Yesaya 10:34

10:34 The thickets of the forest will be chopped down with an ax,

and mighty Lebanon will fall. ¹ 

Yesaya 45:2

45:2 “I will go before you

and level mountains. ² 

Bronze doors I will shatter

and iron bars ³  I will hack through.

Yesaya 48:4

48:4 I did this ⁴  because I know how stubborn you are.

Your neck muscles are like iron

and your forehead like bronze. ⁵ 

Yesaya 60:17

60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,

instead of iron, I will bring you silver,

instead of wood, I will bring you ⁶  bronze,

instead of stones, I will bring you ⁷  iron.

I will make prosperity ⁸  your overseer,

and vindication your sovereign ruler. ⁹ 

Yesaya 44:12

44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool ¹⁰ 

and forges metal over the coals.

He forms it ¹¹  with hammers;

he makes it with his strong arm.

He gets hungry and loses his energy; ¹² 

he drinks no water and gets tired.

[10:34]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text has, “and Lebanon, by/as [?] a mighty one, will fall.” The translation above takes the preposition בְּ (bet) prefixed to “mighty one” as indicating identity, “Lebanon, as a mighty one, will fall.” In this case “mighty one” describes Lebanon. (In Ezek 17:23 and Zech 11:2 the adjective is used of Lebanon’s cedars.) Another option is to take the preposition as indicating agency and interpret “mighty one” as a divine title (see Isa 33:21). One could then translate, “and Lebanon will fall by [the agency of] the Mighty One.”

[45:2]  ² tc The form הֲדוּרִים (hadurim) makes little, if any, sense here. It is probably a corruption of an original הָרָרִים (hararim, “mountains”), the reduplicated form of הָר (har, “mountain”).

[45:2]  ³ tn That is, on the gates. Cf. CEV “break the iron bars on bronze gates.”

[48:4]  ⁴ tn The words “I did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 4 is subordinated to v. 3.

[48:4]  ⁵ sn The image is that of a person who has tensed the muscles of the face and neck as a sign of resolute refusal.

[60:17]  ⁶ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).

[60:17]  ⁷ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).

[60:17]  ⁸ tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).

[60:17]  ⁹ tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.

[44:12]  ¹⁰ tn The noun מַעֲצָד (ma’atsad), which refers to some type of tool used for cutting, occurs only here and in Jer 10:3. See HALOT 615 s.v. מַעֲצָד.

[44:12]  ¹¹ tn Some English versions take the pronoun “it” to refer to an idol being fashioned by the blacksmith (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV). NLT understands the referent to be “a sharp tool,” which is then used by the carpenter in the following verse to carve an idol from wood.

[44:12]  ¹² tn Heb “and there is no strength”; NASB “his strength fails.”