Yesaya 38:21

38:21 ¹  Isaiah ordered, “Let them take a fig cake and apply it to the ulcerated sore and he will get well.”

Yesaya 47:2

47:2 Pick up millstones and grind flour!

Remove your veil,

strip off your skirt,

expose your legs,

cross the streams!

Yesaya 23:16

23:16 “Take the harp,

go through the city,

forgotten prostitute!

Play it well,

play lots of songs,

so you’ll be noticed!” ² 

Yesaya 6:6

6:6 But then one of the seraphs flew toward me. In his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs.

Yesaya 8:1

A Sign-Child is Born

8:1 The Lord told me, “Take a large tablet ³  and inscribe these words ⁴  on it with an ordinary stylus: ⁵  ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.’ ⁶ 

Yesaya 56:12

56:12 Each one says, ⁷ 

‘Come on, I’ll get some wine!

Let’s guzzle some beer!

Tomorrow will be just like today!

We’ll have everything we want!’ ⁸ 

Yesaya 49:24

49:24 Can spoils be taken from a warrior,

or captives be rescued from a conqueror? ⁹ 

Yesaya 3:18

3:18 ¹⁰ At that time ¹¹  the sovereign master will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry, ¹²  neck ornaments, crescent shaped ornaments,

Yesaya 39:7

39:7 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father ¹³  will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

Yesaya 41:9

41:9 you whom I am bringing back ¹⁴  from the earth’s extremities,

and have summoned from the remote regions –

I told you, “You are my servant.”

I have chosen you and not rejected you.

Yesaya 57:1

57:1 The godly ¹⁵  perish,

but no one cares. ¹⁶ 

Honest people disappear, ¹⁷ 

when no one ¹⁸  minds ¹⁹ 

that the godly ²⁰  disappear ²¹  because of ²²  evil. ²³ 

Yesaya 51:22

51:22 This is what your sovereign master, ²⁴  the Lord your God, says:

“Look, I have removed from your hand

the cup of intoxicating wine, ²⁵ 

the goblet full of my anger. ²⁶ 

You will no longer have to drink it.

Yesaya 44:14-15

44:14 He cuts down cedars

and acquires a cypress ²⁷  or an oak.

He gets ²⁸  trees from the forest;

he plants a cedar ²⁹  and the rain makes it grow.

44:15 A man uses it to make a fire; ³⁰ 

he takes some of it and warms himself.

Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.

Then he makes a god and worships it;

he makes an idol and bows down to it. ³¹ 

Yesaya 4:1

4:1 Seven women will grab hold of

one man at that time. ³² 

They will say, “We will provide ³³  our own food,

we will provide ³⁴  our own clothes;

but let us belong to you ³⁵  –

take away our shame!” ³⁶ 

Yesaya 57:14

57:14 He says, ³⁷ 

“Build it! Build it! Clear a way!

Remove all the obstacles out of the way of my people!”

Yesaya 16:3

16:3 “Bring a plan, make a decision! ³⁸ 

Provide some shade in the middle of the day! ³⁹ 

Hide the fugitives! Do not betray ⁴⁰  the one who tries to escape!

Yesaya 40:21

40:21 Do you not know?

Do you not hear?

Has it not been told to you since the very beginning?

Have you not understood from the time the earth’s foundations were made?

Yesaya 37:14

37:14 Hezekiah took the letter ⁴¹  from the messengers and read it. ⁴²  Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord.

Yesaya 49:25

49:25 Indeed,” says the Lord,

“captives will be taken from a warrior;

spoils will be rescued from a conqueror.

I will oppose your adversary

and I will rescue your children.

Yesaya 54:7

54:7 “For a short time I abandoned ⁴³  you,

but with great compassion I will gather you.

Yesaya 30:11

30:11 Turn aside from the way,

stray off the path. ⁴⁴ 

Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.” ⁴⁵ 

Yesaya 30:14

30:14 It shatters in pieces like a clay jar,

so shattered to bits that none of it can be salvaged. ⁴⁶ 

Among its fragments one cannot find a shard large enough ⁴⁷ 

to scoop a hot coal from a fire ⁴⁸ 

or to skim off water from a cistern.” ⁴⁹ 

Yesaya 8:2

8:2 Then I will summon ⁵⁰  as my reliable witnesses Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”

Yesaya 8:10

8:10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted!

