Yesaya 28:16
Konteks28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:
“Look, I am laying 1 a stone in Zion,
an approved 2 stone,
set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. 3
The one who maintains his faith will not panic. 4
Yesaya 21:1
Konteks21:1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: 5
Like strong winds blowing in the south, 6
one invades from the desert,
from a land that is feared.
[28:16] 1 tc The Hebrew text has a third person verb form, which does not agree with the first person suffix that precedes. The form should be emended to יֹסֵד (yosed), a Qal active participle used in a present progressive or imminent future sense.
[28:16] 2 tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved.
[28:16] 3 sn The reality behind the metaphor is not entirely clear from the context. The stone appears to represent someone or something that gives Zion stability. Perhaps the ideal Davidic ruler is in view (see 32:1). Another option is that the image of beginning a building project by laying a precious cornerstone suggests that God is about to transform Zion through judgment and begin a new covenant community that will experience his protection (see 4:3-6; 31:5; 33:20-24; 35:10).
[28:16] 4 tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.
[21:1] 5 sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “desert” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like a desolate desert.
