Yesaya 37:5

37:5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah,

Yesaya 65:12

65:12 I predestine you to die by the sword, ¹ 

all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block, ² 

because I called to you, and you did not respond,

I spoke and you did not listen.

You did evil before me; ³ 

you chose to do what displeases me.”

Yesaya 26:17

26:17 As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver

and strains and cries out because of her labor pains,

so were we because of you, O Lord.

Yesaya 51:2

51:2 Look at Abraham, your father,

and Sarah, who gave you birth. ⁴ 

When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, ⁵ 

but I blessed him ⁶  and gave him numerous descendants. ⁷ 

Yesaya 8:11

The Lord Encourages Isaiah

8:11 Indeed this is what the Lord told me. He took hold of me firmly and warned me not to act like these people: ⁸ 

Yesaya 10:26

10:26 The Lord who commands armies is about to beat them ⁹  with a whip, similar to the way he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb. ¹⁰  He will use his staff against the sea, lifting it up as he did in Egypt. ¹¹ 

Yesaya 66:4

66:4 So I will choose severe punishment ¹²  for them;

I will bring on them what they dread,

because I called, and no one responded,

I spoke and they did not listen.

They did evil before me; ¹³ 

they chose to do what displeases me.”

Yesaya 11:16

11:16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria

for the remnant of his people, ¹⁴ 

just as there was for Israel,

when ¹⁵  they went up from the land of Egypt.

Yesaya 48:21

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.’ ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 37:38

37:38 One day, ¹⁷  as he was worshiping ¹⁸  in the temple of his god Nisroch, ¹⁹  his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. ²⁰  They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.

Yesaya 23:1

The Lord Will Judge Tyre

23:1 Here is a message about Tyre:

Wail, you large ships, ²¹ 

for the port is too devastated to enter! ²² 

From the land of Cyprus ²³  this news is announced to them.

Yesaya 50:2

50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?

Why does no one respond when I call? ²⁴ 

Is my hand too weak ²⁵  to deliver ²⁶  you?

Do I lack the power to rescue you?

Look, with a mere shout ²⁷  I can dry up the sea;

I can turn streams into a desert,

so the fish rot away and die

from lack of water. ²⁸ 

Yesaya 23:5

23:5 When the news reaches Egypt,

they will be shaken by what has happened to Tyre. ²⁹ 

Yesaya 13:19

13:19 Babylon, the most admired ³⁰  of kingdoms,

the Chaldeans’ source of honor and pride, ³¹ 

will be destroyed by God

just as Sodom and Gomorrah were. ³² 

Yesaya 2:21

2:21 so they themselves can go into the crevices of the rocky cliffs

and the openings under the rocky overhangs, ³³ 

trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord ³⁴ 

and his royal splendor,

when he rises up to terrify the earth. ³⁵ 

Yesaya 10:3

10:3 What will you do on judgment day, ³⁶ 

when destruction arrives from a distant place?

To whom will you run for help?

Where will you leave your wealth?

Yesaya 28:7

28:7 Even these men ³⁷  stagger because of wine,

they stumble around because of beer –

priests and prophets stagger because of beer,

they are confused ³⁸  because of wine,

they stumble around because of beer;

they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, ³⁹ 

they totter while making legal decisions. ⁴⁰ 

Yesaya 54:9

54:9 “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time, ⁴¹ 

when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood ⁴²  would never again cover the earth.

In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you.

Yesaya 26:16

26:16 O Lord, in distress they looked for you;

they uttered incantations because of your discipline. ⁴³ 

Yesaya 29:17

Changes are Coming

29:17 In just a very short time ⁴⁴ 

Lebanon will turn into an orchard,

and the orchard will be considered a forest. ⁴⁵ 

Yesaya 37:34

37:34 He will go back the way he came –

he will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.

Yesaya 7:21

7:21 At that time ⁴⁶  a man will keep alive a young cow from the herd and a couple of goats.

Yesaya 13:10

13:10 Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations

no longer give out their light; ⁴⁷ 

the sun is darkened as soon as it rises,

and the moon does not shine. ⁴⁸ 

Yesaya 24:13

24:13 This is what will happen throughout ⁴⁹  the earth,

among the nations.