Issue your orders, but they will not be executed! ⁵¹ 

For God is with us! ⁵² 

Yesaya 3:13

3:13 The Lord takes his position to judge;

he stands up to pass sentence on his people. ⁵³ 

Yesaya 66:21

66:21 And I will choose some of them as priests and Levites,” says the Lord.

Yesaya 10:14

10:14 My hand discovered the wealth of the nations, as if it were in a nest,

as one gathers up abandoned eggs,

I gathered up the whole earth.

There was no wing flapping,

or open mouth chirping.” ⁵⁴ 

Yesaya 7:15

7:15 He will eat sour milk ⁵⁵  and honey, which will help him know how ⁵⁶  to reject evil and choose what is right.

Yesaya 11:2

11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him ⁵⁷  –

a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, ⁵⁸ 

a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, ⁵⁹ 

a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. ⁶⁰ 

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. ⁶¹ 

Yesaya 22:6

22:6 The Elamites picked up the quiver,

and came with chariots and horsemen; ⁶² 

the men of Kir ⁶³  prepared ⁶⁴  the shield. ⁶⁵ 

Yesaya 22:8

22:8 They ⁶⁶  removed the defenses ⁶⁷  of Judah.

At that time ⁶⁸  you looked

for the weapons in the House of the Forest. ⁶⁹ 

Yesaya 23:8

23:8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, ⁷⁰ 

whose merchants are princes,

whose traders are the dignitaries ⁷¹  of the earth?

Yesaya 36:1

Sennacherib Invades Judah

36:1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, ⁷²  King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.

Yesaya 53:6

53:6 All of us had wandered off like sheep;

each of us had strayed off on his own path,

but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him. ⁷³ 

Yesaya 36:2

36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser ⁷⁴  from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, ⁷⁵  along with a large army. The chief adviser ⁷⁶  stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ⁷⁷ 

Yesaya 1:7

1:7 Your land is devastated,

your cities burned with fire.

Right before your eyes your crops

are being destroyed by foreign invaders. ⁷⁸ 

They leave behind devastation and destruction. ⁷⁹ 

Yesaya 3:1

A Coming Leadership Crisis

3:1 Look, the sovereign Lord who commands armies ⁸⁰ 

is about to remove from Jerusalem ⁸¹  and Judah

every source of security, including ⁸² 

all the food and water, ⁸³ 

Yesaya 9:4

9:4 For their oppressive yoke

and the club that strikes their shoulders,

the cudgel the oppressor uses on them, ⁸⁴ 

you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat. ⁸⁵ 

Yesaya 10:2

10:2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,

and to deprive ⁸⁶  the oppressed among my people of justice,

so they can steal what widows own,

and loot what belongs to orphans. ⁸⁷ 

Yesaya 10:6

10:6 I sent him ⁸⁸  against a godless ⁸⁹  nation,

I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry, ⁹⁰ 

to take plunder and to carry away loot,

to trample them down ⁹¹  like dirt in the streets.

Yesaya 19:17

19:17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord who commands armies is planning to do to them. ⁹² 

Yesaya 23:9

23:9 The Lord who commands armies planned it –

to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty, ⁹³ 

to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.

Yesaya 24:13

24:13 This is what will happen throughout ⁹⁴  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. ⁹⁵ 

Yesaya 28:17

28:17 I will make justice the measuring line,

fairness the plumb line;

hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, ⁹⁶ 

the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.

Yesaya 33:23

33:23 Though at this time your ropes are slack, ⁹⁷ 

the mast is not secured, ⁹⁸ 

and the sail ⁹⁹  is not unfurled,

at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot; ¹⁰⁰ 

even the lame will drag off plunder. ¹⁰¹ 

Yesaya 44:12

44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool ¹⁰² 

and forges metal over the coals.

He forms it ¹⁰³  with hammers;

he makes it with his strong arm.

He gets hungry and loses his energy; ¹⁰⁴ 

he drinks no water and gets tired.

Yesaya 51:1

There is Hope for the Future

51:1 “Listen to me, you who pursue godliness, ¹⁰⁵ 

who seek the Lord!

Look at the rock from which you were chiseled,

at the quarry ¹⁰⁶  from which you were dug! ¹⁰⁷ 

Yesaya 53:8

53:8 He was led away after an unjust trial ¹⁰⁸  –

but who even cared? ¹⁰⁹ 

Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; ¹¹⁰ 

because of the rebellion of his own ¹¹¹  people he was wounded.

