Yesaya 10:22

10:22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as ¹  the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back. ²  Destruction has been decreed; ³  just punishment ⁴  is about to engulf you. ⁵ 

Yesaya 24:15

24:15 So in the east ⁶  extol the Lord,

along the seacoasts extol ⁷  the fame ⁸  of the Lord God of Israel.

Yesaya 31:2

31:2 Yet he too is wise ⁹  and he will bring disaster;

he does not retract his decree. ¹⁰ 

He will attack the wicked nation, ¹¹ 

and the nation that helps ¹²  those who commit sin. ¹³ 

Yesaya 31:5

31:5 Just as birds hover over a nest, ¹⁴ 

so the Lord who commands armies will protect Jerusalem. ¹⁵ 

He will protect and deliver it;

as he passes over ¹⁶  he will rescue it.

Yesaya 57:1

57:1 The godly ¹⁷  perish,

but no one cares. ¹⁸ 

Honest people disappear, ¹⁹ 

when no one ²⁰  minds ²¹ 

that the godly ²²  disappear ²³  because of ²⁴  evil. ²⁵ 

Yesaya 59:4

59:4 No one is concerned about justice; ²⁶ 

no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words ²⁷  and tell lies;

they conceive of oppression ²⁸ 

and give birth to sin.

[10:22]  ¹ tn Heb “are like.”

[10:22]  ² sn The twofold appearance of the statement “a remnant will come back” (שְׁאָר יָשׁוּב, she’ar yashuv) in vv. 21-22 echoes and probably plays off the name of Isaiah’s son Shear-jashub (see 7:3). In its original context the name was meant to encourage Ahaz (see the note at 7:3), but here it has taken on new dimensions. In light of Ahaz’s failure and the judgment it brings down on the land, the name Shear-jashub now foreshadows the destiny of the nation. According to vv. 21-22, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that a remnant of God’s people will return; the bad news is that only a remnant will be preserved and come back. Like the name Immanuel, this name foreshadows both judgment (see the notes at 7:25 and 8:8) and ultimate restoration (see the note at 8:10).

[10:22]  ³ tn Or “predetermined”; cf. ASV, NASB “is determined”; TEV “is in store.”

[10:22]  ⁴ tn צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) often means “righteousness,” but here it refers to God’s just judgment.

[10:22]  ⁵ tn Or “is about to overflow.”

[24:15]  ⁶ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “in the lights,” interpreted by some to mean “in the region of light,” referring to the east. Some scholars have suggested the emendation of בָּאֻרִים (ba’urim) to בְּאִיֵּי הַיָּם (bÿ’iyyey hayyam, “along the seacoasts”), a phrase that is repeated in the next line. In this case, the two lines form synonymous parallelism. If one retains the MT reading (as above), “in the east” and “along the seacoasts” depict the two ends of the earth to refer to all the earth (as a merism).

[24:15]  ⁷ tn The word “extol” is supplied in the translation; the verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.

[24:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “name,” which here stands for God’s reputation achieved by his mighty deeds.

[31:2]  ⁹ sn This statement appears to have a sarcastic tone. The royal advisers who are advocating an alliance with Egypt think they are wise, but the Lord possesses wisdom as well and will thwart their efforts.

[31:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and he does not turn aside [i.e., “retract”] his words”; NIV “does not take back his words.”

[31:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he will arise against the house of the wicked.”

[31:2]  ¹² sn That is, Egypt.

[31:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “and against the help of the doers of sin.”

[31:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “just as birds fly.” The words “over a nest” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[31:5]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[31:5]  ¹⁶ tn The only other occurrence of this verb is in Exod 12:13, 23, 27, where the Lord “passes over” (i.e., “spares”) the Israelite households as he comes to judge their Egyptian oppressors. The noun פֶּסַח (pesakh, “Passover”) is derived from the verb. The use of the verb in Isa 31:5 is probably an intentional echo of the Exodus event. As in the days of Moses the Lord will spare his people as he comes to judge their enemies.

[57:1]  ¹⁷ tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man”; TEV “Good people.”

[57:1]  ¹⁸ tn Or perhaps, “understands.” Heb “and there is no man who sets [it] upon [his] heart.”

[57:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Men of loyalty are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”

[57:1]  ²⁰ tn The Hebrew term בְּאֵין (bÿ’en) often has the nuance “when there is no.” See Prov 8:24; 11;14; 14:4; 15:22; 26:20; 29:18.

[57:1]  ²¹ tn Or “realizes”; Heb “understands” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[57:1]  ²² tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man.”

[57:1]  ²³ tn Heb “are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”

[57:1]  ²⁴ tn The term מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne, “from the face of”) often has a causal nuance. It also appears with the Niphal of אָסַף (’asaph, “gather”) in 2 Chr 12:5: אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפוּ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַם מִפְּנֵי שִׁישָׁק (’asher-ne’esphu ’el-yÿrushalam mippÿney shishaq, “who had gathered at Jerusalem because of [i.e., due to fear of] Shishak”).

[57:1]  ²⁵ tn The translation assumes that this verse, in proverbial fashion, laments society’s apathy over the persecution of the godly. The second half of the verse observes that such apathy results in more widespread oppression. Since the next verse pictures the godly being taken to a place of rest, some interpret the second half of v. 1 in a more positive vein. According to proponents of this view, God removes the godly so that they might be spared suffering and calamity, a fact which the general populace fails to realize.

[59:4]  ²⁶ tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”

[59:4]  ²⁷ tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”

[59:4]  ²⁸ tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”