Yesaya 14:2

14:2 Nations will take them and bring them back to their own place. Then the family of Jacob will make foreigners their servants as they settle in the Lord’s land. ¹  They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them.

Yesaya 36:7

36:7 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar.’

Yesaya 41:2

41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? ² 

Who ³  officially commissions him for service? ⁴ 

He hands nations over to him, ⁵ 

and enables him to subdue ⁶  kings.

He makes them like dust with his sword,

like windblown straw with his bow. ⁷ 

[14:2]  ¹ tn Heb “and the house of Jacob will take possession of them [i.e., the nations], on the land of the Lord, as male servants and female servants.”

[41:2]  ² sn The expression this one from the east refers to the Persian conqueror Cyrus, as later texts indicate (see 44:28-45:6; 46:11; 48:14-16).

[41:2]  ³ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis.

[41:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “[in] righteousness called him to his foot.”

[41:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “he [the Lord] places before him [Cyrus] nations.”

[41:2]  ⁶ tn The verb יַרְדְּ (yardÿ) is an otherwise unattested Hiphil form from רָדָה (radah, “rule”). But the Hiphil makes no sense with “kings” as object; one must understand an ellipsis and supply “him” (Cyrus) as the object. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has יוֹרִד (yorid), which appears to be a Hiphil form from יָרַד (yarad, “go down”). Others suggest reading יָרֹד (yarod), a Qal form from רָדַד (radad, “beat down”).

[41:2]  ⁷ sn The point is that they are powerless before Cyrus’ military power and scatter before him.