Yesaya 55:1

The Lord Gives an Invitation

55:1 “Hey, ¹¹²  all who are thirsty, come to the water!

You who have no money, come!

Buy and eat!

Come! Buy wine and milk

without money and without cost! ¹¹³ 

Yesaya 56:11

56:11 The dogs have big appetites;

they are never full. ¹¹⁴ 

They are shepherds who have no understanding;

they all go their own way,

each one looking for monetary gain. ¹¹⁵ 

Yesaya 59:8

59:8 They are unfamiliar with peace;

their deeds are unjust. ¹¹⁶ 

They use deceitful methods,

and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace. ¹¹⁷ 

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. ¹¹⁸  They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them.

Yesaya 28:4

28:4 The withering flower, its beautiful splendor,

situated at the head of a rich valley,

will be like an early fig before harvest –

as soon as someone notices it,

he grabs it and swallows it. ¹¹⁹ 

Yesaya 33:15

33:15 The one who lives ¹²⁰  uprightly ¹²¹ 

and speaks honestly;

the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures

and rejects a bribe; ¹²² 

the one who does not plot violent crimes ¹²³ 

and does not seek to harm others ¹²⁴  –

Yesaya 48:11

48:11 For my sake alone ¹²⁵  I will act,

for how can I allow my name to be defiled? ¹²⁶ 

I will not share my glory with anyone else! ¹²⁷ 

Yesaya 53:12

53:12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, ¹²⁸ 

he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, ¹²⁹ 

because he willingly submitted ¹³⁰  to death

and was numbered with the rebels,

when he lifted up the sin of many

and intervened ¹³¹  on behalf of the rebels.”

Yesaya 58:3

58:3 They lament, ¹³²  ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast?

Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’

Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, ¹³³ 

you oppress your workers. ¹³⁴ 

[38:21]  ¹ tc If original to Isaiah 38, vv. 21-22 have obviously been misplaced in the course of the text’s transmission, and would most naturally be placed here, between Isa 38:6 and 38:7. See 2 Kgs 20:7-8, where these verses are placed at this point in the narrative, not at the end. Another possibility is that these verses were not in the original account, and a scribe, familiar with the 2 Kgs version of the story, appended vv. 21-22 to the end of the account in Isaiah 38.

[23:16]  ² tn Heb “so you will be remembered.”

[8:1]  ³ sn Probably made of metal, wood, or leather. See HALOT 193 s.v. גִּלָּיוֹן.

[8:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “write” (so KJV, ASV, NIV, NRSV).

[8:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “with the stylus of a man.” The significance of the qualifying genitive “a man” is uncertain. For various interpretations see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:219, n. 1.

[8:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “quickly, [the] plunder; it hurries, [the] loot.” The first word (מַהֵר, maher) is either a Piel imperative (“hurry [to]”) or infinitive (“hurrying,” or “quickly”). The third word (חָשׁ, khash) is either a third masculine singular perfect or a masculine singular participle, in either case from the root חוּשׁ (khush, “hurry”). Perhaps it is best to translate, “One hastens to the plunder, one hurries to the loot.” In this case מַהֵר is understood as an infinitive functioning as a verb, the subject of חוּשׁ is taken as indefinite, and the two nouns are understood as adverbial accusatives. As we discover in v. 3, this is the name of the son to be born to Isaiah through the prophetess.

[56:12]  ⁷ tn The words “each one says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[56:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “great, [in] abundance, very much,” i.e., “very great indeed.” See HALOT 452 s.v. יֶתֶר.

[49:24]  ⁹ tc The Hebrew text has צָדִיק (tsadiq, “a righteous [one]”), but this makes no sense in the parallelism. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads correctly עריץ (“violent [one], tyrant”; see v. 25).

[3:18]  ¹⁰ sn The translation assumes that the direct quotation ends with v. 17. The introductory formula “in that day” and the shift from a poetic to prosaic style indicate that a new speech unit begins in v. 18.

[3:18]  ¹¹ tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[3:18]  ¹² tn Or “the beauty of [their] ankle jewelry.”

[39:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “Some of your sons, who go out from you, whom you father.”

[41:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “whom I have taken hold of [i.e., to lead back].”

