Yesaya 10:4

10:4 You will have no place to go, except to kneel with the prisoners,

or to fall among those who have been killed. ¹ 

Despite all this, his anger does not subside,

and his hand is ready to strike again. ² 

Yesaya 10:15

10:15 Does an ax exalt itself over the one who wields it,

or a saw magnify itself over the one who cuts with it? ³ 

As if a scepter should brandish the one who raises it,

or a staff should lift up what is not made of wood!

Yesaya 10:26

10:26 The Lord who commands armies is about to beat them ⁴  with a whip, similar to the way he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb. ⁵  He will use his staff against the sea, lifting it up as he did in Egypt. ⁶ 

Yesaya 10:28

10:28 ⁷ They ⁸  attacked ⁹  Aiath,

moved through Migron,

depositing their supplies at Micmash.

Yesaya 27:4

27:4 I am not angry.

I wish I could confront some thorns and briers!

Then I would march against them ¹⁰  for battle;

I would set them ¹¹  all on fire,

Yesaya 27:10

27:10 For the fortified city ¹²  is left alone;

it is a deserted settlement

and abandoned like the desert.

Calves ¹³  graze there;

they lie down there

and eat its branches bare. ¹⁴ 

Yesaya 28:18

28:18 Your treaty with death will be dissolved; ¹⁵ 

your agreement ¹⁶  with Sheol will not last. ¹⁷ 

When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, ¹⁸ 

you will be overrun by it. ¹⁹ 

Yesaya 28:28

28:28 Grain is crushed,

though one certainly does not thresh it forever.

The wheel of one’s wagon rolls over it,

but his horses do not crush it.

Yesaya 29:9

God’s People are Spiritually Insensitive

29:9 You will be shocked and amazed! ²⁰ 

You are totally blind! ²¹ 

They are drunk, ²²  but not because of wine;

they stagger, ²³  but not because of beer.

Yesaya 31:5

31:5 Just as birds hover over a nest, ²⁴ 

so the Lord who commands armies will protect Jerusalem. ²⁵ 

He will protect and deliver it;

as he passes over ²⁶  he will rescue it.

Yesaya 41:4

41:4 Who acts and carries out decrees? ²⁷ 

Who ²⁸  summons the successive generations from the beginning?

I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning,

and at the very end – I am the one. ²⁹ 

Yesaya 42:6

42:6 “I, the Lord, officially commission you; ³⁰ 

I take hold of your hand.

I protect you ³¹  and make you a covenant mediator for people, ³² 

and a light ³³  to the nations, ³⁴ 

Yesaya 48:20-21

48:20 Leave Babylon!

Flee from the Babylonians!

Announce it with a shout of joy!

Make this known!

Proclaim it throughout the earth! ³⁵ 

Say, ‘The Lord protects ³⁶  his servant Jacob.

48:21 They do not thirst as he leads them through dry regions;

he makes water flow out of a rock for them;

he splits open a rock and water flows out.’ ³⁷ 

Yesaya 51:17

51:17 Wake up! Wake up!

Get up, O Jerusalem!

You drank from the cup the Lord passed to you,

which was full of his anger! ³⁸ 

You drained dry

the goblet full of intoxicating wine. ³⁹ 

Yesaya 52:7

52:7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains ⁴⁰ 

the feet of a messenger who announces peace,

a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” ⁴¹ 

Yesaya 56:12

56:12 Each one says, ⁴² 

‘Come on, I’ll get some wine!

Let’s guzzle some beer!

Tomorrow will be just like today!

We’ll have everything we want!’ ⁴³ 

Yesaya 59:4

59:4 No one is concerned about justice; ⁴⁴ 

no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words ⁴⁵  and tell lies;

they conceive of oppression ⁴⁶ 

and give birth to sin.

Yesaya 62:11

62:11 Look, the Lord announces to the entire earth: ⁴⁷ 

“Say to Daughter Zion,

‘Look, your deliverer comes!

Look, his reward is with him

and his reward goes before him!’” ⁴⁸ 

[10:4]  ¹ tn Heb “except one kneels in the place of the prisoner, and in the place of the slain [who] fall.” On the force of בִּלְתִּי (bilti, “except”) and its logical connection to what precedes, see BDB 116 s.v. בֵלֶת. On the force of תַּחַת (takhat, “in the place of”) here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:258, n. 6.

