse suggests insignificance.

[53:2]  ¹³³ tn Heb “that we might see him.” The vav conjunctive prefixed to the imperfect introduces a result clause here. See GKC 504-5 §166.a.

[53:2]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “that we should desire him.” The vav conjunctive prefixed to the imperfect introduces a result clause here. See GKC 504-5 §166.a.

[53:12]  ¹³⁵ tn Scholars have debated the precise meaning of the term רַבִּים (rabbim) that occurs five times in this passage (Isa 52:14, 15; 53:11, 12 [2x]). Its two broad categories of translation are “much”/“many” and “great” (HALOT 1171-72 s.v. I רַב). Unlike other Hebrew terms for might or strength, this term is linked with numbers or abundance. In all sixteen uses outside of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (articular and plural) it signifies an inclusive meaning: “the majority” or “the multitude” (J. Jeremias, TDNT 6:536-37). This term occurs in parallelism with עֲצוּמִים (’atsumim), which normally signifies “numerous” or “large” or “powerful” (through large numbers). Like רַבִּים (rabbim), it refers to greatness in numbers (cf. Deut 4:38; 7:1; 9:1; 11:34). It emphasizes the multitudes with whom the Servant will share the spoil of his victory. As J. Olley wrote: “Yahweh has won the victory and vindicates his Servant, giving to him many subservient people, together with their spoils. These numerous peoples in turn receive blessing, sharing in the “peace” resulting from Yahweh’s victory and the Servant’s suffering” (John W. Olley, “‘The Many’: How Is Isa 53,12a to Be Understood,” Bib 68 [1987]: 330-56).

[53:12]  ¹³⁶ sn The servant is compared here to a warrior who will be richly rewarded for his effort and success in battle.

[53:12]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “because he laid bare his life”; traditionally, ASV “because he (+ hath KJV) poured out his soul (life NIV) unto death.”

[53:12]  ¹³⁸ tn The Hiphil of פָּגַע (paga’) can mean “cause to attack” (v. 6), “urge, plead verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25), or “intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16). Perhaps the third nuance fits best here, for military imagery is employed in the first two lines of the verse.

[56:3]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “who attaches himself to.”

[56:3]  ¹⁴⁰ tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[57:11]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “you do not place [it] on your heart.”

[57:11]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “Is it not [because] I have been silent, and from long ago?”

[57:11]  ¹⁴³ sn God’s patience with sinful Israel has caused them to think that they can sin with impunity and suffer no consequences.

[57:13]  ¹⁴⁴ tn The Hebrew text has קִבּוּצַיִךְ (qibbutsayikh, “your gatherings”), an otherwise unattested noun from the verbal root קָבַץ (qavats, “gather”). Perhaps this alludes to their religious assemblies and by metonymy to their rituals. Since idolatry is a prominent theme in the context, some understand this as a reference to a collection of idols. The second half of the verse also favors this view.

[57:13]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “all of them a wind lifts up.”

[57:13]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “a breath takes [them] away.”

[57:13]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Or “seeks refuge in me.” “Seeking refuge” is a metonymy for “being loyal to.”

[57:13]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “possess, own.” The point seems to be that he will have free access to God’s presence, as if God’s temple mount were his personal possession.

[58:11]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “he will satisfy in parched regions your appetite.”

[58:11]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “and your bones he will strengthen.”

[61:3]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”

[61:3]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[65:25]  ¹⁵⁶ sn A similar statement appears in 11:6.

[65:25]  ¹⁵⁷ sn These words also appear in 11:7.

[65:25]  ¹⁵⁸ sn Some see an allusion to Gen 3:14 (note “you will eat dirt”). The point would be that even in this new era the snake (often taken as a symbol of Satan) remains under God’s curse. However, it is unlikely that such an allusion exists. Even if there is an echo of Gen 3:14, the primary allusion is to 11:8, where snakes are pictured as no longer dangerous. They will no longer attack other living creatures, but will be content to crawl along the ground. (The statement “you will eat dirt” in Gen 3:14 means “you will crawl on the ground.” In the same way the statement “dirt will be its food” in Isa 65:25 means “it will crawl on the ground.”)

[65:25]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” These same words appear in 11:9. See the note there.

[65:25]  sn As in 11:1-9 the prophet anticipates a time when the categories predator-prey no longer exist. See the note at the end of 11:8.

[66:4]  ¹⁶⁰ tn The precise meaning of the noun is uncertain. It occurs only here and in 3:4 (but see the note there). It appears to be derived from the verbal root עָלַל (’alal), which can carry the nuance “deal severely.”

[66:4]  ¹⁶¹ tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”

[66:5]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “who tremble at his word.”

[66:5]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “brothers” (so NASB, NIV); NRSV “Your own people”; NLT “Your close relatives.”

[66:5]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Or “so that we might witness your joy.” The point of this statement is unclear.

[66:17]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “the ones who consecrate themselves and the ones who purify themselves toward the orchards [or “gardens”] after the one in the midst.” The precise meaning of the statement is unclear, though it is obvious that some form of idolatry is in view.

[66:17]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “ones who eat the flesh of the pig and the disgusting thing and the mouse.”

[66:17]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “together they will come to an end.”