[57:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man”; TEV “Good people.”

[57:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or perhaps, “understands.” Heb “and there is no man who sets [it] upon [his] heart.”

[57:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Men of loyalty are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”

[57:1]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew term בְּאֵין (bÿ’en) often has the nuance “when there is no.” See Prov 8:24; 11;14; 14:4; 15:22; 26:20; 29:18.

[57:1]  ¹⁹ tn Or “realizes”; Heb “understands” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[57:1]  ²⁰ tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man.”

[57:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”

[57:1]  ²² tn The term מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne, “from the face of”) often has a causal nuance. It also appears with the Niphal of אָסַף (’asaph, “gather”) in 2 Chr 12:5: אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפוּ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַם מִפְּנֵי שִׁישָׁק (’asher-ne’esphu ’el-yÿrushalam mippÿney shishaq, “who had gathered at Jerusalem because of [i.e., due to fear of] Shishak”).

[57:1]  ²³ tn The translation assumes that this verse, in proverbial fashion, laments society’s apathy over the persecution of the godly. The second half of the verse observes that such apathy results in more widespread oppression. Since the next verse pictures the godly being taken to a place of rest, some interpret the second half of v. 1 in a more positive vein. According to proponents of this view, God removes the godly so that they might be spared suffering and calamity, a fact which the general populace fails to realize.

[51:22]  ²⁴ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[51:22]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the cup of [= that causes] staggering” (so ASV, NAB, NRSV); NASB “the cup of reeling.”

[51:22]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the goblet of the cup of my anger.”

[44:14]  ²⁷ tn It is not certain what type of tree this otherwise unattested noun refers to. Cf. ASV “a holm-tree” (NRSV similar).

[44:14]  ²⁸ tn Heb “strengthens for himself,” i.e., “secures for himself” (see BDB 55 s.v. אָמֵץ Pi.2).

[44:14]  ²⁹ tn Some prefer to emend אֹרֶן (’oren) to אֶרֶז (’erez, “cedar”), but the otherwise unattested noun appears to have an Akkadian cognate, meaning “cedar.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 44-45. HALOT 90 s.v. I אֹרֶן offers the meaning “laurel.”

[44:15]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and it becomes burning [i.e., firewood] for a man”; NAB “to serve man for fuel.”

[44:15]  ³¹ tn Or perhaps, “them.”

[4:1]  ³² tn Or “in that day” (ASV).

[4:1]  sn The seven to one ratio emphasizes the great disparity that will exist in the population due to the death of so many men in battle.

[4:1]  ³³ tn Heb “eat” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “buy.”

[4:1]  ³⁴ tn Heb “wear” (so NASB, NRSV); NCV “make.”

[4:1]  ³⁵ tn Heb “only let your name be called over us.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28, and BDB 896 s.v. I ָקרָא Niph. 2.d.(4). The language reflects the cultural reality of ancient Israel, where women were legally the property of their husbands.

[4:1]  ³⁶ sn This refers to the humiliation of being unmarried and childless. The women’s words reflect the cultural standards of ancient Israel, where a woman’s primary duties were to be a wife and mother.

[57:14]  ³⁷ tn Since God is speaking throughout this context, perhaps we should emend the text to “and I say.” However, divine speech is introduced in v. 15.

[16:3]  ³⁸ sn It is unclear who is being addressed in this verse. Perhaps the prophet, playing the role of a panic stricken Moabite refugee, requests the leaders of Judah (the imperatives are plural) to take pity on the fugitives.

[16:3]  ³⁹ tn Heb “Make your shade like night in the midst of noonday.” “Shade” here symbolizes shelter, while the heat of noonday represents the intense suffering of the Moabites. By comparing the desired shade to night, the speaker visualizes a huge dark shadow cast by a large tree that would provide relief from the sun’s heat.

[16:3]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “disclose, uncover.”

[37:14]  ⁴¹ tc The Hebrew text has the plural, “letters.” The final mem (ם) may be dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular. If so, one still has to deal with the yod that is part of the plural ending. J. N. Oswalt refers to various commentators who have suggested ways to understand the plural form (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:652).

[37:14]  ⁴² tn In the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:14 the verb has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”).

[54:7]  ⁴³ tn Or “forsook” (NASB).