[10:4]  ² tn Heb “in all this his anger was not turned, and still his hand was outstretched”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “his had is stretched out still.”

[10:4]  sn See the note at 9:12.

[10:15]  ³ tn Heb “the one who pushes it back and forth”; KJV “him that shaketh it”; ASV “him that wieldeth it.”

[10:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “him” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); the singular refers to the leader or king who stands for the entire nation. This is specified by NCV, CEV as “the Assyrians.”

[10:26]  ⁵ sn According to Judg 7:25, the Ephraimites executed the Midianite general Oreb at a rock which was subsequently named after the executed enemy.

[10:26]  ⁶ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his staff [will be] against the sea, and he will lift it in the way [or “manner”] of Egypt.” If the text is retained, “the sea” symbolizes Assyria’s hostility, the metaphor being introduced because of the reference to Egypt. The translation above assumes an emendation of עַל הַיָּם (’al hayyam, “against the sea”) to עַלֵיהֶם (’alehem, “against them”). The proposed shift from the third singular pronoun (note “beat him” earlier in the verse) to the plural is not problematic, for the singular is collective. Note that a third plural pronoun is used at the end of v. 25 (“their destruction”). The final phrase, “in the way/manner of Egypt,” probably refers to the way in which God used the staff of Moses to bring judgment down on Egypt.

[10:28]  ⁷ sn Verses 28-31 display a staccato style; the statements are short and disconnected (no conjunctions appear in the Hebrew text). The translation to follow strives for a choppy style that reflects the mood of the speech.

[10:28]  ⁸ tn Heb “he,” that is, the Assyrians (as the preceding context suggests). Cf. NCV “The army of Assyria.”

[10:28]  sn Verses 28-32 describe an invasion of Judah from the north. There is no scholarly consensus on when this particular invasion took place, if at all. J. H. Hayes and S. A. Irvine (Isaiah, 209-10) suggest the text describes the Israelite-Syrian invasion of Judah (ca. 735 b.c.), but this proposal disregards the preceding context, which prophesies the destruction of Assyria. Some suggest that this invasion occurred in conjunction with Sargon’s western campaign of 713-711 b.c., but there is no historical evidence of such an invasion at that time. Many others identify the invasion as Sennacherib’s in 701 b.c., but historical records indicate Sennacherib approached Jerusalem from the southwest. J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:274-75) prefers to see the description as rhetorical and as not corresponding to any particular historical event, but Hayes and Irvine argue that the precise geographical details militate against such a proposal. Perhaps it is best to label the account as rhetorical-prophetic. The prophecy of the invasion was not necessarily intended to be a literal itinerary of the Assyrians’ movements; rather its primary purpose was to create a foreboding mood. Geographical references contribute to this purpose, but they merely reflect how one would expect an Assyrian invasion to proceed, not necessarily how the actual invasion would progress. Despite its rhetorical nature, the prophecy does point to the invasion of 701 b.c., as the announcement of the invaders’ downfall in vv. 33-34 makes clear; it was essentially fulfilled at that time. For further discussion of the problem, see R. E. Clements, Isaiah (NCBC), 117-19. On the geographical details of the account, see Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, 393.

[10:28]  ⁹ tn Heb “came against,” or “came to.”

[27:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense. For other examples of a cohortative expressing resolve after a hypothetical statement introduced by נָתַן with מִי (miwith natan), see Judg 9:29; Jer 9:1-2; Ps 55:6.

[27:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense.

[27:10]  ¹² sn The identity of this city is uncertain. The context suggests that an Israelite city, perhaps Samaria or Jerusalem, is in view. For discussions of interpretive options see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:496-97, and Paul L. Redditt, “Once Again, the City in Isaiah 24-27,” HAR 10 (1986), 332.

[27:10]  ¹³ tn The singular form in the text is probably collective.

[27:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and destroy her branches.” The city is the antecedent of the third feminine singular pronominal suffix. Apparently the city is here compared to a tree. See also v. 11.

[28:18]  ¹⁵ tn On the meaning of כָּפַר (kafar) in this context, see HALOT 494 s.v. I כפר and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:515, n. 9.