It will be like when they beat an olive tree,

and just a few olives are left at the end of the harvest. ⁵⁰ 

Yesaya 50:6

50:6 I offered my back to those who attacked, ⁵¹ 

my jaws to those who tore out my beard;

I did not hide my face

from insults and spitting.

Yesaya 33:3

33:3 The nations run away when they hear a loud noise; ⁵² 

the nations scatter when you spring into action! ⁵³ 

Yesaya 30:29

30:29 You will sing

as you do in the evening when you are celebrating a festival.

You will be happy like one who plays a flute

as he goes to the mountain of the Lord, the Rock who shelters Israel. ⁵⁴ 

Yesaya 1:8

1:8 Daughter Zion ⁵⁵  is left isolated,

like a hut in a vineyard,

or a shelter in a cucumber field;

she is a besieged city. ⁵⁶ 

Yesaya 19:19

19:19 At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt, as well as a sacred pillar ⁵⁷  dedicated to the Lord at its border.

Yesaya 20:1

20:1 The Lord revealed the following message during the year in which King Sargon of Assyria sent his commanding general to Ashdod, and he fought against it and captured it. ⁵⁸ 

Yesaya 37:1

37:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, ⁵⁹  he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple.

Yesaya 38:10

38:10 “I thought, ⁶⁰ 

‘In the middle of my life ⁶¹  I must walk through the gates of Sheol,

I am deprived ⁶²  of the rest of my years.’

Yesaya 48:13

48:13 Yes, my hand founded the earth;

my right hand spread out the sky.

I summon them;

they stand together.

Yesaya 61:2

61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,

the day when our God will seek vengeance, ⁶³ 

to console all who mourn,

Yesaya 63:18

63:18 For a short time your special ⁶⁴  nation possessed a land, ⁶⁵ 

but then our adversaries knocked down ⁶⁶  your holy sanctuary.

Yesaya 64:3

64:3 When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise, ⁶⁷ 

you came down, and the mountains trembled ⁶⁸  before you.

Yesaya 65:24

65:24 Before they even call out, ⁶⁹  I will respond;

while they are still speaking, I will hear.

Yesaya 29:8

29:8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming that he is eating,

only to awaken and find that his stomach is empty. ⁷⁰ 

It will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he is drinking,

only to awaken and find that he is still weak and his thirst unquenched. ⁷¹ 

So it will be for the horde from all the nations

that fight against Mount Zion.

Yesaya 37:29

37:29 Because you rage against me

and the uproar you create has reached my ears, ⁷² 

I will put my hook in your nose, ⁷³ 

and my bridle between your lips,

and I will lead you back

the way you came.”

Yesaya 8:3

8:3 I then had sexual relations with the prophetess; she conceived and gave birth to a son. The Lord told me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz,

Yesaya 8:12

8:12 “Do not say, ‘Conspiracy,’ every time these people say the word. ⁷⁴ 

Don’t be afraid of what scares them; don’t be terrified.

Yesaya 9:4

9:4 For their oppressive yoke

and the club that strikes their shoulders,

the cudgel the oppressor uses on them, ⁷⁵ 

you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat. ⁷⁶ 

Yesaya 13:22

13:22 Wild dogs will yip in her ruined fortresses,

jackals will yelp in the once-splendid palaces. ⁷⁷ 

Her time is almost up, ⁷⁸ 

her days will not be prolonged. ⁷⁹ 

Yesaya 14:9

14:9 Sheol ⁸⁰  below is stirred up about you,

ready to meet you when you arrive.

It rouses ⁸¹  the spirits of the dead for you,

all the former leaders of the earth; ⁸² 

it makes all the former kings of the nations

rise from their thrones. ⁸³ 

Yesaya 14:12

14:12 Look how you have fallen from the sky,

O shining one, son of the dawn! ⁸⁴ 

You have been cut down to the ground,

O conqueror ⁸⁵  of the nations! ⁸⁶ 

Yesaya 17:9

17:9 At that time ⁸⁷  their fortified cities will be

like the abandoned summits of the Amorites, ⁸⁸ 

which they abandoned because of the Israelites;

there will be desolation.