[30:11]  ⁴⁴ sn The imagery refers to the way or path of truth, as revealed by God to the prophet.

[30:11]  ⁴⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[30:14]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “Its shattering is like the shattering of a jug of [i.e., “made by”] potters, [so] shattered one cannot save [any of it].”

[30:14]  ⁴⁷ tn The words “large enough” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[30:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “to remove fire from the place of kindling.”

[30:14]  ⁴⁹ tn On the meaning of גֶבֶא (geveh, “cistern”) see HALOT 170 s.v.

[8:2]  ⁵⁰ tn The form in the text is a cohortative with prefixed vav (ו), suggesting that the Lord is announcing what he will do. Some prefer to change the verb to an imperative, “and summon as witnesses,” a reading that finds support from the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a. Another option is to point the prefixed conjunction as a vav consecutive and translate, “So I summoned as witnesses.” In this case Isaiah is recalling his response to the Lord’s commission. In any case, the reference to witnesses suggests that the name and the child who bears it will function as signs.

[8:10]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “speak a word, but it will not stand.”

[8:10]  ⁵² sn In these vv. 9-10 the tone shifts abruptly from judgment to hope. Hostile nations like Assyria may attack God’s people, but eventually they will be destroyed, for God is with his people, sometimes to punish, but ultimately to vindicate. In addition to being a reminder of God’s presence in the immediate crisis faced by Ahaz and Judah, Immanuel (whose name is echoed in this concluding statement) was a guarantee of the nation’s future greatness in fulfillment of God’s covenantal promises. Eventually God would deliver his people from the hostile nations (vv. 9-10) through another child, an ideal Davidic ruler who would embody God’s presence in a special way (see 9:6-7). Jesus the Messiah is the fulfillment of the Davidic ideal prophesied by Isaiah, the one whom Immanuel foreshadowed. Through the miracle of the incarnation he is literally “God with us.” Matthew realized this and applied Isaiah’s ancient prophecy of Immanuel’s birth to Jesus (Matt 1:22-23). The first Immanuel was a reminder to the people of God’s presence and a guarantee of a greater child to come who would manifest God’s presence in an even greater way. The second Immanuel is “God with us” in a heightened and infinitely superior sense. He “fulfills” Isaiah’s Immanuel prophecy by bringing the typology intended by God to realization and by filling out or completing the pattern designed by God. Of course, in the ultimate fulfillment of the type, the incarnate Immanuel’s mother must be a virgin, so Matthew uses a Greek term (παρθένος, parqenos), which carries that technical meaning (in contrast to the Hebrew word עַלְמָה [’almah], which has the more general meaning “young woman”). Matthew draws similar analogies between NT and OT events in 2:15, 18. The linking of these passages by analogy is termed “fulfillment.” In 2:15 God calls Jesus, his perfect Son, out of Egypt, just as he did his son Israel in the days of Moses, an historical event referred to in Hos 11:1. In so doing he makes it clear that Jesus is the ideal Israel prophesied by Isaiah (see Isa 49:3), sent to restore wayward Israel (see Isa 49:5, cf. Matt 1:21). In 2:18 Herod’s slaughter of the infants is another illustration of the oppressive treatment of God’s people by foreign tyrants. Herod’s actions are analogous to those of the Assyrians, who deported the Israelites, causing the personified land to lament as inconsolably as a mother robbed of her little ones (Jer 31:15).

[3:13]  ⁵³ tc The Hebrew text has “nations,” but the preceding and following contexts make it clear that the Lord is judging his covenant people. עָמִים (’amim) should be changed (with support from the LXX) to עמו. The final mem (ם) on the form in the Hebrew is either dittographic or enclitic. When the mem was added or read as a plural ending, the vav (ו) was then misread as a yod (י).

[10:14]  ⁵⁴ sn The Assyrians’ conquests were relatively unopposed, like robbing a bird’s nest of its eggs when the mother bird is absent.

[7:15]  ⁵⁵ tn Or, perhaps “cream,” frequently, “curds” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); KJV, ASV “butter”; CEV “yogurt.”

