Yesaya 29:9

God’s People are Spiritually Insensitive

29:9 You will be shocked and amazed! ¹ 

You are totally blind! ² 

They are drunk, ³  but not because of wine;

they stagger, ⁴  but not because of beer.

Yesaya 29:14

29:14 Therefore I will again do an amazing thing for these people –

an absolutely extraordinary deed. ⁵ 

Wise men will have nothing to say,

the sages will have no explanations.” ⁶ 

Yesaya 29:21

29:21 those who bear false testimony against a person, ⁷ 

who entrap the one who arbitrates at the city gate ⁸ 

and deprive the innocent of justice by making false charges. ⁹ 

Yesaya 52:15

52:15 his form was so marred he no longer looked human ¹⁰  –

so now ¹¹  he will startle ¹²  many nations.

Kings will be shocked by his exaltation, ¹³ 

for they will witness something unannounced to them,

and they will understand something they had not heard about.

Yesaya 56:4

56:4 For this is what the Lord says:

“For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths

and choose what pleases me

and are faithful to ¹⁴  my covenant,

Yesaya 56:11

56:11 The dogs have big appetites;

they are never full. ¹⁵ 

They are shepherds who have no understanding;

they all go their own way,

each one looking for monetary gain. ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 60:5

60:5 Then you will look and smile, ¹⁷ 

you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. ¹⁸ 

For the riches of distant lands ¹⁹  will belong to you

and the wealth of nations will come to you.

Yesaya 65:2

65:2 I spread out my hands all day long

to my rebellious people,

who lived in a way that is morally unacceptable,

and who did what they desired. ²⁰ 

Yesaya 65:19

65:19 Jerusalem will bring me joy,

and my people will bring me happiness. ²¹ 

The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow

will never be heard in her again.

[29:9]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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.

[29:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “Therefore I will again do something amazing with these people, an amazing deed, an amazing thing.” This probably refers to the amazing transformation predicted in vv. 17-24, which will follow the purifying judgment implied in vv. 15-16.

[29:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “the wisdom of their wise ones will perish, the discernment of their discerning ones will keep hidden.”

[29:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “the ones who make a man a sinner with a word.” The Hiphil of חָטָא (khata’) here has a delocutive sense: “declare a man sinful/guilty.”

[29:21]  ⁸ sn Legal disputes were resolved at the city gate, where the town elders met. See Amos 5:10.

[29:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “and deprive by emptiness the innocent.”

[52:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and his form from the sons of men.” The preposition מִן (min) here carries the sense “away from,” i.e., “so as not to be.”

[52:15]  ¹¹ tn This statement completes the sentence begun in v. 14a. The introductory כֵּן (ken) answers to the introductory כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka’asher) of v. 14a. Verses 14b-15a are parenthetical, explaining why many were horrified.

[52:15]  ¹² tn Traditionally the verb יַזֶּה (yazzeh, a Hiphil stem) has been understood as a causative of נָזָה (nazah, “spurt, spatter”) and translated “sprinkle.” In this case the passage pictures the servant as a priest who “sprinkles” (or spiritually cleanses) the nations. Though the verb נָזָה does occur in the Hiphil with the meaning “sprinkle,” the usual interpretation is problematic. In all other instances where the object or person sprinkled is indicated, the verb is combined with a preposition. This is not the case in Isaiah 52:15, unless one takes the following עָלָיו (’alayv, “on him”) with the preceding line. But then one would have to emend the verb to a plural, make the nations the subject of the verb “sprinkle,” and take the servant as the object. Consequently some interpreters doubt the cultic idea of “sprinkling” is present here. Some emend the text; others propose a homonymic root meaning “spring, leap,” which in the Hiphil could mean “cause to leap, startle” and would fit the parallelism of the verse nicely.

[52:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “Because of him kings will shut their mouths,” i.e., be speechless.

[56:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and take hold of” (so KJV); NASB “hold fast.”

[56:11]  ¹⁵ sn The phrase never full alludes to the greed of the leaders.

[56:11]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “for his gain from his end.”

[60:5]  ¹⁷ tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[60:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”

[60:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.

[65:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “who walked [in] the way that is not good, after their thoughts.”

[65:19]  ²¹ tn Heb “and I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be happy in my people.”