Yesaya 17:14

17:14 In the evening there is sudden terror; ⁸⁹ 

by morning they vanish. ⁹⁰ 

This is the fate of those who try to plunder us,

the destiny of those who try to loot us! ⁹¹ 

Yesaya 20:3

20:3 Later the Lord explained, “In the same way that my servant Isaiah has walked around in undergarments and barefoot for the past three years, as an object lesson and omen pertaining to Egypt and Cush,

Yesaya 21:3

21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; ⁹² 

cramps overwhelm me

like the contractions of a woman in labor.

I am disturbed ⁹³  by what I hear,

horrified by what I see.

Yesaya 37:8-9

37:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. ⁹⁴  37:9 The king ⁹⁵  heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia ⁹⁶  was marching out to fight him. ⁹⁷  He again sent ⁹⁸  messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them:

Yesaya 37:36

37:36 The Lord’s messenger ⁹⁹  went out and killed 185,000 troops ¹⁰⁰  in the Assyrian camp. When they ¹⁰¹  got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses! ¹⁰² 

Yesaya 51:9

51:9 Wake up! Wake up!

Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord! ¹⁰³ 

Wake up as in former times, as in antiquity!

Did you not smash ¹⁰⁴  the Proud One? ¹⁰⁵ 

Did you not ¹⁰⁶  wound the sea monster? ¹⁰⁷ 

Yesaya 56:10

56:10 All their watchmen ¹⁰⁸  are blind,

they are unaware. ¹⁰⁹ 

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant, ¹¹⁰  lie down,

and love to snooze.

Yesaya 60:15

60:15 You were once abandoned

and despised, with no one passing through,

but I will make you ¹¹¹  a permanent source of pride

and joy to coming generations.

Yesaya 66:9

66:9 “Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?”

asks the Lord.

“Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?”

asks your God. ¹¹² 

Yesaya 66:18

66:18 “I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming ¹¹³  to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; ¹¹⁴  they will come and witness my splendor.

Yesaya 2:4

2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;

he will settle cases for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares, ¹¹⁵ 

and their spears into pruning hooks. ¹¹⁶ 

Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,

and they will no longer train for war.

Yesaya 7:1

Ahaz Receives a Sign

7:1 During ¹¹⁷  the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel marched up to Jerusalem ¹¹⁸  to do battle, but they were unable to prevail against it. ¹¹⁹ 

Yesaya 47:6

47:6 I was angry at my people;

I defiled my special possession

and handed them over to you.

You showed them no mercy; ¹²⁰ 

you even placed a very heavy burden on old people. ¹²¹ 

Yesaya 63:11

63:11 His people remembered the ancient times. ¹²² 

Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea,

along with the shepherd of ¹²³  his flock?

Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them, ¹²⁴ 

[65:12]  ¹ tn Heb “I assign you to the sword.” Some emend the Qal verb form מָנִיתִי (maniti, “I assign”) to the Piel מִנִּיתִי (minniti, “ I ordain”). The verb sounds like the name of the god Meni (מְנִי, mÿni, “Destiny, Fate”). The sound play draws attention to the irony of the statement. The sinners among God’s people worship the god Meni, apparently in an effort to ensure a bright destiny for themselves. But the Lord is the one who really determines their destiny and he has decreed their demise.

[65:12]  ² tn Or “at the slaughter”; NIV “for the slaughter”; NLT “before the executioner.”

[65:12]  ³ tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”

[51:2]  ⁴ sn Although Abraham and Sarah are distant ancestors of the people the prophet is addressing, they are spoken of as the immediate parents.

[51:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “one”; NLT “was alone”; TEV “was childless.”

[51:2]  ⁶ tn “Bless” may here carry the sense of “endue with potency, reproductive power.” See Gen 1:28.

[51:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “and I made him numerous.”

[8:11]  ⁸ tc Heb “with strength of hand and he warned me from walking in the way of these people, saying.” Some want to change the pointing of the suffix and thereby emend the Qal imperfect יִסְּרֵנִי (yissÿreni, “he was warning me”) to the more common Piel perfect יִסְּרַנִי (yissÿrani, “he warned me”). Others follow the lead of the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and read יְסִירֵנִי (yÿsireni, “he was turning me aside,” a Hiphil imperfect from סוּר, sur).