[7:15]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “for his knowing.” Traditionally the preposition has been translated in a temporal sense, “when he knows.” However, though the preposition לְ (lamed) can sometimes have a temporal force, it never carries such a nuance in any of the 40 other passages where it is used with the infinitive construct of יָדַע (yada’, “to know”). Most often the construction indicates purpose/result. This sense is preferable here. The following context indicates that sour milk and honey will epitomize the devastation that God’s judgment will bring upon the land. Cultivated crops will be gone and the people will be forced to live off the milk produced by their goats and the honey they find in the thickets. As the child is forced to eat a steady diet of this sour milk and honey, he will be reminded of the consequences of sin and motivated to make correct moral decisions in order to avoid further outbreaks of divine discipline.

[11:2]  ⁵⁷ sn Like David (1 Sam 16:13), this king will be energized by the Lord’s spirit.

[11:2]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “a spirit of wisdom and understanding.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of wisdom he will possess. His wisdom will enable him to make just legal decisions (v. 3). A very similar phrase occurs in Eph 1:17.

[11:2]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “a spirit of counsel [or “strategy”] and strength.” The construction is a hendiadys; the point is that he will have the strength/ability to execute the plans/strategies he devises. This ability will enable him to suppress oppressors and implement just policies (v. 4).

[11:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.” “Knowledge” is used here in its covenantal sense and refers to a recognition of God’s authority and a willingness to submit to it. See Jer 22:16. “Fear” here refers to a healthy respect for God’s authority which produces obedience. Taken together the two terms emphasize the single quality of loyalty to the Lord. This loyalty guarantees that he will make just legal decisions and implement just policies (vv. 4-5).

[20:1]  ⁶¹ 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.

[22:6]  ⁶² tn Heb “[with] the chariots of men, horsemen.”

[22:6]  ⁶³ sn A distant region in the direction of Mesopotamia; see Amos 1:5; 9:7.

[22:6]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “Kir uncovers” (so NAB, NIV).

[22:6]  ⁶⁵ sn The Elamites and men of Kir may here symbolize a fierce army from a distant land. If this oracle anticipates a Babylonian conquest of the city (see 39:5-7), then the Elamites and men of Kir are perhaps viewed here as mercenaries in the Babylonian army. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:410.

[22:8]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “he,” i.e., the enemy invader. NASB, by its capitalization of the pronoun, takes this to refer to the Lord.

[22:8]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “covering.”

[22:8]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of v. 12.

[22:8]  ⁶⁹ sn Perhaps this refers to a royal armory, or to Solomon’s “House of the Forest of Lebanon,” where weapons may have been kept (see 1 Kgs 10:16-17).

[23:8]  ⁷⁰ tn The precise meaning of הַמַּעֲטִירָה (hamma’atirah) is uncertain. The form is a Hiphil participle from עָטַר (’atar), a denominative verb derived from עֲטָרָה (’atarah, “crown, wreath”). The participle may mean “one who wears a crown” or “one who distributes crowns.” In either case, Tyre’s prominence in the international political arena is in view.

[23:8]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “the honored” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “renowned.”

[36:1]  ⁷² tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[53:6]  ⁷³ tn Elsewhere the Hiphil of פָגַע (paga’) means “to intercede verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25) or “to intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16), but neither nuance fits here. Apparently here the Hiphil is the causative of the normal Qal meaning, “encounter, meet, touch.” The Qal sometimes refers to a hostile encounter or attack; when used in this way the object is normally introduced by the preposition -בְּ (bet, see Josh 2:16; Judg 8:21; 15:12, etc.). Here the causative Hiphil has a double object – the Lord makes “sin” attack “him” (note that the object attacked is introduced by the preposition -בְּ. In their sin the group was like sheep who had wandered from God’s path. They were vulnerable to attack; the guilt of their sin was ready to attack and destroy them. But then the servant stepped in and took the full force of the attack.

[36:2]  ⁷⁴ sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.

[36:2]  ⁷⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[36:2]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[36:2]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[1:7]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “As for your land, before you foreigners are devouring it.”

[1:7]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “and [there is] devastation like an overthrow by foreigners.” The comparative preposition כְּ (kÿ, “like, as”) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the land has all the earmarks of a destructive foreign invasion because that is what has indeed happened. One could paraphrase, “it is desolate as it can only be when foreigners destroy.” On this use of the preposition in general, see GKC 376 §118.x. Many also prefer to emend “foreigners” here to “Sodom,” though there is no external attestation for such a reading in the mss or ancient versions. Such an emendation finds support from the following context (vv. 9-10) and usage of the preceding noun מַהְפֵּכָה (mahpekhah, “overthrow”). In its five other uses, this noun is associated with the destruction of Sodom. If one accepts the emendation, then one might translate, “the devastation resembles the destruction of Sodom.”