[28:18]  ¹⁶ tn Normally the noun חָזוּת (khazut) means “vision.” See the note at v. 15.

[28:18]  ¹⁷ tn Or “will not stand” (NIV, NRSV).

[28:18]  ¹⁸ tn See the note at v. 15.

[28:18]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “you will become a trampling place for it.”

[29:9]  ²⁰ tn The form הִתְמַהְמְהוּ (hitmahmÿhu) is a Hitpalpel imperative from מָהַהּ (mahah, “hesitate”). If it is retained, one might translate “halt and be amazed.” The translation assumes an emendation to הִתַּמְּהוּ (hittammÿhu), a Hitpael imperative from תָּמַה (tamah, “be amazed”). In this case, the text, like Hab 1:5, combines the Hitpael and Qal imperatival forms of תָּמַה (tamah). A literal translation might be “Shock yourselves and be shocked!” The repetition of sound draws attention to the statement. The imperatives here have the force of an emphatic assertion. On this use of the imperative in Hebrew, see GKC 324 §110.c and IBHS 572 §34.4c.

[29:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “Blind yourselves and be blind!” The Hitpalpel and Qal imperatival forms of שָׁעַע (sha’a’, “be blind”) are combined to draw attention to the statement. The imperatives have the force of an emphatic assertion.

[29:9]  ²² tc Some prefer to emend the perfect form of the verb to an imperative (e.g., NAB, NCV, NRSV), since the people are addressed in the immediately preceding and following contexts.

[29:9]  ²³ tc Some prefer to emend the perfect form of the verb to an imperative (e.g., NAB, NCV, NRSV), since the people are addressed in the immediately preceding and following contexts.

[31:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “just as birds fly.” The words “over a nest” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[31:5]  ²⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[31:5]  ²⁶ 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.

[41:4]  ²⁷ tn Heb “Who acts and accomplishes?”; NASB “Who has performed and accomplished it.”

[41:4]  ²⁸ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[41:4]  ²⁹ tn Heb “I, the Lord, [am with] the first, and with the last ones I [am] he.”

[42:6]  ³⁰ tn Heb “call you in righteousness.” The pronoun “you” is masculine singular, referring to the servant. See the note at 41:2.

[42:6]  ³¹ tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצַר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצַר (yatsar, “form”).

[42:6]  ³² tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. The precise identity of עָם (’am, “people”) is uncertain. In v. 5 עָם refers to mankind, and the following reference to “nations” also favors this. But in 49:8, where the phrase בְּרִית עָם occurs again, Israel seems to be in view.

[42:6]  ³³ sn Light here symbolizes deliverance from bondage and oppression; note the parallelism in 49:6b and in 51:4-6.

[42:6]  ³⁴ tn Or “the Gentiles” (so KJV, ASV, NIV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context.

[48:20]  ³⁵ tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).

[48:20]  ³⁶ tn Heb “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.

[48:21]  ³⁷ sn The translation above (present tense) assumes that this verse describes God’s provision for returning Babylonian exiles (see v. 20; 35:6; 49:10) in terms reminiscent of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exod 17:6).

[51:17]  ³⁸ tn Heb “[you] who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his anger.”

[51:17]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the goblet, the cup [that causes] staggering, you drank, you drained.”

[52:7]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “How delightful on the mountains.”

[52:7]  ⁴¹ tn Or “has become king.” When a new king was enthroned, his followers would give this shout. For other examples of this enthronement formula (Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular מָלַךְ [malakh], followed by the name of the king), see 2 Sam 15:10; 1 Kgs 1:11, 13, 18; 2 Kgs 9:13. The Lord is an eternal king, but here he is pictured as a victorious warrior who establishes his rule from Zion.

[56:12]  ⁴² tn The words “each one says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[56:12]  ⁴³ tn Heb “great, [in] abundance, very much,” i.e., “very great indeed.” See HALOT 452 s.v. יֶתֶר.

[59:4]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”

[59:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”

[59:4]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”

[62:11]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so NASB, NRSV).

[62:11]  ⁴⁸ sn As v. 12 indicates, the returning exiles are the Lord’s reward/prize. See also 40:10 and the note there.