[10:26]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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.

[66:4]  ¹² tn The precise meaning of the noun is uncertain. It occurs only here and in 3:4 (but see the note there). It appears to be derived from the verbal root עָלַל (’alal), which can carry the nuance “deal severely.”

[66:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”

[11:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and there will be a highway for the remnant of his people who remain, from Assyria.”

[11:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “in the day” (so KJV).

[48:21]  ¹⁶ 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).

[37:38]  ¹⁷ sn The assassination of King Sennacherib probably took place in 681 b.c.

[37:38]  ¹⁸ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[37:38]  ¹⁹ sn No such Mesopotamian god is presently known. Perhaps the name Nisroch is a corruption of Nusku.

[37:38]  ²⁰ sn Extra-biblical sources also mention the assassination of Sennacherib, though they refer to only one assassin. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 239-40.

[23:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.

[23:1]  ²² tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for it is destroyed, from a house, from entering.” The translation assumes that the mem (מ) on בַּיִת (bayit) was originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. This assumption allows one to take בַּיִת as the subject of the preceding verb. It is used in a metaphorical sense for the port city of Tyre. The preposition min (מִן) prefixed to בּוֹא (bo’) indicates negative consequence: “so that no one can enter.” See BDB 583 s.v. מִן 7.b.

[23:1]  ²³ tn Heb “the Kittim,” a designation for the people of Cyprus. See HALOT 504-05 s.v. כִּתִּיִּים.

[50:2]  ²⁴ sn The present tense translation of the verbs assumes that the Lord is questioning why Israel does not attempt to counter his arguments. Another possibility is to take the verbs as referring to past events: “Why did no one meet me when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” In this case the Lord might be asking why Israel rejected his calls to repent and his offer to deliver them.

[50:2]  ²⁵ tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ²⁶ tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “with my rebuke.”

[50:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”

[23:5]  ²⁹ tn Heb “they will be in pain at the report of Tyre.”

[13:19]  ³⁰ tn Or “most beautiful” (NCV, TEV).

[13:19]  ³¹ tn Heb “the beauty of the pride of the Chaldeans.”

[13:19]  sn The Chaldeans were a group of tribes who lived in southern Mesopotamia. The established the so-called neo-Babylonian empire in the late seventh century b.c. Their most famous king, Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Judah in 605 b.c. and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 b.c.

[13:19]  ³² tn Heb “and Babylon…will be like the overthrow by God of Sodom and Gomorrah.” On מַהְפֵּכַת (mahpekhat, “overthrow”) see the note on the word “destruction” in 1:7.

[2:21]  ³³ sn The precise point of vv. 20-21 is not entirely clear. Are they taking the idols into their hiding places with them, because they are so attached to their man-made images? Or are they discarding the idols along the way as they retreat into the darkest places they can find? In either case it is obvious that the gods are incapable of helping them.

[2:21]  ³⁴ tn Heb “from the dread of the Lord,” that is, from the dread that he produces in the objects of his judgment.” The words “trying to escape” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:21]  ³⁵ tn Or “land.” It is not certain if these verses are describing the judgment of Judah (see vv. 6-9) or a more universal judgment on all proud men. Almost all English versions translate “earth,” taking this to refer to universal judgment.

[10:3]  ³⁶ tn Heb “the day of visitation” (so KJV, ASV), that is, the day when God arrives to execute justice on the oppressors.

[28:7]  ³⁷ tn Heb “these.” The demonstrative pronoun anticipates “priests and prophets” two lines later.

[28:7]  ³⁸ tn According to HALOT 135 s.v. III בלע, the verb form is derived from בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”), not the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”). See earlier notes at 3:12 and 9:16.

[28:7]  ³⁹ tn Heb “in the seeing.”

[28:7]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “[in] giving a decision.”

[54:9]  ⁴¹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “For [or “indeed”] the waters of Noah [is] this to me.” כִּי־מֵי (ki-me, “for the waters of”) should be emended to כְּמֵי (kÿmey, “like the days of”), which is supported by the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and all the ancient versions except LXX.