[3:1]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at 1:9.

[3:1]  ⁸¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:1]  ⁸² tn Heb “support and support.” The masculine and feminine forms of the noun are placed side-by-side to emphasize completeness. See GKC 394 §122.v.

[3:1]  ⁸³ tn Heb “all the support of food, and all the support of water.”

[9:4]  ⁸⁴ 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]  ⁸⁵ sn This alludes to Gideon’s victory over Midian (Judg 7-8), when the Lord delivered Israel from an oppressive foreign invader.

[10:2]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “rob” (ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); KJV “take away the right from the poor.”

[10:2]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “so that widows are their plunder, and they can loot orphans.”

[10:2]  sn On the socio-economic background of vv. 1-2, see the note at 1:23.

[10:6]  ⁸⁸ sn Throughout this section singular forms are used to refer to Assyria; perhaps the king of Assyria is in view (see v. 12).

[10:6]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “defiled”; cf. ASV “profane”; NAB “impious”; NCV “separated from God.”

[10:6]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “and against the people of my anger I ordered him.”

[10:6]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “to make it [i.e., the people] a trampled place.”

[19:17]  ⁹² tn Heb “and the land of Judah will become [a source of] shame to Egypt, everyone to whom one mentions it [i.e., the land of Judah] will fear because of the plan of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] which he is planning against him.”

[23:9]  ⁹³ tn Heb “the pride of all the beauty.”

[24:13]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “in the midst of” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[24:13]  ⁹⁵ sn The judgment will severely reduce the earth’s population. See v. 6.

[28:17]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “[the] refuge, [the] lie.” See v. 15.

[33:23]  ⁹⁷ tn The words “though at this time” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The first half of the verse is addressed to Judah and contrasts the nation’s present weakness with its future prosperity. Judah is compared to a ship that is incapable of sailing.

[33:23]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “they do not fasten the base of their mast.” On כֵּן (ken, “base”) see BDB 487 s.v. III כֵּן and HALOT 483 s.v. III כֵּן.

[33:23]  ⁹⁹ tn Or perhaps, “flag.”

[33:23]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “then there will be divided up loot of plunder [in] abundance.”

[33:23]  ¹⁰¹ sn Judah’s victory over its enemies will be so thorough there will be more than enough plunder for everyone, even slow-moving lame men who would normally get left out in the rush to gather the loot.

[44:12]  ¹⁰² tn The noun מַעֲצָד (ma’atsad), which refers to some type of tool used for cutting, occurs only here and in Jer 10:3. See HALOT 615 s.v. מַעֲצָד.

[44:12]  ¹⁰³ tn Some English versions take the pronoun “it” to refer to an idol being fashioned by the blacksmith (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV). NLT understands the referent to be “a sharp tool,” which is then used by the carpenter in the following verse to carve an idol from wood.

[44:12]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “and there is no strength”; NASB “his strength fails.”

[51:1]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “justice”; NLT “hope for deliverance.”

[51:1]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “the excavation of the hole.”

[51:1]  ¹⁰⁷ sn The “rock” and “quarry” refer here to Abraham and Sarah, the progenitors of the nation.

[53:8]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The present translation assumes that מִן (min) here has an instrumental sense (“by, through”) and understands עֹצֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט (’otser umimmishpat, “coercion and legal decision”) as a hendiadys meaning “coercive legal decision,” thus “an unjust trial.” Other interpretive options include: (1) “without [for this sense of מִן, see BDB 578 s.v. 1.b] hindrance and proper judicial process,” i.e., “unfairly and with no one to defend him,” (2) “from [in the sense of “after,” see BDB 581 s.v. 4.b] arrest and judgment.”

[53:8]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “and his generation, who considers?” (NASB similar). Some understand “his generation” as a reference to descendants. In this case the question would suggest that he will have none. However, אֶת (’et) may be taken here as specifying a new subject (see BDB 85 s.v. I אֵת 3). If “his generation” refers to the servant’s contemporary generation, one may then translate, “As for his contemporary generation, who took note?” The point would be that few were concerned about the harsh treatment he received.