[54:9]  ⁴² tn Heb “the waters of Noah” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[26:16]  ⁴³ tn The meaning of this verse is unclear. It appears to read literally, “O Lord, in distress they visit you, they pour out [?] an incantation, your discipline to them.” פָּקַד (paqad) may here carry the sense of “seek with interest” (cf. Ezek 23:21 and BDB 823 s.v.) or “seek in vain” (cf. Isa 34:16), but it is peculiar for the Lord to be the object of this verb. צָקוּן (tsaqun) may be a Qal perfect third plural form from צוּק (tsuq, “pour out, melt”), though the verb is not used of pouring out words in its two other occurrences. Because of the appearance of צַר (tsar, “distress”) in the preceding line, it is tempting to emend the form to a noun and derive it from צוּק (“be in distress”) The term לַחַשׁ (lakhash) elsewhere refers to an incantation (Isa 3:3; Jer 8:17; Eccl 10:11) or amulet (Isa 3:20). Perhaps here it refers to ritualistic prayers or to magical incantations used to ward off evil.

[29:17]  ⁴⁴ tn The Hebrew text phrases this as a rhetorical question, “Is it not yet a little, a short [time]?”

[29:17]  ⁴⁵ sn The meaning of this verse is debated, but it seems to depict a reversal in fortunes. The mighty forest of Lebanon (symbolic of the proud and powerful, see 2:13; 10:34) will be changed into a common orchard, while the common orchard (symbolic of the oppressed and lowly) will grow into a great forest. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:538.

[7:21]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[13:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “do not flash forth their light.”

[13:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “does not shed forth its light.”

[24:13]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “in the midst of” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[24:13]  ⁵⁰ sn The judgment will severely reduce the earth’s population. See v. 6.

[50:6]  ⁵¹ tn Or perhaps, “who beat [me].”

[33:3]  ⁵² tn Heb “at the sound of tumult the nations run away.”

[33:3]  ⁵³ tn Heb “because of your exaltation the nations scatter.”

[30:29]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “[you will have] joy of heart, like the one going with a flute to enter the mountain of the Lord to the Rock of Israel.” The image here is not a foundational rock, but a rocky cliff where people could hide for protection (for example, the fortress of Masada).

[1:8]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “daughter of Zion” (so KJV, NASB, NIV). The genitive is appositional, identifying precisely which daughter is in view. By picturing Zion as a daughter, the prophet emphasizes her helplessness and vulnerability before the enemy.

[1:8]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “like a city besieged.” Unlike the preceding two comparisons, which are purely metaphorical, this third one identifies the reality of Israel’s condition. In this case the comparative preposition, as in v. 7b, has the force, “in every way like,” indicating that all the earmarks of a siege are visible because that is indeed what is taking place. The verb form in MT is Qal passive participle of נָצַר (natsar, “guard”), but since this verb is not often used of a siege (see BDB 666 s.v. I נָצַר), some prefer to repoint the form as a Niphal participle from II צוּר (tsur, “besiege”). However, the latter is not attested elsewhere in the Niphal (see BDB 848 s.v. II צוּר).

[19:19]  ⁵⁷ tn This word is sometimes used of a sacred pillar associated with pagan worship, but here it is associated with the worship of the Lord.

[20:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “In the year the commanding general came to Ashdod, when Sargon king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and captured it.”

[20:1]  sn This probably refers to the Assyrian campaign against Philistia in 712 or 711 b.c.

[37:1]  ⁵⁹ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[38:10]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “I said” (KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[38:10]  ⁶¹ tn The precise meaning of the phrase בִּדְמִי יָמַי (bidmi yamay, “in the [?] of my days”) is uncertain. According to HALOT 226 s.v. דְּמִי this word is a hapax legomenon meaning “half.” Others derive the form from דַּמִי (dami, “quiet, rest, peacefulness”).

[38:10]  ⁶² tn The precise meaning of the verb is uncertain. The Pual of of פָּקַד (paqad) occurs only here and in Exod 38:21, where it appears to mean “passed in review” or “mustered.” Perhaps the idea is, “I have been called away for the remainder of my years.” To bring out the sense more clearly, one can translate, “I am deprived of the rest of my years.”

[61:2]  ⁶³ tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.

[63:18]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “holy” (ASV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[63:18]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “for a short time they had a possession, the people of your holiness.”

[63:18]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “your adversaries trampled on.”

[64:3]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “[for which] we were not waiting.”

[64:3]  ⁶⁸ tn See the note at v. 1.

[65:24]  ⁶⁹ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[29:8]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “that he [or “his appetite”] is unsatisfied.”

[29:8]  ⁷¹ tn Or “that he is faint and that he [or “his appetite”] longs [for water].”

[37:29]  ⁷² tc Heb “and your complacency comes up into my ears.” The parallelism is improved if שַׁאֲנַנְךָ (sha’anankha, “your complacency”) is emended to שְׁאוֹנְךָ (shÿ’onÿkha, “your uproar”). See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 237-38. However, the LXX seems to support the MT and Sennacherib’s cavalier dismissal of Yahweh depicts an arrogant complacency (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:658, n. 10).

[37:29]  ⁷³ sn The word-picture has a parallel in Assyrian sculpture. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 238.

[8:12]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “Do not say, ‘Conspiracy,’ with respect to all which these people say, ‘Conspiracy.’” The verb translated “do not say” is second masculine plural, indicating that this exhortation is directed to Isaiah and other followers of the Lord (see v. 16).

[8:12]  sn The background of this command is uncertain. Perhaps the “conspiracy” in view is the alliance between Israel and Syria. Some of the people may even have thought that individuals in Judah were plotting with Israel and Syria to overthrow the king.

[9:4]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “for the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the scepter of the oppressor against him.” The singular pronouns are collective, referring to the people. The oppressed nation is compared to an ox weighed down by a heavy yoke and an animal that is prodded and beaten.

[9:4]  ⁷⁶ sn This alludes to Gideon’s victory over Midian (Judg 7-8), when the Lord delivered Israel from an oppressive foreign invader.

[13:22]  ⁷⁷ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “wild dogs will yip among his widows, and jackals in the palaces of pleasure.” The verb “yip” is supplied in the second line; it does double duty in the parallel structure. “His widows” makes little sense in this context; many emend the form (אַלְמנוֹתָיו, ’almnotayv) to the graphically similar אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ (’armÿnoteha, “her fortresses”), a reading that is assumed in the present translation. The use of “widows” may represent an intentional wordplay on “fortresses,” indicating that the fortresses are like dejected widows (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:308, n. 1).

[13:22]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “near to come is her time.”

[13:22]  ⁷⁹ sn When was the prophecy of Babylon’s fall fulfilled? Some argue that the prophecy was fulfilled in 689 b.c. when the Assyrians under Sennacherib sacked and desecrated the city (this event is alluded to in 23:13). This may have been an initial phase in the fulfillment of the prophecy, but the reference to the involvement of the Medes (v. 17) and the suggestion that Babylon’s demise will bring about the restoration of Israel (14:1-2) indicate that the fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians in 538 b.c. is the primary focus of the prophecy. (After all, the Lord did reveal to Isaiah that the Chaldeans [not the Assyrians] would someday conquer Jerusalem and take the people into exile [see 39:5-7].) However, the vivid picture of destruction in vv. 15-22 raises a problem. The Medes and Persians did not destroy the city; in fact Cyrus’ takeover of Babylon, though preceded by a military campaign, was relatively peaceful and even welcomed by some Babylonian religious officials. How then does one explain the prophecy’s description of the city’s violent fall? As noted above, the events of 689 b.c. and 538 b.c. may have been merged in the prophecy. However, it is more likely that the language is stylized and exaggerated for rhetorical effect. See Isa 34:11-15; Jer 50:39-40 (describing Babylon’s fall in 538 b.c.); 51:36-37 (describing Babylon’s fall in 538 b.c.); Zeph 2:13-15; the extra-biblical Sefire treaty curses; and Ashurbanipal’s description of the destruction of Elam in his royal annals. In other words, the events of 538 b.c. essentially, though not necessarily literally, fulfill the prophecy.

[14:9]  ⁸⁰ sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.