[53:8]  ¹¹⁰ sn The “land of the living” is an idiom for the sphere where people live, in contrast to the underworld realm of the dead. See, for example, Ezek 32:23-27.

[53:8]  ¹¹¹ tn The Hebrew text reads “my people,” a reading followed by most English versions, but this is problematic in a context where the first person plural predominates, and where God does not appear to speak again until v. 11b. Therefore, it is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a עמו (“his people”). In this case, the group speaking in these verses is identified as the servant’s people (compare פְּשָׁעֵנוּ [pÿsha’enu, “our rebellious deeds”] in v. 5 with פֶּשַׁע עַמִּי [pesha’ ’ammi, “the rebellion of his people”] in v. 8).

[55:1]  ¹¹² tn The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments and is often prefixed to judgment oracles for rhetorical effect. But here it appears to be a simple interjection, designed to grab the audience’s attention. Perhaps there is a note of sorrow or pity. See BDB 223 s.v.

[55:1]  ¹¹³ sn The statement is an oxymoron. Its ironic quality adds to its rhetorical impact. The statement reminds one of the norm (one must normally buy commodities) as it expresses the astounding offer. One might paraphrase the statement: “Come and take freely what you normally have to pay for.”

[56:11]  ¹¹⁴ sn The phrase never full alludes to the greed of the leaders.

[56:11]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “for his gain from his end.”

[59:8]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”

[59:8]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “their paths they make crooked, everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”

[14:2]  ¹¹⁸ 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.”

[28:4]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “which the one seeing sees, while still it is in his hand he swallows it.”

[33:15]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “walks” (so NASB, NIV).

[33:15]  ¹²¹ tn Or, possibly, “justly”; NAB “who practices virtue.”

[33:15]  ¹²² tn Heb “[who] shakes off his hands from grabbing hold of a bribe.”

[33:15]  ¹²³ tn Heb “[who] shuts his ear from listening to bloodshed.”

[33:15]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “[who] closes his eyes from seeing evil.”

[48:11]  ¹²⁵ tn The Hebrew text repeats לְמַעֲנִי (lÿma’ani, “for my sake”) for emphasis.

[48:11]  ¹²⁶ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “for how can it be defiled?” The subject of the verb is probably “name” (v. 9).

[48:11]  ¹²⁷ sn See 42:8.

[53:12]  ¹²⁸ tn Scholars have debated the precise meaning of the term רַבִּים (rabbim) that occurs five times in this passage (Isa 52:14, 15; 53:11, 12 [2x]). Its two broad categories of translation are “much”/“many” and “great” (HALOT 1171-72 s.v. I רַב). Unlike other Hebrew terms for might or strength, this term is linked with numbers or abundance. In all sixteen uses outside of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (articular and plural) it signifies an inclusive meaning: “the majority” or “the multitude” (J. Jeremias, TDNT 6:536-37). This term occurs in parallelism with עֲצוּמִים (’atsumim), which normally signifies “numerous” or “large” or “powerful” (through large numbers). Like רַבִּים (rabbim), it refers to greatness in numbers (cf. Deut 4:38; 7:1; 9:1; 11:34). It emphasizes the multitudes with whom the Servant will share the spoil of his victory. As J. Olley wrote: “Yahweh has won the victory and vindicates his Servant, giving to him many subservient people, together with their spoils. These numerous peoples in turn receive blessing, sharing in the “peace” resulting from Yahweh’s victory and the Servant’s suffering” (John W. Olley, “‘The Many’: How Is Isa 53,12a to Be Understood,” Bib 68 [1987]: 330-56).

[53:12]  ¹²⁹ sn The servant is compared here to a warrior who will be richly rewarded for his effort and success in battle.

[53:12]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “because he laid bare his life”; traditionally, ASV “because he (+ hath KJV) poured out his soul (life NIV) unto death.”

[53:12]  ¹³¹ tn The Hiphil of פָּגַע (paga’) can mean “cause to attack” (v. 6), “urge, plead verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25), or “intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16). Perhaps the third nuance fits best here, for military imagery is employed in the first two lines of the verse.

[58:3]  ¹³² tn The words “they lament” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[58:3]  ¹³³ tn Heb “you find pleasure”; NASB “you find your desire.”

[58:3]  ¹³⁴ tn Or perhaps, “debtors.” See HALOT 865 s.v. * עָצֵב.