[14:9]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “arousing.” The form is probably a Polel infinitive absolute, rather than a third masculine singular perfect, for Sheol is grammatically feminine (note “stirred up”). See GKC 466 §145.t.

[14:9]  ⁸² tn Heb “all the rams of the earth.” The animal epithet is used metaphorically here for leaders. See HALOT 903 s.v. *עַתּוּד.

[14:9]  ⁸³ tn Heb “lifting from their thrones all the kings of the nations.” הֵקִים (heqim, a Hiphil perfect third masculine singular) should be emended to an infinitive absolute (הָקֵים, haqem). See the note on “rouses” earlier in the verse.

[14:12]  ⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew text has הֵילֵל בֶּן־שָׁחַר (helel ben-shakhar, “Helel son of Shachar”), which is probably a name for the morning star (Venus) or the crescent moon. See HALOT 245 s.v. הֵילֵל.

[14:12]  sn What is the background for the imagery in vv. 12-15? This whole section (vv. 4b-21) is directed to the king of Babylon, who is clearly depicted as a human ruler. Other kings of the earth address him in vv. 9ff., he is called “the man” in v. 16, and, according to vv. 19-20, he possesses a physical body. Nevertheless the language of vv. 12-15 has led some to see a dual referent in the taunt song. These verses, which appear to be spoken by other pagan kings to a pagan king (cf. vv. 9-11), contain several titles and motifs that resemble those of Canaanite mythology, including references to Helel son of Shachar, the stars of El, the mountain of assembly, the recesses of Zaphon, and the divine title Most High. Apparently these verses allude to a mythological story about a minor god (Helel son of Shachar) who tried to take over Zaphon, the mountain of the gods. His attempted coup failed and he was hurled down to the underworld. The king of Babylon is taunted for having similar unrealized delusions of grandeur. Some Christians have seen an allusion to the fall of Satan here, but this seems contextually unwarranted (see J. Martin, “Isaiah,” BKCOT, 1061).

[14:12]  ⁸⁵ tn Some understand the verb to from חָלַשׁ (khalash, “to weaken”), but HALOT 324 s.v. II חלשׁ proposes a homonym here, meaning “to defeat.”

[14:12]  ⁸⁶ sn In this line the taunting kings hint at the literal identity of the king, after likening him to the god Helel and a tree. The verb גָדַע (gada’, “cut down”) is used of chopping down trees in 9:10 and 10:33.

[17:9]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).

[17:9]  ⁸⁸ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “like the abandonment of the wooded height and the top one.” The following relative clause appears to allude back to the Israelite conquest of the land, so it seems preferable to emend הַחֹרֶשׁ וְהָאָמִיר (hakhoresh vÿha’amir, “the wooded height and the top one”) to חֹרֵשֵׁי הָאֱמֹרִי (khoreshe ha’emori, “[like the abandonment] of the wooded heights of the Amorites”).

[17:14]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “at the time of evening, look, sudden terror.”

[17:14]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “before morning he is not.”

[17:14]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “this is the portion of those who plunder us, and the lot of those who loot us.”

[21:3]  ⁹² tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”

[21:3]  ⁹³ tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”

[37:8]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “and the chief adviser returned and he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.”

[37:9]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:9]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “Cush” (so NASB); NIV, NCV “the Cushite king of Egypt.”

[37:9]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, ‘He has come out to fight with you.’”

[37:9]  ⁹⁸ tn The Hebrew text has, “and he heard and he sent,” but the parallel in 2 Kgs 19:9 has וַיָּשָׁב וַיִּשְׁלַח (vayyashav vayyishlakh, “and he returned and he sent”), i.e., “he again sent.”

[37:36]  ⁹⁹ tn Traditionally, “the angel of the Lord” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[37:36]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The word “troops” is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.

[37:36]  ¹⁰¹ tn This refers to the Israelites and/or the rest of the Assyrian army.

[37:36]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “look, all of them were dead bodies”; NLT “they found corpses everywhere.”

[51:9]  ¹⁰³ tn The arm of the Lord is a symbol of divine military power. Here it is personified and told to arouse itself from sleep and prepare for action.

[51:9]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “Are you not the one who smashed?” The feminine singular forms agree grammatically with the feminine noun “arm.” The Hebrew text has ַהמַּחְצֶבֶת (hammakhtsevet), from the verbal root חָצַב (khatsav, “hew, chop”). The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has, probably correctly, המחצת, from the verbal root מָחַץ (makhats, “smash”) which is used in Job 26:12 to describe God’s victory over “the Proud One.”

[51:9]  ¹⁰⁵ tn This title (רַהַב, rahav, “proud one”) is sometimes translated as a proper name: “Rahab” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). It is used here of a symbolic sea monster, known elsewhere in the Bible and in Ugaritic myth as Leviathan. This sea creature symbolizes the forces of chaos that seek to destroy the created order. In the Bible “the Proud One” opposes God’s creative work, but is defeated (see Job 26:12; Ps 89:10). Here the title refers to Pharaoh’s Egyptian army that opposed Israel at the Red Sea (see v. 10, and note also Isa 30:7 and Ps 87:4, where the title is used of Egypt).

[51:9]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The words “did you not” are understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line). The rhetorical questions here and in v. 10 expect the answer, “Yes, you certainly did!”

[51:9]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Hebrew תַּנִּין (tannin) is another name for the symbolic sea monster. See the note at 27:1. In this context the sea creature represents Egypt. See the note on the title “Proud One” earlier in this verse.

[56:10]  ¹⁰⁸ sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.

[56:10]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”

[56:10]  ¹¹⁰ tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.

[60:15]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”

[66:9]  ¹¹² sn The rhetorical questions expect the answer, “Of course not!”

[66:18]  ¹¹³ tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and I, their deeds and their thoughts, am coming.” The syntax here is very problematic, suggesting that the text may have suffered corruption. Some suggest that the words “their deeds and their thoughts” have been displaced from v. 17. This line presents two primary challenges. In the first place, the personal pronoun “I” has no verb after it. Most translations insert “know” for the sake of clarity (NASB, NRSV, NLT, ESV). The NIV has “I, because of their actions and their imaginations…” Since God’s “knowledge” of Israel’s sin occasions judgment, the verb “hate” is an option as well (see above translation). The feminine form of the next verb (בָּאָה, ba’ah) could be understood in one of two ways. One could provide an implied noun “time” (עֵת, ’et) and render the next line “the time is coming/has come” (NASB, ESV). One could also emend the feminine verb to the masculine בָּא (ba’) and have the “I” at the beginning of the line govern this verb as well (for the Lord is speaking here): “I am coming” (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[66:18]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “and the tongues”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “and tongues.”

[2:4]  ¹¹⁵ sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.

[2:4]  ¹¹⁶ sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:93; M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle. Breaking weapons and fashioning agricultural implements indicates a transition from fear and stress to peace and security.

[7:1]  ¹¹⁷ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[7:1]  ¹¹⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[7:1]  ¹¹⁹ tn Or perhaps, “but they were unable to attack it.” This statement sounds like a summary of the whole campaign. The following context explains why they were unable to defeat the southern kingdom. The parallel passage (2 Kgs 16:5; cf. Num 22:11; 1 Sam 17:9 for a similar construction) affirms that Syria and Israel besieged Ahaz. Consequently, the statement that “they were not able to battle against them” must refer to the inability to conquer Ahaz.

[47:6]  ¹²⁰ tn Or “compassion.”

[47:6]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “on the old you made very heavy your yoke.”

[63:11]  ¹²² tn Heb “and he remembered the days of antiquity, Moses, his people.” The syntax of the statement is unclear. The translation assumes that “his people” is the subject of the verb “remembered.” If original, “Moses” is in apposition to “the days of antiquity,” more precisely identifying the time period referred to. However, the syntactical awkwardness suggests that “Moses” may have been an early marginal note (perhaps identifying “the shepherd of his flock” two lines later) that has worked its way into the text.

[63:11]  ¹²³ tn The Hebrew text has a plural form, which if retained and taken as a numerical plural, would probably refer to Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite tribal leaders at the time of the Exodus. Most prefer to emend the form to the singular (רָעָה, ra’ah) and understand this as a reference just to Moses.

[63:11]  ¹²⁴ sn See the note at v. 10.